The Senate Family and Children Services Committee heard HB 1412 on reporting of child abuse or neglect sponsored by Sen. Goode and Sen. Crider. Author Rep. Cash introduced the bill and explained that the bill does the following:
- Provides that an individual’s duty to report suspected child abuse or neglect may only be delegated to another person if certain conditions are met;
- Requires that if a report of suspected abuse or neglect alleges that a staff member, youth coach, or volunteer of an institution, school, facility, organization, or agency is the abuser, local law enforcement shall investigate to determine if the institution, school, facility, organization, or agency knew of the abuse and failed to report it and allows law enforcement to consider certain facts in its determination; and
- Raises the penalty for failure to report for certain individuals with a duty to report to a Class A misdemeanor (from a Class B misdemeanor) and increases the penalty to a Level 6 felony if the person has a prior conviction for failure to report abuse or neglect.
The bill was amended by consent to provide that a child is not a child in need of services due to a parent, guardian, or custodian referring to and raising a child consistent with the child’s biological sex. Children’s Advocacy Program of Southeast Indiana, Champions for Children of Indiana, and a private citizen testified in support of the bill. The amended bill passed 6-0.
Read the bill at: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/house/1412