BILL NUMBER: AB 247 ENROLLED
BILL TEXT
PASSED THE SENATE JUNE 29, 2009
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY MAY 4, 2009
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Emmerson
FEBRUARY 10, 2009
An act to amend Section 11170 of the Penal Code, relating to child
abuse.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 247, Emmerson. Child abuse reporting: availability of
information.
Existing law requires the Department of Justice to maintain an
index of all reports of child abuse and severe neglect submitted by
agencies mandated to make those reports. Existing law requires the
Department of Justice to notify an agency that submits a child abuse
report, or a prosecutor who requests notification, of any information
maintained in the index that is relevant to the known or suspected
instance of child abuse or severe neglect reported by the agency.
Existing law further requires that the relevant agency, as specified,
make this information available to the appropriate licensing agency,
as specified, as well as to the reporting medical practitioner,
child custodian, guardian ad litem, or appointed counsel, if he or
she is treating or investigating a case of known or suspected child
abuse or severe neglect.
This bill would provide that this information be made available,
instead of to the reporting medical practitioner, to the reporting
health care practitioner, and would provide that the information be
made available to the health care practitioner only if he or she is
treating a person reported as a possible victim of known or suspected
child abuse. The bill would make other conforming changes.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 11170 of the Penal Code is amended to read:
11170. (a) (1) The Department of Justice shall maintain an index
of all reports of child abuse and severe neglect submitted pursuant
to Section 11169. The index shall be continually updated by the
department and shall not contain any reports that are determined to
be unfounded. The department may adopt rules governing recordkeeping
and reporting pursuant to this article.
(2) The department shall act only as a repository of reports of
suspected child abuse and severe neglect to be maintained in the
Child Abuse Central Index pursuant to paragraph (1). The submitting
agencies are responsible for the accuracy, completeness, and
retention of the reports described in this section. The department
shall be responsible for ensuring that the Child Abuse Central Index
accurately reflects the report it receives from the submitting
agency.
(3) Information from an inconclusive or unsubstantiated report
filed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 11169 shall be deleted
from the Child Abuse Central Index after 10 years if no subsequent
report concerning the same suspected child abuser is received within
that time period. If a subsequent report is received within that
10-year period, information from any prior report, as well as any
subsequently filed report, shall be maintained on the Child Abuse
Central Index for a period of 10 years from the time the most recent
report is received by the department.
(b) (1) The Department of Justice shall immediately notify an
agency that submits a report pursuant to Section 11169, or a
prosecutor who requests notification, of any information maintained
pursuant to subdivision (a) that is relevant to the known or
suspected instance of child abuse or severe neglect reported by the
agency. The agency shall make that information available to the
reporting health care practitioner who is treating a person reported
as a possible victim of known or suspected child abuse. The agency
shall make that information available to the reporting child
custodian, guardian ad litem appointed under Section 326, or counsel
appointed under Section 317 or 318 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code, or the appropriate licensing agency, if he or she or the
licensing agency is handling or investigating a case of known or
suspected child abuse or severe neglect.
(2) When a report is made pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section
11166, or Section 11166.05, the investigating agency, upon completion
of the investigation or after there has been a final disposition in
the matter, shall inform the person required or authorized to report
of the results of the investigation and of any action the agency is
taking with regard to the child or family.
(3) The Department of Justice shall make available to a law
enforcement agency, county welfare department, or county probation
department that is conducting a child abuse investigation relevant
information contained in the index.
(4) The department shall make available to the State Department of
Social Services, or to any county licensing agency that has
contracted with the state for the performance of licensing duties, or
to a tribal court or tribal child welfare agency of a tribe or
consortium of tribes that has entered into an agreement with the
state pursuant to Section 10553.1 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code, information regarding a known or suspected child abuser
maintained pursuant to this section and subdivision (a) of Section
11169 concerning any person who is an applicant for licensure or any
adult who resides or is employed in the home of an applicant for
licensure or who is an applicant for employment in a position having
supervisorial or disciplinary power over a child or children, or who
will provide 24-hour care for a child or children in a residential
home or facility, pursuant to Section 1522.1 or 1596.877 of the
Health and Safety Code, or Section 8714, 8802, 8912, or 9000 of the
Family Code.
(5) The Department of Justice shall make available to a Court
Appointed Special Advocate program that is conducting a background
investigation of an applicant seeking employment with the program or
a volunteer position as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, as
defined in Section 101 of the Welfare and Institutions Code,
information contained in the index regarding known or suspected child
abuse by the applicant.
(6) For purposes of child death review, the Department of Justice
shall make available to the chairperson, or the chairperson's
designee, for each county child death review team, or the State Child
Death Review Council, information maintained in the Child Abuse
Central Index pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 11170 relating
to the death of one or more children and any prior child abuse or
neglect investigation reports maintained involving the same victims,
siblings, or suspects. Local child death review teams may share any
relevant information regarding case reviews involving child death
with other child death review teams.
