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Committee moves DA-backed bill requiring immediate law-enforcement notice on hotline reports
Summary
House Bill 1565, a District Attorneys'9 request, was reported out of committee after presenters said it would require immediate notification of law enforcement when the child-abuse hotline receives allegations, enabling earlier parallel criminal investigations; the transcript records the committee reporting the bill out with a roll-call line that appears garbled but reflects unanimous support.
Representative Duell presented House Bill 1565 as a request from District Attorneys. He said the bill transposes Department of Human Services referral practice so that, when someone calls the child-abuse hotline alleging abuse of a minor, law enforcement would be informed immediately rather than waiting months into a DHS investigation.
"What this is doing is as soon as that hotline is called and there's an allegation made, we want law enforcement to know immediately so they can begin their parallel criminal investigation," the presenter said.
Representative Fugate questioned whether current practice already involved referrals to law enforcement during the life of an investigation and whether caregivers or parents were carved out. The presenter confirmed DHS sometimes refers to law enforcement during an investigation but said the bill would change timing so notification is immediate.
The chairman called and declared the vote; the transcript shows a numerical roll-call line followed by the chair'9s statement that the bill will be reported out and "you pass." The numeric line in the transcript is garbled; committee discussion and the chair's announcement indicate the bill was reported out of committee and supported by members on the floor.
The committee reported House Bill 1565 out as due pass; the transcript records the procedural statement and thanks to the presenter.
