The Michigan House of Representatives has approved legislation designed to better protect Michigan’s vulnerable children and improve the performance of the state’s Children’s Protective Services division. State Representative Matt Hall of Marshall tells us his bill requires CPS to gather information on the safety of all children in a home where suspected child abuse or neglect has occurred within 24 hours of a report.
“What we were trying to do was create laws that would protect children from abuse and neglect, to help Child Protective Services do their job better, to provide more oversight, and also to make their department more effective and efficient,” Hall said. “That’s what these bills did, and that’s why we had bipartisan, wide support, and that’s why they passed overwhelmingly.”
Hall’s proposal came out of a 2018 performance audit that called into question the effectiveness and efficiency of CPS. The House Oversight Committee, chaired by Hall, hosted a series of hearings digging into the issues found by the Auditor General. Hall’s plan is part of a broad bipartisan package. He says CPS getting to work within that 24 hour window is critical when it comes to protecting kids.
