Opposition to two bills we proposed this legislative session means they will only receive an informational hearing in the state Senate, and none in the House.
Most bills don’t pass when first introduced, and these have served to jump-start a conversation that needed to happen.
The first bill makes it the preferred practice to interview children separately from their alleged abusers. The second requires doing fact-finding before deciding whether to investigate a case or divert it to the more flexible Family Assessment program.
Concerns include that the bills will undermine parental rights, and that interviewing children separately from parents will not work equitably for families of color.
Before reintroducing this legislation next year we will work with other stakeholders to address these issues while giving appropriate weight to child safety.