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SECOND REGULAR SESSION [TRULY AGREED TO AND FINALLY PASSED] SENATE SUBSTITUTE NO.
4920H03.04H HB 2292 House _____________________________________________________ Amendment NO.____ Offered By _____________________________________ ___________________________________ AMEND House Committee Substitute for House Bill No.
2 FOR SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO.
2292, Page 7, Section 273.415, Line 22, by inserting after all of said section and line the following:
2292 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY 4920S.10T 2026 AN ACT To amend chapters 192, 210, and 273, RSMo, by adding thereto six new sections relating to reporting of abuse and neglect by certain professionals, with penalty provisions.
4 "578.006.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A.
Chapters 192, 210, and 273, RSMo, are amended by adding thereto six new sections, to be known as sections 192.2510, 210.191, 273.410, 273.415, 273.420, and 273.425, to read as follows:
192.2510.
No later than December 31, 2027, all persons providing protective services to eligible adults, as the terms "protective services" and "eligible adults" are defined in section 192.2400, and who have direct contact with such adults shall be required to complete at least one and one-half hour of training as described in this subsection.
A person commits the offense of making a malicious false report of animal abuse if:
Any person beginning employment after December 31, 2027, who provides protective services to eligible adults and who has direct contact with such adults shall complete such training within sixty days of beginning employment.
(1) The person purposely makes a report to a law enforcement agency or an applicable government agency alleging the abuse of any animal in a manner punishable under section 578.012;
The training shall include the following:
(2) The person knows that such a report is false;
(1) Requirements to report animal abuse or neglect and the penalties associated with failure to report under section 273.410;
(3) The person makes the report with the purpose of disrupting, harassing, causing a monetary loss to, or disturbing the peace of the owner of the animal;
(2) How to identify animal abuse or neglect;
and (4) Such report causes a disruption, harassment, monetary loss, or disturbance of the owner of the animal.
(3) How to make a report of animal abuse or neglect;
and EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is intended to be omitted from the law.
Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
SS #2 SCS HCS HB 2292 2 (4) The relationship between eligible adult abuse or neglect and animal abuse or neglect.
2.
By December 31, 2026, the department of health and senior services and the department of agriculture, in consultation with the Missouri Animal Control Association, or a successor entity, shall develop or adapt and use available training materials for the training required under this section.
Persons required to complete training under this section shall be provided with opportunities to do so during regular working hours.
The offense of making a malicious false report of animal abuse is a class C misdemeanor.
The training may qualify as part of any continuing education requirements otherwise required for such person as a condition of licensure or employment.
As used in this section, the following terms shall mean:
It shall be an absolute defense for a prosecution of the offense of making a malicious false report of animal abuse if the reporting party reported an incident of animal abuse out of a good faith, reasonable belief that an animal was being abused.
(1) "Animal", dogs, cats, rabbits, and domesticated birds;
The defendant shall have the burden of injecting this defense under this subsection.
(2) "Successor entity", any entity designated as such jointly by the department of health and senior services and the children's division.
If a defendant asserts that his or her report of animal abuse was made from a good faith, reasonable belief that an animal was being abused, the state shall have the burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not have a good faith, reasonable belief that such a report was true.
5.
578.012.
The provisions of this section shall expire on December 31, 2030.
210.191.
No later than December 31, 2027, all children's division employees and contractors for children's services who have direct contact with children through the state's child protection and welfare system shall be required to complete at least one and one-half hour of training as described in this subsection.
A person commits the offense of animal abuse if he or she:
Any children's division employee and contractor for children's services beginning employment after December 31, 2027, who has direct contact with children through the state's child protection and welfare system shall complete such training within sixty days of beginning employment.
(1) Intentionally or purposely kills an animal in any manner not allowed by or expressly exempted from the provisions of sections 578.005 to 578.023 and 273.030;
The training shall include the following:
(2) Purposely or intentionally causes injury or suffering to an animal;
(1) Requirements to report animal abuse or neglect and the penalties associated with failure to report under section 273.410;
or (3) Having ownership or custody of an animal knowingly fails to provide adequate care which results in substantial harm to the animal.
