An Alabama House bill drew mixed reactions as it could require the state's Department of Human Resources (DHR) to notify parents who are under investigation for child abuse or neglect.
When the bill was discussed during a House committee meeting on Wednesday, it received both strong support and opposition from law enforcement and the DHR. Rep. Kenneth Paschal sponsored the bill and would require the agency to notify a guardian when and why they are being investigated if the case relates to child abuse and neglect.
Proposed Alabama Bill
Furthermore, the bill, known as HB 340, also allows the said guardian to request records from the official handling the case. Paschal said that they would have the right to be informed about the investigation, the right to legal counsel, the right to allow the department into their home to speak with them, and the right to not consent to the department not to enter their home.
The representative said that the proposed bill would not prevent the DHR from removing a child who is found to be in immediate danger. It immediately drew support from parents who argued that their kids were forcibly taken from their homes without reason, according to the Alabama Reflector.
On the other hand, Paschal's bill drew opposition from DHR and law enforcement, who claim that it would only compromise investigations of child abuse. Russell County District Attorney Rich Chansey said that there was a case where a child was sexually abused by her stepfather.
Possible Effects on Child Abuse Investigations
He added that the child recalled what her stepfather did to her, but in a later interview, where her mother and stepfather accompanied her, she said that it was all a dream and it never happened.
Chansey said that the girl was asked how she knew that what had happened to her was a dream; she said that it was because her mom and stepdad told her he would not do something like that to her and that they were just horrible dreams, News From The States reported.
The district attorney argued that there was simply no way a child like that could dream about such explicit details without experiencing them firsthand. Huey Mack, the executive director of the Alabama Sheriffs Association, echoed Chansey's stance, saying that the bill would prevent justice for abused children.
In addition to the main issue, the new bill would also require the DHR to develop policies related to prioritizing, which would place children with other family members in the case of an investigation unless there is an immediate danger of abuse or neglect, as per 1819News.
