H. B. 4473


(By Delegates Spencer, Palumbo,
Perdue, Amores and Webster)
[Introduced February 13, 2004; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary.]



A BILL to amend the code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §49-6A-2a, relating to requiring the department of health and human resources to develop a procedure to notify licensed professionals who are mandated to report child abuse and neglect of the disposition of the investigation into the report.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §49-6A-2a, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 6A. REPORTS OF CHILDREN SUSPECTED TO BE ABUSED OR NEGLECTED.

§49-6A-2a. Notification of disposition of reports.
(a) The department of health and human resources shall develop and implement a procedure to notify any licensed professional, required to report suspected child abuse and neglect under the provisions of section two of this article, of the disposition of the investigation into the report of suspected child abuse and neglect to include any finding that the child was abused or neglected and any recommendation of the department for placement of the child.
(b) The department of health and human resources shall develop and implement the above described procedure on or before the first day of January, two thousand five.



NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require the Department of Health and Human Resources to develop a procedure to notify licensed professionals who are mandated to report child abuse and neglect of the disposition of the investigation into the report by January 1, 2005.

This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.