HB3579 Summary

• Expands mandatory reporting to local law enforcement by requiring the Department of Children and Family Services to immediately share all child abuse or neglect reports (regardless of the alleged perpetrator's relationship to the child) with appropriate local law enforcement agencies.

• Grants local law enforcement discretionary authority to conduct criminal investigations or take other action based on information in shared reports, rather than merely considering such reports for investigation.

• Removes the previous restriction limiting law enforcement notification to reports involving persons outside the child's immediate family, now requiring notification for abuse or neglect allegations by any person.

• Requires the Department to adopt rules allowing law enforcement personnel to investigate suspected child abuse or neglect reports concurrently with the Department, independent of whether the Department determines a report to be "indicated," "unfounded," or "undetermined."

• Names this legislation the "AJ Freund Act" in reference to a notable child welfare case in Illinois.