MN SF4877

Establishes a new child mortality review panel to review child fatalities and near fatalities related to maltreatment, with membership including commissioners of children/youth/families, human services, and health; a judge; and other appointed members including medical examiners, child abuse pediatricians, county attorneys, frontline child protection workers, and law enforcement representatives.

Requires local welfare agencies to report critical incidents to the panel within 24 hours and conduct joint reviews with the panel for incidents involving families with prior agency contact within 12 months, governor-directed cases, or panel-selected cases, with reports due within 120 days.

Creates a child systemic critical incident review team to conduct additional fact-gathering as requested by the panel and provide summary reports to support the review process.

Establishes a public critical incident information portal on the commissioner's website providing real-time status updates including incident date, county location, child age and sex, fatality versus near fatality designation, review type and status, and criminal investigation or charges status, while protecting confidential data.

Repeals previous child mortality review panel statutes and rules effective July 1, 2025, with panel implementation and public portal operational by that date.