STATEHOUSE (March 14, 2022) – The governor recently signed into law State Rep. Ryan Lauer's (R-Columbus) bill expanding the state's reporting on child deaths, which could help children in need sooner and prevent tragedies.
According to the latest data from the Indiana Department of Child Services, 50 out of 281 child deaths in 2020 resulted from abuse or neglect by a caregiver, and 13 of these children had prior DCS involvement. Lauer said his bill will help collect more data that can be used by DCS, and state and local officials to better identify risk factors and develop stronger policies to protect Indiana's most vulnerable.
"We need to know more about these situations to make sure we are doing everything in our power to protect these young, vulnerable Hoosiers," said Lauer, a member of the House Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee. "Our goal is to learn from these tragedies, intervene sooner, increase public awareness and draft better laws to protect these children."
Currently, DCS reviews all fatalities involving allegations of abuse or neglect. They also review cases for children younger than age 3 when the death is sudden, unexpected or unexplained.
Lauer said one of the reasons he authored the bill was because of the death of 4-year-old Judah Morgan in LaPorte County last October. Morgan was found dead after being on a trial home visit with his biological parents. Morgan's foster mother and second cousin, Jenna Hullett, testified in support of Lauer's legislation.
Lauer said DCS releases a Child Fatality Report every year, and his bill simply adds information to be included in the report. House Enrolled Act 1247 will require additional data to be collected, including whether the child had any history with DCS, and whether abuse or neglect was substantiated. The agency would also report on the location and status of the child at the time of death, and indicate whether the child was part of an open DCS case, and whether or not the child had been returned home. The agency will also report whether the death occurred at home while the parents received interventions like counseling or addiction treatment.
Lauer said any Hoosier who suspects a child is being abused or neglected can call the Indiana Department of Child Services' Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556. Reports can be made anonymously 24/7. Each month, on average, DCS receives 15,000 hotline calls reporting suspected child abuse or neglect, and it's estimated that 75% of those reports are investigated for substantiation of the claims.
House Enrolled Act 1247 takes effect on July 1, 2022. To stay up-to-date on the enrolled acts being considered for new laws by the governor, visit in.gov/gov/newsroom/2022-bill-watch/.
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State Rep. Ryan Lauer (R-Columbus) represents House District 59,
which includes portions of Bartholomew County.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
PHOTO CAPTION: State Rep. Ryan Lauer (R-Columbus) presents House Enrolled Act 1247, which will expand the state's reporting on child deaths to help children in need sooner and prevent tragedies on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at the Indiana Statehouse. The bill was unanimously passed by the Indiana House of Representatives and Senate, and it was recently signed into law by the governor.
