Engrossed Senate Bill 639 Summary

• Establishes a Child Abuse Response Team (CART) within the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to investigate cases of physical and sexual abuse of children

• Requires the Bureau to employ at least five full-time CART investigators and at least three full-time forensic interviewers, compensated at senior level investigator rates

• Sets specific qualifications for CART investigators including 5+ years law enforcement experience, 500+ cases of child abuse investigation, bachelor's degree, and CLEET certification

• Sets specific qualifications for CART forensic interviewers including 500+ forensic interviews, bachelor's degree, expert witness certification in 25+ legal proceedings, and 100+ hours of forensic interview training

• Becomes effective November 1, 2013