Three bills that Del. Donald B. Elliott designed to protect people unfairly accused of child abuse died in the House Judiciary Committee late Thursday.
The delegate, a Republican from New Windsor, said he wasn't surprised. "It takes a few years to speak to the concerns of all the members of the committee," Mr. Elliott said, adding that he would reintroduce the bills next year.
"It took me three years to get my other bill passed," Mr. Elliott said, referring to legislation approved in 1993 that created a hearing process for people who say they are unfairly accused of abuse.
The legislation also instituted a "ruled out" category for briefly listing individuals who have been accused but cleared of child abuse.
This year's bills would have required the Department of Social Services (DSS) to record on videotape or audiotape all interviews with suspected victims and reduce to two years from five the amount of time someone is listed as an unsubstantiated abuser before his or her record is expunged. Accused abusers would have been allowed to sue those who filed bad-faith allegations of child abuse with DSS.
Supporters, who tearfully told stories of feeling harassed by the DSS, said the legislation is necessary to prevent children from being coerced by therapists into making false allegations of abuse. The measures also would have discouraged disgruntled former spouses from making repeated false claims against spouses who have custody of their children, supporters said.
Social Services officials testified that recordings would be too expensive and impractical because children often do not sit still or speak clearly enough to make a good tape.
They also contended that allowing people to sue for malicious reporting of child abuse would deter some people considering making legitimate reports.
The unsubstantiated cases must remain on file for at least five years so that potential patterns of abuse can be uncovered, DSS officials said.