Senate Passes Bill on Reporting Child Abuse

The Maryland Senate voted 35 to 10 yesterday to make it a misdemeanor for teachers, nurses, police officers and other professionals to fail to report suspicions of child abuse to authorities.

Passage of the bill came after several pleas from opponents who said they sympathized with the aim of the bill but that it places too heavy a burden on those required to report abuse, particularly teachers.

"That's not what we want to do to our professionals," said Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County). "They're not criminals when they miss something."

Supporters said the bill was hardly groundbreaking and would impose a more lenient penalty -- a maximum fine of $1,000 -- than most states do.

"It isn't overreaching," said Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Montgomery), chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee. "The point of this bill is to stop child abuse and stop the injuries to the kid."

Forty-five states, including Virginia, and the District impose penalties on workers who fail to report suspicions of child abuse or neglect, legislative analysts said. In 38 of those jurisdictions, violators would be guilty of a misdemeanor and face jail terms of 10 days to five years and fines of as much as $5,000.

Several senators said they had heard concerns from constituents about the bill in recent days, as it garnered attention in the news media.

"Teachers are required to do so much nowadays in terms of their responsibility," said Senate President Pro Tem Nathaniel J. McFadden (D-Baltimore). "The cure goes a bit too far."

A similar bill has been introduced in the House of Delegates and is scheduled for a hearing next month.

-- John Wagner