HLS 17RS-84 ORIGINAL
2017 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 17
BY REPRESENTATIVE HOFFMANN
CHILDREN/WELFARE SVCS: Requests a study and recommendations concerning
reporting of child abuse and neglect in military families
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request the Department of Children and Family Services to study the issue of
3 reporting of child abuse and neglect in military families, and to recommend to the
4 legislature policies for improving coordination between the department and the
5 United States Department of Defense in matters relating to child welfare.
6 WHEREAS, the Department of Children and Family Services, referred to hereafter
7as "DCFS", works to meet the needs of this state's most vulnerable children by carrying out
8vital child protection functions; and
9 WHEREAS, these functions include investigations by the DCFS child welfare
10division of reports of child abuse and neglect; and
11 WHEREAS, current data indicate that approximately seventy percent of active duty
12military families reside in the civilian community; and
13 WHEREAS, the secretary of the United States Department of Defense is required by
14law, 10 U.S.C. 1787, to coordinate with civilian child welfare services for the purpose of
15obtaining information concerning allegations of child abuse and neglect involving children
16in military families; and
17 WHEREAS, the Department of Defense depends upon collaboration with state
18agencies such as DCFS to fulfill this obligation to address child abuse and neglect; and
19 WHEREAS, the Family Advocacy Program of the Department of Defense requires
20the military services to establish agreements with state and local child welfare services to
21collaborate on the oversight of cases involving military families; and
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HCR NO. 17
1 WHEREAS, changes in state laws, regulations, and policies could facilitate
2development of more consistent agreements and better coordination of state child welfare
3functions and military protective and rehabilitative services, with the overall goal of
4achieving the most effective partnership between the Department of Defense and the state
5to best serve military children and families; and
6 WHEREAS, examples of model laws providing for such coordination of child
7welfare functions are those of the states of South Carolina and Washington, which direct the
8collection of military affiliation information as part of the child abuse and neglect response
9process and the sharing of pertinent case information with the appropriate military
10authorities.
11 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
12urge and request the Department of Children and Family Services to study the issue of
13reporting of child abuse and neglect in military families, and to recommend policies for
14improving coordination between the department and the United States Department of
15Defense in matters relating to child welfare.
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in developing the study and recommendations
17requested in this Resolution, the Department of Children and Family Services shall engage,
18collaborate with, and obtain information and perspective from representatives of the Family
19Advocacy Program of the Department of Defense, Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana, the Child
20Advocacy Centers and CASA of Louisiana, and any other stakeholder groups with an
21interest in child abuse prevention as deemed appropriate by the secretary of the Department
22of Children and Family Services.
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Children and Family Services
24shall submit a written report of its recommendations resulting from the study requested in
25this Resolution to the House Committee on Health and Welfare, the Senate Committee on
26Health and Welfare, the House Committee on Judiciary, and the Senate Judiciary C
27Committee on or before February 1, 2018.
28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
29deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy of the United
30States Department of Defense, the secretary of the Department of Children and Family
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HCR NO. 17
1Services, the executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana, and the president of
2LouisianaChildren.org.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 17 Original 2017 Regular Session Hoffmann
Urges and requests the Dept. of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to study the issue of
reporting of child abuse and neglect in military families and to recommend policies for
improving coordination between the department and the U.S. Dept. of Defense in matters
relating to child welfare.
Requests that DCFS submit a written report of its recommendations to the legislative
committees on health and welfare, the House Committee on Judiciary, and the Senate
Judiciary C Committee on or before Feb. 1, 2018.
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