| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 4/12/2011 4:11:25 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Oregon--Your Calls Needed to Support Good Bill! |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> For as little as 33 cents a day... There's not much you can get for 33 cents a day. Why not put your money toward peace of mind for yourself, your family, and their future? More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1110 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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If this is an invalid email address or you have other problems, please reply to webmaster@hslda.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: This is considered a private and confidential message from HSLDA to its bonafide HSLDA E-lert Service subscribers. HSLDA cannot attest to the authenticity of copies posted, forwarded, or sent by any party other than HSLDA. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Please do not reply or otherwise use this email address; hslda@hslda.org is for broadcast purposes only and is not intended to receive incoming messages. We cannot reply to any email sent to this address. If you have comments or questions, please send email to info@hslda.org or call HSLDA at 540-338-5600. HSLDA members can also email staff directly through the Members website at http://members.hslda.org/contact.asp. Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
