CENTRAL REGISTRY: REPORT S.B. 183: COMMITTEE SUMMARY


Senate Bill 183 (as introduced 2-7-07)
Sponsor: Senator Alan Sanborn
Committee: Families and Human Services


Date Completed: 2-27-07

CONTENT The bill would amend the Child Protection Law (CPL) to give the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services access to certain information on perpetrators of child abuse or neglect contained in the central registry, for the purpose of complying with Federal law.
The CPL requires the Department of Human Services to maintain a statewide, electronic central registry, which is used to keep a record of all reports filed with the Department in which relevant and accurate evidence of child abuse or neglect is found to exist.


The central registry is a confidential record available only to certain governmental agencies, law enforcement agencies, courts, child care organizations, and authorized individuals. The bill would add the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to the people who have access to the registry, for the purpose of complying with the requirements of Section 633 of the Federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.


MCL 722.627

BACKGROUND
Section 633 of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create a national registry of substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect. The registry must collect information reported to states, Indian tribes, and subdivisions of states on perpetrators of a substantiated case of child abuse or neglect.


If a state, Indian tribe, or political subdivision of a state has a similar electronic register of cases of child abuse or neglect, the information provided to the Secretary must be coextensive with the information in that register. The information provided must contain case-specific identifying information that is limited to the name of the perpetrator and the nature of the substantiated case of child abuse or neglect.


Legislative Analyst: Curtis Walker

FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.

Fiscal Analyst: Constance Cole

Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb183/0708