HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 642

BYRepresentatives Patrick, Scott, P. King and May

Providing access to the child-abuse registry to persons responsible for children or adult dependent persons.

House Committe on Judiciary

Majority Report:     Do pass.  (9)

     Signed by Representatives Armstrong, Chair; Crane, Vice Chair; Appelwick, Brough, Hargrove, Heavey, P. King, Niemi and Scott.

House Staff:Linda Sellers (786-7349)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY MARCH 6, 1987

BACKGROUND:

The Department of Social and Health Services maintains a central registry of reported cases of child abuse and abuse of adult dependent persons.  The information in this registry is confidential and privileged, and without a court order the information may only be released to the people or entities listed in statute.  Among others, these people and entities include law enforcement agencies, protective services workers, any person engaged in a bona fide research purpose, and parents, guardians, or others legally responsible for the care of the child or adult dependent person named in the registry.

SUMMARY:

An addition is made to the statutory list of people or entities that may obtain information from the Department of Social and Health Services' central registry of reported cases of child abuse.  Without a court order, all parents, guardians, and other persons legally responsible for the care of a child or adult dependent person may have access to the central registry records.  In order to obtain central registry information, the parent or guardian must make a bona fide request and must be investigating the character of a person or organization seeking to care for the child or adult dependent person.

Fiscal Note:    Requested March 6, 1987.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:     Kris Burgemeister; Roger Stone.

House Committee - Testified Against: Bailey DeIongh, Public Defender; William Backlund, VOCAL.

House Committee - Testimony For:     Currently, parents and guardians have no means to screen the potential care providers of their children or adult dependent persons for past criminal activity or questionable character.

House Committee - Testimony Against: The central registry for reported cases of child abuse was not designed for use by the general public to check the suitability of potential care providers, and consequently there are not enough due process protections built into the system to protect people named as alleged abusers.