AB 784

Under current law, members of professions who have contact with children,

including those who work for nonprofit organizations, generally must report

suspected child abuse or neglect to certain social services or law enforcement

agencies. The social services or law enforcement agency must investigate the

suspected child abuse or neglect within a specified time.

Under this bill, if after an investigation within a religious organization there

is reasonable cause to believe that, before May 1, 2004, and after December 31, 1949,

an official, agent, or employee of the organization had sexual contact with a person

under the age of 18, the organization must submit a summary of that investigation

to the Department of Children and Families (DCF). A religious organization that

fails to do so is subject to a forfeiture of up to $10,000. The bill requires DCF to make

any summary of the religious organization's investigation available to the public,

after deleting any information that could be used to identify any victim of the sexual

contact.