(2) How to identify animal abuse or neglect;
(3) How to make a report of animal abuse or neglect;
and (4) The relationship between child abuse or neglect and animal abuse or neglect.
By December 31, 2026, the division and the department of agriculture, in consultation with the Missouri Animal Control Association, or a successor entity, shall develop or adapt and use available training materials for the training required under this section.
Animal abuse is a class A misdemeanor, unless the defendant has previously been found guilty of animal abuse or the suffering involved in subdivision (2) of subsection 1 of this section is the result of torture [or], mutilation [consciously], or starvation knowingly inflicted Action Taken___________________________________________ Date __________________ Page 1 of 2 4920H03.04H while the animal was alive, in which case it is a class E felony.";
3.
and Further amend said bill by amending the title, enacting clause, and intersectional references accordingly.
Persons required to complete training under this section shall be provided with opportunities to do so during regular working hours.
Page 2 of 2
The training may qualify as part of any continuing education requirements otherwise required for such person as a condition of licensure or employment.
4.
As used in this section, the following terms shall mean:
SS #2 SCS HCS HB 2292 3 (1) "Animal", dogs, cats, rabbits, and domesticated birds;
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(2) "Successor entity", any entity designated as such jointly by the department of health and senior services and the children's division.
5.
The provisions of this section shall expire on December 31, 2030.
273.410.
1.
When any psychologist, mental health professional, social worker, school counselor, teacher, or other school professional, or juvenile officer, law enforcement or peace officer, probation or parole officer, home health aide, adult or child protective services worker, or volunteer or personnel of a community service program that offers support or advocacy services for children in foster care has reasonable cause to suspect that an animal has been or may be subjected to abuse or neglect or observes an animal being subjected to conditions or circumstances that would reasonably result in abuse or neglect, that person shall make a report to the hotline established and operated by the Missouri Animal Control Association (MACA), or a successor entity, within one day.
As used in this section, "reasonable cause" shall mean that abuse or neglect is more likely than not to have occurred.
2.
The hotline worker shall request all of the following information for the report:
(1) The name and description of the animal involved, if known;
(2) The address and telephone number of the owner or other person responsible for the care of the animal, if known;
(3) The nature and extent of the suspected abuse or neglect;
and (4) Any other information that the person making the report believes may be useful in establishing the existence of the suspected abuse or neglect or the identity of the person causing the abuse or neglect.
3.
Upon receiving a report of suspected abuse or neglect, MACA, or a successor entity, shall provide the report to any duly-authorized law enforcement official and, if appropriate, a county or municipal animal control officer or any Missouri peace officer standards and training (POST)-certified or MACA-certified animal cruelty investigator.
4.
Any person required to report animal abuse or neglect under this section shall be immune from civil and criminal liability in connection with making any required reports if the person acted in good faith when making such report.
5.
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any information identifying a person who reports suspected animal abuse or neglect under this section shall be confidential and shall not be deemed a public record and shall not be subject to the provisions of section 109.180 or chapter 610.
SS #2 SCS HCS HB 2292 4 6.
No person required to make a report of animal abuse or neglect under this section shall knowingly make a false report.
The penalty for making a false report and the defenses to prosecution shall be the same as under section 575.080.
7.
If an agency or political subdivision of the state determines that an employee who is a mandated reporter under this section has failed to make a report as required by this section, the agency or political subdivision shall issue a written notice to such employee that shall include a finding of facts in support of the failure to make a report and an explanation of the reporting requirement.
Such notice shall not be retained in a permanent employment file and shall be retained in a separate file or database maintained by the agency or political subdivision.
Such notice shall be considered a closed record under the provisions of chapter 610.
8.
Any person required to make a report under this section who is subject to professional licensure and who fails to make a report as required by this section shall be subject to discipline by his or her respective licensing board.
9.
The duty to report animal abuse or neglect and any associated penalties for failure to report animal abuse or neglect imposed under this section shall not be in effect during any period in which the hotline established and operated by MACA, or a successor entity, has yet to begin or has otherwise ceased operation and shall resume when the hotline is operational.
