Bill > HB625

This bill introduces a mechanism to ensure county compliance with child abuse and neglect reporting requirements by financially penalizing counties that fail to submit mandatory reports. Specifically, if a county attorney does not submit the required semi-annual reports to the attorney general about child sexual abuse or exploitation cases by the designated deadlines, the attorney general will first provide a notice of the missed deadline to the county attorney and county commissioners. If the required information is not submitted within 30 days, the attorney general must then report the county's non-compliance to the Department of Revenue. As a consequence, the county's entitlement share (a form of state funding) will be automatically reduced by 2%. The bill amends existing statutes to outline the reporting requirements, which include providing details such as case identifiers, report dates, charging decisions, conviction information, and the number of certifications made. The goal is to improve transparency and accountability in handling child abuse reports by creating a clear enforcement mechanism for timely and complete reporting.

Justice

https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC3442