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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- S 0546 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC002200 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- CHILD ADVOCATE OFFICE |
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| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Senators de la Cruz, Rogers, Ciccone, DiPalma, Raptakis, E Morgan, |
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| 17 | 17 | | Quezada, and Zurier |
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| 18 | 18 | | Date Introduced: February 26, 2025 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Referred To: Senate Judiciary |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 1. Section 42-73-2.3 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-73 entitled "Child 1 |
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| 24 | 24 | | Advocate Office" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2 |
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| 25 | 25 | | 42-73-2.3. Child fatality reviews. 3 |
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| 26 | 26 | | (a) The department of children, youth and families shall notify the office of the child 4 |
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| 27 | 27 | | advocate verbally and electronically within forty-eight (48) hours of a confirmed fatality or near 5 |
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| 28 | 28 | | fatality of a child who is the subject of a DCYF case and shall provide the office of the child 6 |
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| 29 | 29 | | advocate with access to any written material about the case. 7 |
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| 30 | 30 | | (b) The child advocate, working with a voluntary and confidential child fatality review 8 |
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| 31 | 31 | | panel, whose members may vary on a case-by-case basis, shall review the case records of all 9 |
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| 32 | 32 | | notifications in accordance with subsection (a) of fatalities and near fatalities of children under 10 |
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| 33 | 33 | | twenty-one (21) years of age, if: 11 |
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| 34 | 34 | | (1) The fatality or near fatality occurs while in the custody of, or involved with, the 12 |
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| 35 | 35 | | department, or if the child’s family previously received services from the department; 13 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (2) The fatality or near fatality is alleged to be from abuse or neglect of the child and the 14 |
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| 37 | 37 | | child or child’s family had prior contact with the department; or 15 |
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| 38 | 38 | | (3) A sibling, household member, or daycare provider has been the subject of a child abuse 16 |
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| 39 | 39 | | and neglect investigation within the previous twelve (12) months, including, without limitation, 17 |
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| 40 | 40 | | cases in which the report was unsubstantiated or the investigation is currently pending. 18 |
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| 41 | 41 | | (c) The child fatality review panel shall assess and analyze such cases; make 19 |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | LC002200 - Page 2 of 3 |
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| 45 | 45 | | recommendations regarding such cases; and make recommendations for improvements to laws, 1 |
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| 46 | 46 | | policies, and practices that support the safety of children. Each report shall be made public within 2 |
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| 47 | 47 | | thirty (30) days of its completion. 3 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (d) The members of the child fatality review panel, established in accordance with this 4 |
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| 49 | 49 | | section, shall be subject to the confidentiality provisions of § 42-73-10. 5 |
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| 50 | 50 | | (e) The child advocate shall publicly announce the convening of a child fatality review 6 |
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| 51 | 51 | | panel, including the age of the child involved. 7 |
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| 52 | 52 | | (f) The department of children, youth and families shall implement whatever measures are 8 |
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| 53 | 53 | | necessary to comply with recommendations pursuant to subsection (c) of this section within six (6) 9 |
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| 54 | 54 | | months of the recommendation; provided, further, the director of DCYF shall provide a report to 10 |
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| 55 | 55 | | the child advocate, the speaker of the house, president of the senate and governor detailing DCYF's 11 |
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| 56 | 56 | | specific response to recommendations made pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. Reports 12 |
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| 57 | 57 | | required pursuant to this section shall be completed within three (3) months of the date of any 13 |
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| 58 | 58 | | measure implemented by DCYF in response to recommendations pursuant to subsection (c) of this 14 |
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| 59 | 59 | | section. 15 |
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| 60 | 60 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 16 |
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| 61 | 61 | | ======== |
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| 62 | 62 | | LC002200 |
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| 63 | 63 | | ======== |
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| 64 | 64 | | |
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| 65 | 65 | | |
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| 66 | 66 | | LC002200 - Page 3 of 3 |
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| 67 | 67 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 68 | 68 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 69 | 69 | | OF |
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| 70 | 70 | | A N A C T |
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| 71 | 71 | | RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- CHILD ADVOCATE OFFICE |
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| 72 | 72 | | *** |
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| 73 | 73 | | This act would require DCYF to implement recommendations made by the child advocate 1 |
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| 74 | 74 | | and child fatality review panel within six (6) months and provide the child advocate, speaker of the 2 |
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| 75 | 75 | | house, senate president and governor with a report of the measures taken to address the 3 |
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| 76 | 76 | | recommendations. 4 |
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| 77 | 77 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 5 |
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| 78 | 78 | | ======== |
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| 79 | 79 | | LC002200 |
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