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DCFS presents year‑to‑date Garrett’s Law data showing rising reports and high substantiation rates
Summary
Director Martin told the Senate Children and Youth Committee that reports under Garrett’s Law have steadily increased since the law’s adoption, with marijuana the most-cited substance and a 94% substantiation rate in the latest reporting year; about 14% of newborns substantiated under the law were removed from mothers' custody.
Director Martin, director of the Division of Children and Family Services, presented the annual Garrett’s Law report to the Senate Children and Youth Committee, summarizing the statute’s current scope and the agency’s response.
Martin said Garrett’s Law, as currently defined, applies when a newborn’s bodily fluids test positive for an illegal substance attributable to the mother’s prenatal use. She told the committee that accepted reports for investigation have risen steadily since the law’s inception and that the latest state fiscal‑year figures show a year‑over‑year increase.
The report breaks down the substances cited: marijuana (THC/cannabis) was recorded…
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