House Bill 1341: Making All Citizens Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse

Sponsor:
Representative Cedric Bradford Glover (D), District 4.

Summary:
This bill would have made all Louisiana citizens mandatory reporters of child abuse or neglect, and would have forced pastors and priests to report the confidential confessions of their parishioners.

Status:
03/31/2003 Introduced.
03/31/2003 To House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
06/23/2003 The 2003 Regular Session of the legislature adjourned. Thankfully, HB 1341 is dead.

Action Requested:
None.

HSLDA's Position:
Oppose. House Bill 1341 would dramatically expand Louisiana's child abuse reporting system. Under current law, certain professionals who work with children are "mandatory reporters," which means they must inform social workers of any reasonable suspicions of abuse or neglect. This bill would make every person a mandatory reporter, subject to liability for failing to report any "reasonable suspicion." Even pastors or priests, who hear a parent's specific confession of struggles in their home, would be required to immediately turn that parent over to social workers for "treatment." This is unacceptable: parents must be able to confide in their own pastors, especially when there are struggles in the home.

Other Resources

4/10/2003 - Louisiana--Mandatory Reporting Bill Must Be Opposed

Bill Text