10.
As used in this section, the following terms mean:
(1) "Animal", dogs, cats, rabbits, and domesticated birds;
(2) "Successor entity", any entity designated as such jointly by the department of health and senior services and the children's division.
11.
The provisions of this section shall expire on December 31, 2030.
273.415.
1.
No later than December 31, 2027, all persons employed or serving as animal control officers or animal humane investigators who have direct contact with animals shall be required to complete at least one and one-half hour of training as described in this subsection.
Any person beginning employment after December 31, 2027, as an animal control officer or animal humane investigator who has direct contact with animals shall complete such training within sixty days of beginning employment or service.
The training shall include the following:
(1) Requirements to report child abuse or neglect or eligible person abuse or neglect under section 273.420 and the penalties associated with failure to report such abuse or neglect;
(2) How to identify child or eligible adult abuse or neglect;
(3) How to make a report of child or eligible adult abuse or neglect;
and (4) The relationship between child, eligible adult, and animal abuse or neglect.
SS #2 SCS HCS HB 2292 5 2.
By December 31, 2026, the children's division, the department of health and senior services, and the department of agriculture, in consultation with the Missouri Animal Control Association, or a successor entity, shall develop or adapt and use available training materials for the training required under this section.
3.
Persons required to complete training under this section shall be provided with opportunities to do so during regular working hours.
The training may qualify as part of any continuing education requirements otherwise required for such person as a condition of licensure or employment.
4.
As used in this section, the following terms shall mean:
(1) "Animal", dogs, cats, rabbits, and domesticated birds;
(2) "Animal humane investigator", a duly-authorized county or municipal animal control officer or any Missouri peace officer standards and training (POST)- certified or Missouri Animal Control Association (MACA)-certified animal cruelty investigator;
(3) "Successor entity", any entity designated as such jointly by the department of health and senior services and the children's division.
5.
The provisions of this section shall expire on December 31, 2030.
273.420.
1.
Beginning January 1, 2028, any animal control officer or animal humane investigator, as defined in section 273.415, shall immediately report or cause a report to be made to the department of health and senior services if such person has reasonable cause to suspect that an eligible adult, as such term is defined in section 192.2400, has been subject to abuse or neglect or observes the eligible adult being subjected to conditions or circumstances that would reasonably result in abuse or neglect.
2.
Beginning January 1, 2028, any animal control officer or animal humane investigator shall immediately report or cause a report to be made to the children's division, in accordance with the provisions of sections 210.109 to 210.183, if such person has reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been or may be subjected to abuse or neglect or observes a child being subjected to conditions or circumstances that would reasonably result in abuse or neglect.
3.
Any person required to report under this section may also report the suspicion of abuse or neglect to any law enforcement agency or juvenile office.
Such report shall not, however, take the place of reporting to the department or the division.
4.
The penalty for failing to report as required under this section shall be a class A misdemeanor.
5.
As used in this section, the term "reasonable cause" shall mean that abuse or neglect is more likely than not to have occurred.
SS #2 SCS HCS HB 2292 6 6.
The provisions of this section shall expire on December 31, 2030.
273.425.
1.
The Missouri Animal Control Association, or a successor entity, in collaboration with the department of health and senior services and the children's division, shall provide a report to the governor and general assembly by December 31, 2028, and again by November 1, 2029, that shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) Call wait times for all types of abuse or neglect reporting;
(2) Number of eligible adults, children, and animals for which reports have been submitted under sections 273.415 and 273.420;
and (3) Number of reports in which investigation determined that eligible adult or child abuse or neglect and animal abuse or neglect have been found to be connected, co- occurring, or otherwise related.
2.
The report provided under this section shall not include any information otherwise prohibited from disclosure under state or federal law.
3.
As used in this section the following terms shall mean:
(1) "Eligible adult", shall have the same meaning as defined in section 192.2400;
(2) "Successor entity", any entity designated as such jointly by the department of health and senior services and the children's division.
4.
The provisions of this section shall expire on December 31, 2030.