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Committee adopts amendment banning hidden bedroom and bathroom cameras for foster children, reports HB 4352
Summary
House Bill 4352 would prohibit cameras in foster children’s bedrooms and bathrooms while allowing narrowly defined, conspicuous monitoring (such as age‑appropriate baby monitors); the committee adopted a counsel‑explained amendment and reported the bill to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass as amended and first be referred to the judiciary.
House counsel told the committee that House Bill 4352 would ban cameras in the bedrooms and bathrooms of foster children while allowing limited exemptions, such as age‑appropriate baby monitors and devices used for children with specified medical diagnoses. Counsel said exempted devices must be placed in a conspicuous location and may not be hidden, concealed or obscured.
The amendment explained by counsel also sets the maximum baby‑monitor age at 4 and adds an explicit prohibition against recording private activities, such as toileting. "The proposed bill prohibits cameras in the bedrooms and bathrooms of foster children and provides for exemptions such as baby monitors when age appropriate for the child," counsel said during the committee explanation.
After brief questions, the vice chair moved the counsel‑explained amendment. The committee adopted the amendment by voice vote and then voted to report HB 4352 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass as amended under the original double committee reference, with the first referral to the Committee on Judiciary.
The committee did not record a roll‑call tally in the transcript; the chair announced by voice that "the ayes have it." The measure will next go to the Senate for floor consideration.
The committee discussion focused on the bill’s exemptions and safeguards (labeling and conspicuous placement of exempted devices) rather than policy tradeoffs between monitoring and privacy.