(7) The department shall make available to investigative agencies
or probation officers, or court investigators acting pursuant to
Section 1513 of the Probate Code, responsible for placing children or
assessing the possible placement of children pursuant to Article 6
(commencing with Section 300), Article 7 (commencing with Section
305), Article 10 (commencing with Section 360), or Article 14
(commencing with Section 601) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 of
the Welfare and Institutions Code, Article 2 (commencing with
Section 1510) or Article 3 (commencing with Section 1540) of Chapter
1 of Part 2 of Division 4 of the Probate Code, information regarding
a known or suspected child abuser contained in the index concerning
any adult residing in the home where the child may be placed, when
this information is requested for purposes of ensuring that the
placement is in the best interest of the child. Upon receipt of
relevant information concerning child abuse or neglect investigation
reports contained in the index from the Department of Justice
pursuant to this subdivision, the agency or court investigator shall
notify, in writing, the person listed in the Child Abuse Central
Index that he or she is in the index. The notification shall include
the name of the reporting agency and the date of the report.
(8) The Department of Justice shall make available to a government
agency conducting a background investigation pursuant to Section
1031 of the Government Code of an applicant seeking employment as a
peace officer, as defined in Section 830, information regarding a
known or suspected child abuser maintained pursuant to this section
concerning the applicant.
(9) The Department of Justice shall make available to a county
child welfare agency or delegated county adoption agency, as defined
in Section 8515 of the Family Code, conducting a background
investigation, or a government agency conducting a background
investigation on behalf of one of those agencies, information
regarding a known or suspected child abuser maintained pursuant to
this section and subdivision (a) of Section 11169 concerning any
applicant seeking employment or volunteer status with the agency who,
in the course of his or her employment or volunteer work, will have
direct contact with children who are alleged to have been, are at
risk of, or have suffered, abuse or neglect.
(10) (A) Persons or agencies, as specified in subdivision (b), if
investigating a case of known or suspected child abuse or neglect, or
the State Department of Social Services or any county licensing
agency pursuant to paragraph (4), or a Court Appointed Special
Advocate program conducting a background investigation for employment
or volunteer candidates pursuant to paragraph (5), or an
investigative agency, probation officer, or court investigator
responsible for placing children or assessing the possible placement
of children pursuant to paragraph (7), or a government agency
conducting a background investigation of an applicant seeking
employment as a peace officer pursuant to paragraph (8), or a county
child welfare agency or delegated county adoption agency conducting a
background investigation of an applicant seeking employment or
volunteer status who, in the course of his or her employment or
volunteer work, will have direct contact which children who are
alleged to have been, are at risk of, or have suffered, abuse or
neglect, pursuant to paragraph (9), to whom disclosure of any
information maintained pursuant to subdivision (a) is authorized, are
responsible for obtaining the original investigative report from the
reporting agency, and for drawing independent conclusions regarding
the quality of the evidence disclosed, and its sufficiency for making
decisions regarding investigation, prosecution, licensing, placement
of a child, employment or volunteer positions with a CASA program,
or employment as a peace officer.
(B) If Child Abuse Central Index information is requested by an
agency for the temporary placement of a child in an emergency
situation pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 305) of
Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code, the department is exempt from the requirements of Section
1798.18 of the Civil Code if compliance would cause a delay in
providing an expedited response to the agency's inquiry and if
further delay in placement may be detrimental to the child.
(11) (A) Whenever information contained in the Department of
Justice files is furnished as the result of an application for
employment or licensing or volunteer status pursuant to paragraph
(4), (5), (8), or (9), the Department of Justice may charge the
person or entity making the request a fee. The fee shall not exceed
the reasonable costs to the department of providing the information.
The only increase shall be at a rate not to exceed the legislatively
approved cost-of-living adjustment for the department. In no case
shall the fee exceed fifteen dollars ($15).
(B) All moneys received by the department pursuant to this section
to process trustline applications for purposes of Chapter 3.35
(commencing with Section 1596.60) of Division 2 of the Health and
Safety Code shall be deposited in a special account in the General
Fund that is hereby established and named the Department of Justice
Child Abuse Fund. Moneys in the fund shall be available, upon
appropriation by the Legislature, for expenditure by the department
to offset the costs incurred to process trustline automated child
abuse or neglect system checks pursuant to this section.
(C) All moneys, other than that described in subparagraph (B),
received by the department pursuant to this paragraph shall be
deposited in a special account in the General Fund which is hereby
created and named the Department of Justice Sexual Habitual Offender
Fund. The funds shall be available, upon appropriation by the
Legislature, for expenditure by the department to offset the costs
incurred pursuant to Chapter 9.5 (commencing with Section 13885) and
Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 13890) of Title 6 of Part 4, and
the DNA and Forensic Identification Data Base and Data Bank Act of
1998 (Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 295) of Title 9 of Part 1),
and for maintenance and improvements to the statewide Sexual Habitual
Offender Program and the California DNA offender identification file
(CAL-DNA) authorized by Chapter 9.5 (commencing with Section 13885)
of Title 6 of Part 4 and the DNA and Forensic Identification Data
Base and Data Bank Act of 1998 (Chapter 6 (commencing with Section
295) of Title 9 of Part 1).
