House File 138

                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  McCARTHY and SMITH


    Passed House, Date                Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act revising the criteria for mandatory reporting of child
  2    abuse.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 1529HH 80
  5 jp/sh/8

PAG LIN

  1  1    Section 1.  Section 232.69, subsection 1, paragraph b,
  1  2 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2003, is amended to read as
  1  3 follows:
  1  4    Any of the following persons who, in while performing
  1  5 within the scope of professional practice or in their
  1  6 employment responsibilities, examines, attends, counsels, or
  1  7 treats a child and reasonably believes has reasonable cause to
  1  8 believe a child has suffered abuse:
  1  9                           EXPLANATION
  1 10    This bill revises the criteria for mandatory reporting of
  1 11 child abuse.
  1 12    Under current law, the mandatory reporting requirement
  1 13 applies to various professionals and caregivers who examine,
  1 14 attend, counsel, or treat a child in the scope of professional
  1 15 practice or employment responsibilities and reasonably
  1 16 believes a child has suffered abuse.  The bill expands the
  1 17 circumstances under which reporting is required by striking
  1 18 the requirement for the reporter to examine, attend, counsel,
  1 19 or treat a child in their professional practice or employment
  1 20 responsibilities in order to be required to report abuse.
  1 21    Current law provides that a mandatory reporter's knowing
  1 22 and willful failure to report abuse is a simple misdemeanor.
  1 23 LSB 1529HH 80
  1 24 jp/sh/8
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