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SALT LAKE CITY — State lawmakers have proposed a bill that would require the Division of Child and Family Services to notify law enforcement if it receives a report of child abuse or neglect that it believes to be knowingly false.
The proposal, discussed in the state Legislature's Rules Review and General Oversight Committee Monday, would slightly modify the existing code that gives the division discretion over whether to inform police of false reports. Lawmakers were insistent the bill was not meant to reduce the number of credible reports made to the agency and encouraged residents with knowledge of abuse to report it.
"I know in this specific bill that we're discussing, we were mostly dealing with very contested and divisive custodial pieces where we see ... one parent weaponizing abuse as part of their custody battles," Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, said. "But I just want to make sure the message to the public is that we want people to continue to report — that every report can save a child's life — and I want to make sure that as we are navigating a very difficult, delicate balance with this specific issue of false reporting, that we are not discouraging the public at large."
Escamilla serves on the Legislature's Child Welfare Oversight Committee which examines in detail some of the cases brought before the Division of Child and Family Services. Lawmakers have held a pair of high-profile hearings on the death of 12-year-old Gavin Peterson, whose family had an extensive history of interactions with the division before his death on July 9.
Gavin's death has placed scrutiny on the division's handling of the case, and Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Morgan, on Monday said the proposed reporting requirement for false reports will hopefully remove the burden of investigating those claims from the division.
"They have to be looked into by staff, which really creates a burden on staff ... when they could be putting more time and effort into the true cases, the substantiated cases, that are out there of child abuse and neglect," Birkeland said. "If you're concerned, you need to report (abuse), but we can't have it weaponized because it takes away those valuable resources from those true cases."
"I think that's going to really help DCFS and those who are part of the investigation process and really hold those who are doing this more accountable with law enforcement," she added.
The bill is expected to be proposed during the upcoming general legislative session, which begins Jan. 21.
