“Mandatory Reporting” Failure Penalties (H 5358, S 814)

We opposed legislation that would have made it a felony for teachers, coaches, or any other person in a “position of authority” to fail to report child abuse or neglect. We expressed our opposition to the “felonization” of more offenses, contrary to the many criminal justice reforms that the General Assembly has enacted in recent years. Just as importantly, we questioned whether mandatory reporting laws may have unintentional adverse consequences, as reporting can often unfairly target lower-income and Black and brown families for intrusive state involvement. This bill died in committee.