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SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 3451
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE SEITZ.
7426H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 210, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to recordings of
interviews regarding child abuse or neglect.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 210, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 210.141, to read as follows:
210.141. 1. If an assessment is initiated for alleged child abuse or neglect, any
2 face-to-face interview with a child and any adult associated with the assessment by the
3 department of social services shall be reco rded, either by audio or video medium, unless
4 the record ing equipment malfunctions or circums tances occur that could not have been
5 r easonably for eseen by the director of the department of social services that would
6 pr event the record ing of the interview .
7 2. Only applications or softwar e appr oved by the department of social services
8 shall be used to generate any audio or video re cording, and any such recordi ng shall be
9 secur ely stored .
10 3. Any person who is charged with an offense alleging child abuse or neglect
11 shall not be able to sustain a motion or have standing to bring a claim objecting to any
12 failur e, in whole or in part, by the department of social services to comply with the
13 r equir ements of this section. Any such failur e by the department to comply with such
14 r equir ements shall not solely constitute gr ounds to preclu de statements made by a child
15 during that interview that would otherwise be admissible in a criminal or civil
16 pr oceeding.
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
17 4. Any record ing obtained under this section shall be ret ained and stored for no
18 less than five years. Any ret ention system shall secure ly manage the storage and
19 distribution of the reco rdings.
20 5. A copy of any recordi ng under this section shall be issued only to those
21 investigating an allegation or prosecu ting an offense rel ating to an allegation of child
22 abuse or neglect and upon r equest by a car egiver or guardian in connection with a
23 judicial pro ceeding unless the court orders otherwise.
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HB 3451 2