Reporting requirements; making certain acts unlawful; effective date.

Established a mandatory statewide centralized hotline for reporting child abuse or neglect.

Required the Department to provide specific training for hotline workers, including interviewing and case determination skills.

Mandated the creation of a system to track and report statistics on hotline calls, including referrals and unsubstantiated allegations.

Required the electronic recording and retention of hotline referrals for twelve months.

Clarified that school employees must report suspected abuse of students aged 18 or older to local law enforcement, whereas minors must be reported to the Department of Human Services.

Added specific reporting requirements for physicians regarding infants testing positive for alcohol or controlled substances.

Strengthened anti-retaliation provisions by explicitly stating that employers are liable for damages, costs, and attorney fees if they retaliate against reporters.

The mandatory duty to report child abuse or neglect was extended to include employees of private schools, in addition to existing requirements for public school employees.

The document format was updated to reflect Senate chamber disposition and floor amendment procedures, including specific instructions on where to insert text on various pages.

The document header was updated to reflect the final 'Enrolled' status, and the list of sponsoring legislators was slightly adjusted to include a new co-sponsor, Hamilton, in the Senate.

Added Senate coauthor Hamilton to the bill's authorship.

Amendments 1-6 expanded the requirement to report child abuse and neglect to include employees of private schools, not just public schools.

New provisions strictly limit the disclosure of a reporting school employee's identity and explicitly prohibit employers from retaliating against those who report abuse in good faith.

Updated tracking requirements for hotline calls to include specific metrics on screened calls, referrals, and unsubstantiated allegations.

Reporting duties were extended to include private school employees, ensuring they are held to the same standards as public school staff regarding the reporting of child abuse and neglect.

The time limit for filing civil lawsuits against employers who retaliate against reporters was increased from the previous duration to ten years.