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Sponsor seeks to limit child‑welfare intervention over gender‑identity parenting; advocates warn of harm
Summary
Representative Mercer’s HB 690 would expand legislators' access to DPHHS child‑protection records and add language excluding as 'abuse' parental decisions to raise a child 'consistent with the child's biological sex'; proponents cited tribal concerns and disproportionate CPS involvement, opponents said the changes would prevent intervention in genuine abuse and raise risks to trans youth.
House Bill 690 combined two contentious elements: a statutory clarification to ensure legislators can review child‑protection records when requested by parents (with confidentiality safeguards and a judicial process to resolve attorney‑client privilege disputes), and broad changes to abuse and neglect definitions that would exclude parental actions to raise a child "consistent with the child's biological sex,"…
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