Oregon--Your Calls Needed to Support Good Bill!

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From the HSLDA E-lert Service...
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Oregon--Your Calls Needed to Support Good Bill!

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

Tomorrow the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to have a public hearing and work session for House Bill 2183. This bill would make it a Class A misdemeanor for any person to knowingly make a false report of child abuse.

False reports of child abuse cause innocent families to be placed under suspicion and investigated by the Department of Human Services (DHS). These families often face demands to open up their home for inspection or allow their children to be questioned by child protective services (CPS) workers for something they haven't done.

These false reports take up the time and effort of CPS workers trying to do their job and investigate allegations of abuse. Currently, 31 states have some type of penalty for making a false report of child abuse and/or neglect.

Please contact the House Judiciary Committee members listed below. Urge them to support House Bill 2183 and make it unlawful to make a false report of child abuse. The Committee is scheduled to hear this bill and others on Wednesday, April 13, at 1:00 p.m. in Room 343.


REQUESTED ACTION

1) Please call and/or email the members of the House Judiciary Committee listed below with the following message in your own words:

"Please vote in favor of House Bill 2183. I support making it illegal to make a false report of child abuse. DHS workers' efforts to investigate child abuse should not be complicated by having to investigate false reports of abuse."

If your representative is on this committee, please let him or her know that you are a constituent. To find the name of your representative, use HSLDA's Legislative Toolbox at http://www.hslda.org/toolbox . You do not need to tell the committee members that you are a homeschooler.

House Judiciary Committee:

Rep. Jeff Barker (D), Co-Chair
Phone: 503-986-1428
Email: rep.jeffbarker@state.or.us

Rep. Wayne Krieger (R), Co-Chair (Thank him for co-sponsoring bill)
Phone: 503-986-1401
Email: rep.waynekrieger@state.or.us

Rep. Chris Garrett (D), Co-Vice Chair
Phone: 503-986-1438
Email: rep.chrisgarrett@state.or.us

Rep. Wally Hicks (R), Co-Vice Chair
Phone: 503-986-1403
Email: rep.wallyhicks@state.or.us

Rep. Mary Nolan (D)
Phone: 503-986-1436
Email: rep.marynolan@state.or.us

Rep. Andy Olson (R)
Phone: 503-986-1415
Email: rep.andyolson@state.or.us

Rep. Mike Schaufler (D) (Thank him for co-sponsoring bill)
Phone: 503-986-1448
Email: rep.mikeschaufler@state.or.us

Rep. Carolyn Tomei (D)
Phone: 503-986-1441
Email: rep.carolyntomei@state.or.us

Rep. Matt Wand (R)
Phone: 503-986-1449
Email: rep.mattwand@state.or.us

Rep. Gene Whisnant (R)
Phone: 503-986-1453
Email: rep.genewhisnant@state.or.us

2) Support OCEANetwork as they work to monitor legislation on the ground in Oregon as well as support, protect and promote home education across the state. HSLDA works closely with OCEANetwork to ensure that homeschool freedom and parental rights are protected in Oregon. Please consider supporting them in the vital work they do http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10879 .

BACKGROUND

House Bill 2183 would make it illegal to make a false report of child abuse to the Department of Human Service or a law enforcement officer, knowing that the report is false. A person would also be guilty if they knowingly made the false report to a public or private official, as defined under the mandatory reporting law in Oregon, with the intent to have that official make a report to DHS or a law enforcement agency.

A person convicted of a Class A misdemeanor could be punished by a maximum of one year in prison, a $6,250 fine, or both.

According the DHS, 67,885 allegations of abuse and neglect were made in 2009. Of those allegations, only 28,584 actually were investigated. Of the allegations actually investigated, 21,344 were found to be unfounded or listed as unable to determine. While Oregon doesn't have a category for "false" reports, these numbers mean that nearly 75% of the reports investigated were not found to be true. Almost 90% of all reports made in 2009 were either not investigated because they didn't meet the threshold of abuse/neglect or they were found to be untrue.

To see the annual reports on abuse and neglect statistics in Oregon you can go to: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10784 .

To see more information on this and other bills HSLDA is monitoring in Oregon, visit our website at: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10785
.

If you are not already a member, please consider joining HSLDA and help support home education freedom in Oregon and beyond. You can join
online at: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10786 .

Sincerely,

Thomas J. (Tj) Schmidt
HSLDA Staff Attorney

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