Bill > HB2354

This bill modifies existing Missouri law regarding child protective services and temporary child custody, establishing new provisions for handling potential child abuse or neglect cases. The bill expands protections for children and parents by allowing law enforcement, physicians, and other officials to take a child into temporary protective custody if there is reasonable belief of imminent serious harm, with a maximum custody period of 24 hours unless a court order extends it. Notably, the bill introduces a new requirement for the sexual assault forensic examination-child abuse resource and education (SAFE-CARE) network to provide consultations with specialized physicians who can identify medical conditions that might be mistaken for child abuse, such as rickets, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and osteogenesis imperfecta. The bill also mandates that during abuse investigations, parents have the right to be notified about specialty consultations, object to specific specialists, seek alternative medical opinions, and obtain full access to medical records. This ensures a more comprehensive and balanced approach to investigating potential child abuse cases, recognizing that some medical conditions can mimic abuse symptoms and that parents should have meaningful input in the investigation process.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB2354&year=2026&code=R