SB 1664 Summary

• Establishes a tiered system for the central registry of child abuse and neglect, with the Department of Child Safety required to adopt rules by September 15, 2025 that designate different tiers based on the type of abuse or neglect and maintain entries for no more than 25 years.

• Changes the legal standard for substantiating abuse or neglect findings from "probable cause" to "preponderance of the evidence" in administrative hearings and departmental determinations.

• Requires the Department of Child Safety to conform all existing central registry entries to the new tiered system rules by May 15, 2026, and to purge entries at least monthly according to established timeframes.

• Adds a requirement that dependency petitions must notify parents or guardians that they could be placed on the central registry of child abuse and neglect as a result of the hearing or further proceedings.

• Removes the requirement that the Department of Child Safety file a report of removal with the central registry when a child is released from temporary custody without a dependency petition being filed.