It’s an honor to let you all know that the Morrison
Institute of Public Policy has invited me to join the Institute’s Advisory
Board. The Morrison Institute is a statewide leader examining critical issues
for Arizona and the region. I am very much looking forward to working with the
Institute to advance evidence-based public policy in Arizona and
regionally.
This past Wednesday, the Arizona Republic Editorial
Board highlighted two bills I am sponsoring this session aimed at improving
child safety. You will recall that this past year lawmakers created the new
Division of Child Safety as a standalone agency reporting directly to the
Governor. While it was a monumental step forward for child safety, additional
reforms are needed.
You can read the article here: http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/editorial/2015/02/18/department-child-safety-bills/23606779/
Two common-sense bills to keep kids safe
Editorial board, The Republic | azcentral.com 7:18 a.m.
MST February 18, 2015
Our View: The Department of Child Safety needs
more information and transparency. These bills would offer
both.
A pair of bills sponsored by Republican Rep. Kate Brophy
McGee are reasoned efforts aimed at solving long-standing problems with the
state’s child-safety system.
Two bills sponsored by Republican Rep. Kate Brophy McGee
show the kind of reasoned, cooperative efforts necessary to move beyond tragedy
and passion to make Arizona's new Department of Child Safety
work.
Brophy McGee says the push for more transparency
represents "a delicate balancing act" that must open the agency to more public
scrutiny while protecting privacy of victims and their families, and assuring
that investigations and prosecutions are not compromised.
Both bills passed out of the House Children and Family
Affairs committee unanimously this week.
Gov. Doug Ducey is "very supportive," and his staff has
been working closely with Brophy McGee, Ducey's office says. Maricopa County
Attorney Bill Montgomery is also supportive of the goals and working with Brophy
McGee on changes to make one of the bills more reflective of prosecutors' needs,
his office says.
That bill, HB
2166, mandates more openness, which Brophy McGee says is "key to solving the
deeply ingrained problems of our child-safety system."
Her bill requires detailed information about previous
DCS involvement to be included in a public report following a fatality, near
fatality or in cases of egregious abuse or neglect.
The purpose is to provide complete information in a
meaningful context. That doesn't always happen.
For example, 19-month-old Angel Rodriguez died after
authorities say he was beaten by his mother's boyfriend, George Hernandez. But a
report from DCS last October says the agency had "no prior reports of abuse or
neglect involving Angel Rodriguez and George Hernandez."
It does not say that Baby Angel had been in the custody
of foster parents most of his life or that Hernandez had a history of violence
and domestic abuse unrelated to the child.
The report did not give a full picture — a problem
Brophy McGee says goes well beyond this single case.
The preference for confidentiality over disclosure can
protect important privacy or prosecutorial interests, but it can also hide
hideous mistakes. The long-standing argument in favor of secrecy is that federal
law mandates confidentiality. This is a convenient misinterpretation, which has
allowed Arizona's child welfare agency to bury its mistakes.
Efforts to peel back the shroud of secrecy around child
welfare is an ongoing process. This bill identifies an endemic problem and seeks
to remedy it. Ducey spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said in an e-mail that the
governor believes increased transparency "will lead to better outcomes for
children."
The other bill, HB
2640, is also a direct response to an identified problem. It has Ducey and
Montgomery's support. This one is called "Angel's Law" because it might have
saved the toddler Hernandez is accused of battering to death.
Angel was returned to his mother by DCS even though she
was living with Hernandez, who had a history of violence. The child was killed a
few months later.
Brophy McGee's bill would require DCS to check the
background of all those living in the house or who are in a relationship with a
member of the household. Any history of domestic violence or sexual assault
would be taken into consideration when determining if the child will be
safe.
This should be common sense. But Angel Rodriguez's death
shows it is not common practice.
These two bills represent necessary changes. They will
help assure the DCS leaves behind the fatally flawed habits of the agency it
replaced.
Sincerely,
 |
