| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 3/26/2012 4:22:02 PM Dee Black--HSLDA Mississippi -- Calls Needed to Pass Family Protection Bill |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Mississippi -- Calls Needed to Pass Family Protection Bill Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: Your calls and emails are needed to pass Mississippi House Bill 760, which would require social workers to be trained in protecting the constitutional and statutory rights of children and families during an investigation. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a unanimous vote on March 9, but it is currently stalled in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee. When a bill like this is referred to two committees, it usually means that the bill will die without going to the full Senate for a vote. Members of these committees need to know that Mississippi families want social workers to be properly trained to protect the rights of persons they are investigating. The federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) requires states to adopt and implement measures for protecting families during the child investigative process. First, child protective services workers must be trained in their duty to protect the statutory and constitutional rights of those they are investigating. Second, child protective services personnel must advise individuals being investigated for child abuse and neglect of the complaint or allegation made against them. Mississippi enacted legislation in 2007 to comply with the second of these requirements. Passage of HB 760 is needed to achieve full compliance. Implementing all aspects of the CAPTA requirements is crucial to protecting not only homeschooling families but all families who are investigated by social services for any reason. Unfortunately, most social workers do not know that they are subject to the constitutional limitations of the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees the right against unreasonable searches and seizures. Many social workers believe that they have more authority than a law enforcement officer to enter a family's home to interview the children and inspect the premises. Oftentimes, social workers refuse to advise parents of the reason for the investigation until the parents have agreed to let them enter the home. CAPTA is intended to educate social workers and put a stop to these abuses. Action Requested: 1. Please call and/or email as many members of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee as possible with this message or something similar in your own words: "Please vote for House Bill 760, which would require social workers to be trained in protecting the constitutional and statutory rights of children and families during an investigation. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a unanimous vote on March 9." There is no need for you to identify yourself as a home educator when you contact members of the committees. This legislation will affect all Mississippi families who are subjected to a social services investigation. The members of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee are as follows: Last names beginning with A-M please contact: Dean Kirby, Chairman (601) 359-3234 dkirby@senate.ms.gov Hob Bryan, Vice-Chairman (601) 359-3237 hbryan@senate.ms.gov David Blount (601) 359-3232 dblount@senate.ms.gov Terry C. Burton (601) 359-3234 tburton@senate.ms.gov Nancy Adams Collins (601) 359-3226 ncollins@senate.ms.gov Merle Flowers (601) 359-3211 mflowers@senate.ms.gov Hillman Terome Frazier (601) 359-3246 hfrazier@senate.ms.gov Alice Harden (601) 359-3237 aharden@senate.ms.gov Josh Harkins (601) 359-3252 jharkins@senate.ms.gov Last names beginning with N-Z please contact: W. Briggs Hopson, III (601) 359-3237 bhopson@senate.ms.gov Gary Jackson (601) 359-3221 gjackson@senate.ms.gov Kenneth Wayne Jones (601) 359-3232 kjones@senate.ms.gov Rita Potts Parks (601) 359-3232 rparks@senate.ms.gov Willie Simmons (601) 359-3237 wsimmons@senate.ms.gov Tony Smith (601) 359-3252 tsmith@senate.ms.gov Melanie Sojourner (601) 359-3250 msojourner@senate.ms.gov Gray Tollison (601) 359-3244 gtollison@senate.ms.gov Bennie L. Turner (601) 359-3237 bturner@senate.ms.gov Brice Wiggins (601) 359-3232 bwiggins@senate.ms.gov The members of the Senate Appropriations Committee are as follows: Last names beginning with A-M please contact: Eugene S. Clarke, Chairman (601) 359-3250 bclarke@senate.ms.gov Terry C. Burton, Vice-Chairman (601) 359-3234 tburton@senate.ms.gov David Blount (601) 359-3232 dblount@senate.ms.gov Terry W. Brown (601) 359-3209 tbrown@senate.ms.gov Albert Butler (601) 359-3232 abutler@senate.ms.gov Videt Carmichael (601) 359-3244 vcarmichael@senate.ms.gov Nancy Adams Collins (601) 359-3226 ncollins@senate.ms.gov Hillman Terome Frazier (601) 359-3246 hfrazier@senate.ms.gov Phillip A. Gandy (601) 359-3252 pgandy@senate.ms.gov Tommy A. Gollott (601) 359-2220 tgollott@senate.ms.gov Alice Harden (601) 359-3237 aharden@senate.ms.gov Angela Burks Hill (601) 359-3226 ahill@senate.ms.gov W. Briggs Hopson, III (601) 359-3237 bhopson@senate.ms.gov Last names beginning with N-Z please contact: John Horhn (601) 359-3237 jhorhn@senate.ms.gov Gary Jackson (601) 359-3221 gjackson@senate.ms.gov Robert L. Jackson (601) 359-3221 rjackson@senate.ms.gov Sampson Jackson II (601) 359-2220 sjackson@senate.ms.gov Russell Jolly (601) 359-2886 rjolly@senate.ms.gov Perry Lee (601) 359-3244 plee@senate.ms.gov Chris McDaniel (601) 359-2220 cmcdaniel@senate.ms.gov Willie Simmons (601) 359-3237 wsimmons@senate.ms.gov Melanie Sojourner (601) 359-3250 msojourner@senate.ms.gov Sean J. Tindell (601) 359-3252 stindell@senate.ms.gov Bennie L. Turner (601) 359-3237 bturner@senate.ms.gov Brice Wiggins (601) 359-3232 bwiggins@senate.ms.gov J. P. Wilemon, Jr. (601) 359-3232 jwilemon@senate.ms.gov 2. Please forward this email to every family you know who is not a member of HSLDA and urge them to contact members of the committees. View the text of this bill online: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14178 Please call or email today! Very truly yours, Dewitt T. Black, III HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> What do you look like when you get out of bed? 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