(c) The Department of Justice shall make available to any agency
responsible for placing children pursuant to Article 7 (commencing
with Section 305) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 of the Welfare
and Institutions Code, upon request, relevant information concerning
child abuse or neglect reports contained in the index, when making a
placement with a responsible relative pursuant to Sections 281.5,
305, and 361.3 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. Upon receipt of
relevant information concerning child abuse or neglect reports
contained in the index from the Department of Justice pursuant to
this subdivision, the agency shall also notify in writing the person
listed in the Child Abuse Central Index that he or she is in the
index. The notification shall include the location of the original
investigative report and the submitting agency. The notification
shall be submitted to the person listed at the same time that all
other parties are notified of the information, and no later than the
actual judicial proceeding that determines placement.
If Child Abuse Central Index information is requested by an agency
for the placement of a child with a responsible relative in an
emergency situation pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section
305) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 of the Welfare and
Institutions Code, the department is exempt from the requirements of
Section 1798.18 of the Civil Code if compliance would cause a delay
in providing an expedited response to the child protective agency's
inquiry and if further delay in placement may be detrimental to the
child.
(d) The department shall make available any information maintained
pursuant to subdivision (a) to out-of-state law enforcement agencies
conducting investigations of known or suspected child abuse or
neglect only when an agency makes the request for information in
writing and on official letterhead, or as designated by the
department, identifying the suspected abuser or victim by name and
date of birth or approximate age. The request shall be signed by the
department supervisor of the requesting law enforcement agency. The
written requests shall cite the out-of-state statute or interstate
compact provision that requires that the information contained within
these reports shall be disclosed only to law enforcement,
prosecutorial entities, or multidisciplinary investigative teams, and
shall cite the safeguards in place to prevent unlawful disclosure of
any confidential information provided by the requesting state or the
applicable interstate compact provision.
(e) (1) The department shall make available to an out-of-state
agency, for purposes of approving a prospective foster or adoptive
parent in compliance with the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety
Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-248), information regarding a known or
suspected child abuser maintained pursuant to subdivision (a)
concerning the prospective foster or adoptive parent, and any other
adult living in the home of the prospective foster or adoptive
parent. The department shall make that information available only
when the out-of-state agency makes the request indicating that
continual compliance will be maintained with the requirement in
paragraph (20) of subdivision (a) of Section 671 of Title 42 of the
United States Code that requires the state to have in place
safeguards to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of information in
any child abuse and neglect registry maintained by the state and
prevent the information from being used for a purpose other than the
conducting of background checks in foster or adoption placement
cases.
(2) With respect to any information provided by the department in
response to the out-of-state agency's request, the out-of-state
agency is responsible for obtaining the original investigative report
from the reporting agency, and for drawing independent conclusions
regarding the quality of the evidence disclosed and its sufficiency
for making decisions regarding the approval of prospective foster or
adoptive parents.
(3) (A) Whenever information contained in the index is furnished
pursuant to this subdivision, the department shall charge the
out-of-state agency making the request a fee. The fee shall not
exceed the reasonable costs to the department of providing the
information. The only increase shall be at a rate not to exceed the
legislatively approved cost-of-living adjustment for the department.
In no case shall the fee exceed fifteen dollars ($15).
(B) All moneys received by the department pursuant to this
subdivision shall be deposited in the Department of Justice Child
Abuse Fund, established under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (11) of
subdivision (b). Moneys in the fund shall be available, upon
appropriation by the Legislature, for expenditure by the department
to offset the costs incurred to process requests for information
pursuant to this subdivision.
(f) (1) Any person may determine if he or she is listed in the
Child Abuse Central Index by making a request in writing to the
Department of Justice. The request shall be notarized and include the
person's name, address, date of birth, and either a social security
number or a California identification number. Upon receipt of a
notarized request, the Department of Justice shall make available to
the requesting person information identifying the date of the report
and the submitting agency. The requesting person is responsible for
obtaining the investigative report from the submitting agency
pursuant to paragraph (11) of subdivision (b) of Section 11167.5.
(2) No person or agency shall require or request another person to
furnish a copy of a record concerning himself or herself, or
notification that a record concerning himself or herself exists or
does not exist, pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subdivision.
(g) If a person is listed in the Child Abuse Central Index only as
a victim of child abuse or neglect, and that person is 18 years of
age or older, that person may have his or her name removed from the
index by making a written request to the Department of Justice. The
request shall be notarized and include the person's name, address,
social security number, and date of birth.