ENROLLED

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

FOR

H. B. 2174


(By Delegates Spencer, Perdue and Amores)


[Passed April 5, 2005; in effect ninety days from passage.]



AN ACT to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §49-6A-2a, relating to requiring the Department of Health and Human Resources to develop a procedure to notify persons mandated to report child abuse and neglect of whether an investigation of the report has occurred.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §49-6A-2a, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 6A. REPORTS OF CHILDREN SUSPECTED TO BE ABUSED OR NEGLECTED.

§49-6A-2a. Notification of disposition of reports.
(a) The Department of Health and Human Resources shall develop and implement a procedure to notify any person mandated to report suspected child abuse and neglect under the provisions of section two of this article, of whether an investigation into the reported suspected abuse or neglect has been initiated and when the investigation is completed.
(b) The Department of Health and Human Resources shall develop and implement the above described procedure on or before the first day of January, two thousand six.