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Senate passes bill to create child abuse and neglect central registry after adopting floor amendments
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Summary
The Commonwealth Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 24-41, creating a child abuse and neglect central registry intended to streamline background checks, protect children, and safeguard federal funding for local programs. Lawmakers approved floor amendments tightening penalties, appeal procedures and removal rules.
The Senate passed Senate Bill 24-41 on the floor after adopting a package of floor amendments that change penalties, appeals and removal procedures for the proposed child abuse and neglect central registry. The motion to pass the bill as amended carried unanimously on an 8–0 roll call.
Supporters said the registry will streamline screening for people working with children and protect federal funding for local programs that require comprehensive background checks. "This bill gives us the structure and guidance we need to operate the registry properly with confidentiality, due process, and accountability built in," said Vivian Sablan, Administrator for the Division of Youth Services under the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.
Senate amendments detailed by the Floor Leader included removing a per‑violation civil penalty, adding criminal penalties with alternative sanctions (a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment of up to five years, or permanent access revocation), specifying acceptable payment methods, establishing internal review and an independent administrative hearing process (later clarified to be a neutral hearing officer designated under the CNMI Administrative Procedure Act), and allowing early removal requests for individuals who were minors at the time of the substantiated offense once they turn 21. The package also authorized legal counsel and the Senate clerk to make non‑substantive technical corrections necessary to effectuate the floor amendment prior to transmittal.
During debate, Senator Paul asked whether language in an amendment would result in mandatory imprisonment even for low‑level or accidental violations, citing recent high‑profile data releases as a cautionary example. The Floor Leader responded that the amended language provides alternatives — the penalties are phrased as options (a fine, imprisonment, or revocation), not an automatic mandatory prison term.
Supporters told the Senate the registry is the product of multi‑year work and technical assistance. Sablan said DYS handled 153 clearance requests in FY2025 and had received 193 requests in the first four months of FY2026, and that federal grant eligibility for programs such as the CNMI childcare licensing program and CNMI Head Start depends on having such a registry.
The bill passed the Senate in the form of Senate Substitute 1 and committee representatives requested that technical, non‑substantive edits be allowed before any transmittal or final implementation steps. The session record does not specify a date for transmittal to the next procedural body.
