H-3753.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2799

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2002 Regular Session

By Representatives Lantz, Delvin, Rockefeller, Quall, Talcott, Carrell and Schual‑Berke

Read first time 01/29/2002.  Referred to Committee on Children & Family Services.

Requiring that unfounded reports of child abuse or neglect by child day-care centers and family day-care providers be purged after three years.

    AN ACT Relating to unfounded reports of child abuse or neglect by child day-care centers and family day-care providers; and amending RCW 26.44.031.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 26.44.031 and 1997 c 282 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) To protect the privacy in reporting and the maintenance of reports of nonaccidental injury, neglect, death, sexual abuse, and cruelty to children by their parents, and to safeguard against arbitrary, malicious, or erroneous information or actions, the department shall not maintain information related to unfounded referrals in files or reports of child abuse or neglect for longer than six years except as provided in this section.

(2) At the end of six years from receipt of the unfounded report, the information shall be purged unless an additional report has been received in the intervening period.

(3) For child day-care centers and family day-care providers licensed by the department under chapter 74.15 RCW, the information shall be purged at the end of three years from receipt of the unfounded report unless an additional report has been received in the intervening period.

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