2021 WISCONSIN ACT 147
An Act to create 48.47 (9) of the statutes; relating to: requiring the transmission of citizen review panel annual reports and the written responses of the Department of Children and Families to the appropriate legislative standing committees.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
Joint Legislative Council prefatory note: This bill was prepared for the Joint Legislative Council's Study Committee on Public Disclosure and Oversight of Child Abuse and Neglect Incidents.
Background
The federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) generally requires states to establish at least three citizen review panels in order to receive CAPTA grant funds. Pursuant to this requirement, eight citizen review panels currently exist in Wisconsin. CAPTA requires that each citizen review panel report annually and provide a summary of the activities of the panel and recommendations to improve the child protection services systems at the state and local levels. In addition, within six months of the date on which the report is submitted, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) must submit a written response to the citizen review panel that describes whether or how the state will incorporate the panel's recommendations, where appropriate, to make measurable progress in improving the state and local child protective systems.
The Bill
The bill requires DCF to transmit to the appropriate legislative standing committees the annual reports from citizen review panels and DCF's written responses to those reports.
147,1
Section 1
. 48.47 (9) of the statutes is created to read:
48.47 (9) Citizen review panels. Transmit to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3) any annual report sent to the department from a citizen review panel established or designated by the department or a county department, and any written response provided by the department to a citizen review panel.
147,2
Section 2
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Effective date.
(1) This act takes effect on the first January 1 after publication.
Note: This Section specifies that the bill takes effect on the first January after the bill is enacted and published.
