HOUSE BILL No. 4499

 

March 15, 2005, Introduced by Rep. Green and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

     A bill to amend 1975 PA 238, entitled

 

"Child protection law,"

 

by amending section 2 (MCL 722.622), as amended by 2002 PA 693.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 2. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Adult foster care location authorized to care for a

 

child" means an adult foster care family home or adult foster care

 

small group home as defined in section 3 of the adult foster care

 

facility licensing act, 1979 PA 218, MCL 400.703, in which a child

 

is placed in accordance with section 5 of 1973 PA 116, MCL 722.115.

 

     (b) "Attorney" means, if appointed to represent a child under

 

the provisions referenced in section 10, an attorney serving as the

 

child's legal advocate in the manner defined and described in


 

section 13a of chapter XIIA of the probate code of 1939, 1939 PA

 

288, MCL 712A.13a.

 

     (c) "Central registry" means the system maintained at the

 

department that is used to keep a record of all reports filed with

 

the department under this act in which relevant and accurate

 

evidence of child abuse or neglect is found to exist.

 

     (d) "Central registry case" means a child protective services

 

case that the department classifies under sections 8 and 8d as

 

category I or category II. For a child protective services case

 

that was investigated before July 1, 1999, central registry case

 

means an allegation of child abuse or neglect that the department

 

substantiated.

 

     (e) "Child" means a person under 18 years of age.

 

     (f) "Child abuse" means harm or threatened harm to a child's

 

health or welfare that occurs through nonaccidental physical or

 

mental injury, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or maltreatment,

 

by a parent, a legal guardian, or any other person responsible for

 

the child's health or welfare or by a teacher, a teacher's aide, or

 

a member of the clergy. Child abuse includes a violation or

 

attempted violation of section 625(7)(a) of the Michigan vehicle

 

code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.625.

 

     (g) "Child care organization" means that term as defined in

 

section 1 of 1973 PA 116, MCL 722.111.

 

     (h) "Child care provider" means an owner, operator, employee,

 

or volunteer of a child care organization or of an adult foster

 

care location authorized to care for a child.

 

     (i) "Child care regulatory agency" means the department of


 

consumer and industry services  family independence agency or a

 

successor state department that is responsible for the licensing or

 

registration of child care organizations or the licensing of adult

 

foster care locations authorized to care for a child.

 

     (j) "Child neglect" means harm or threatened harm to a child's

 

health or welfare by a parent, legal guardian, or  any other  

 

another person responsible for the child's health or welfare that

 

occurs through either of the following:

 

     (i) Negligent treatment, including the failure to provide

 

adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care.

 

     (ii) Placing a child at an unreasonable risk to the child's

 

health or welfare by failure of the parent, legal guardian, or

 

other person responsible for the child's health or welfare to

 

intervene to eliminate that risk when that person is able to do so

 

and has, or should have, knowledge of the risk.

 

     (k) "Citizen review panel" means a panel established as

 

required by section 106 of title I of the child abuse prevention

 

and treatment act, Public Law 93-247,  42 U.S.C.  USC 5106a.

 

     (l) "Member of the clergy" means a priest, minister, rabbi,

 

Christian science practitioner, or other religious practitioner, or

 

similar functionary of a church, temple, or recognized religious

 

body, denomination, or organization.

 

     (m) "Controlled substance" means that term as defined in

 

section 7104 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.7104.

 

     (n) "CPSI system" means the child protective service

 

information system, which is an internal data system maintained

 

within and by the department, and which is separate from the


 

central registry and not subject to section 7.

 

     (o) "Department" means the family independence agency.

 

     (p) "Director" means the director of the department.

 

     (q) "Expunge" means to physically remove or eliminate and

 

destroy a record or report.

 

     (r) "Lawyer-guardian ad litem" means an attorney appointed

 

under section 10 who has the powers and duties referenced by

 

section 10.

 

     (s) "Local office file" means the system used to keep a record

 

of a written report, document, or photograph filed with and

 

maintained by a county or a regionally based office of the

 

department.

 

     (t) "Nonparent adult" means a person who is 18 years of age or

 

older and who, regardless of the person's domicile, meets all of

 

the following criteria in relation to a child:

 

     (i) Has substantial and regular contact with the child.

 

     (ii) Has a close personal relationship with the child's parent

 

or with a person responsible for the child's health or welfare.

 

     (iii) Is not the child's parent or a person otherwise related to

 

the child by blood or affinity to the third degree.

 

     (u) "Person responsible for the child's health or welfare"

 

means a parent, legal guardian, person 18 years of age or older who

 

resides for any length of time in the same home in which the child

 

resides, or, except when  if used in section 7(2)(e) or 8(8),

 

nonparent adult; or an owner, operator, volunteer, or employee of 1

 

or more of the following:

 

     (i) A licensed or registered child care organization.


 

     (ii) A licensed or unlicensed adult foster care family home or

 

adult foster care small group home as defined in section 3 of the

 

adult foster care facility licensing act, 1979 PA 218, MCL 400.703.

 

     (v) "Relevant evidence" means evidence having a tendency to

 

make the existence of a fact that is at issue more probable than it

 

would be without the evidence.

 

     (w) "Sexual abuse" means engaging in sexual contact or sexual

 

penetration as those terms are defined in section 520a of the

 

Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.520a, with a child.

 

     (x) "Sexual exploitation" includes allowing, permitting, or

 

encouraging a child to engage in prostitution, or allowing,

 

permitting, encouraging, or engaging in the photographing, filming,

 

or depicting of a child engaged in a listed sexual act as defined

 

in section 145c of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL

 

750.145c.

 

     (y) "Specified information" means information in a central

 

registry case record that relates specifically to referrals or

 

reports of child abuse or neglect. Specified information does not

 

include any of the following:

 

     (i) Except as provided in this subparagraph regarding a

 

perpetrator of child abuse or neglect, personal identification

 

information for any individual identified in a child protective

 

services record. The exclusion of personal identification

 

information as specified information prescribed by this

 

subparagraph does not include personal identification information

 

identifying an individual alleged to have perpetrated child abuse

 

or neglect, which allegation has been classified as a central


 

registry case.

 

     (ii) Information in a law enforcement report as provided in

 

section 7(8).

 

     (iii) Any other information that is specifically designated as

 

confidential under other law.

 

     (z) "Structured decision-making tool" means the department

 

document labeled "DSS-4752 (P3) (3-95)" or a revision of that

 

document that better measures the risk of future harm to a child.

 

     (aa) "Substantiated" means a child protective services case

 

classified as a central registry case.

 

     (bb) "Unsubstantiated" means a child protective services case

 

the department classifies under sections 8 and 8d as category III,

 

category IV, or category V.