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Senate adopts bill allowing child‑protection interviews at centers or homes, authorizes recorded evidence
Summary
With an agreed amendment, the Senate passed Senate File 2416 to allow child‑protection workers or peace officers to interview suspected abuse victims at homes or accredited child‑protection centers, to record visible evidence, and to permit court‑ordered interviews in narrow circumstances; the amendment was adopted and the bill passed unanimously.
Senator Reichman introduced Senate File 2416 and presented Senate Amendment 5055, which the Senate adopted. The amendment implements agreed language between county attorneys and HHS to allow child‑protection workers or peace officers to interview a child in suspected abuse cases at the home or at an accredited child‑protection/advocacy center and permits recording visible evidence of abuse for investigatory purposes.
Under the amended bill, if permission to interview a child is denied, a district court may order an interview upon a showing of probable cause. The amendment was described on the floor as the product of consultation between county attorneys and the Department of Human Services. Senator Reichman moved adoption of the amendment and then moved final passage of the bill; both motions carried and the bill passed by a recorded vote of 45–0.
What happens next: The bill, as amended, will be messaged to the other chamber. Supporters said the language balances investigative needs and due process by limiting court‑ordered interviews to probable‑cause showings and by specifying accredited centers or trained personnel.
