Maryland HB 1292: Child Advocacy Centers - Continuity of Care Standards for Health Care Professionals and Reports of Violations

Bill Text

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*hb1292*

HOUSE BILL 1292
O4, J2 6lr3623
HB 1480/25 – APP
By: Delegates Bagnall and Cullison
Introduced and read first time: February 12, 2026
Assigned to: Appropriations
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 2, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Child Advocacy Centers – Continuity of Care Standards for Health Care 2
Professionals and Reports of Violations 3

FOR the purpose of requiring that standards established by the Maryland Statewide 4
Organization for child advocacy centers require an individual employed by or 5
contracted with a child advocacy center providing medical or mental health services 6
in a child advocacy center to be licensed or certified, if applicable, and provide 7
services within the scope of the license or certification and require each child 8
advocacy center to establish a certain continuity of care plan; requiring each child 9
advocacy center to report certain violations to a certain health occupations board or 10
the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy; authorizing the Governor’s 11
Office of Crime Prevention and Policy to issue grants to assist child advocacy centers 12
with technical assistance to implement standards; requiring the Governor’s Office of 13
Crime Prevention and Policy to publish certain information related to child advocacy 14
centers on the Office’s website on or before a certain date each year; and generally 15
relating to child advocacy centers. 16

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 17
Article – Criminal Procedure 18
Section 11–928 19
Annotated Code of Maryland 20
(2025 Replacement Volume) 21

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 22
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 23

2 HOUSE BILL 1292

Article – Criminal Procedure 1

11–928. 2

(a) The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy shall establish and 3
sustain child advocacy centers in the State and ensure that every child in the State has 4
access to a child advocacy center. 5

(b) The child advocacy centers: 6

(1) may be based in private nonprofit organizations, local departments of 7
social services, local law enforcement agencies, or a partnership among any of these 8
entities; 9

(2) shall be developed and located to facilitate their use by alleged victims 10
residing in the surrounding areas; 11

(3) shall assist in the response to or investigation of allegations of sexual 12
crimes against children under Title 3, Subtitle 3 of the Criminal Law Article and sexual 13
abuse of minors under Title 3, Subtitle 6 of the Criminal Law Article and Title 5, Subtitle 14
7 of the Family Law Article; 15

(4) may assist in the response to or investigation of allegations of child 16
abuse and neglect under Title 3, Subtitle 6 of the Criminal Law Article and Title 5, Subtitle 17
7 of the Family Law Article and allegations of a crime of violence in the presence of a minor 18
under § 3–601.1 of the Criminal Law Article; 19

(5) shall provide a level of care that meets or exceeds the national 20
accreditation standards for child advocacy centers established by the Maryland Statewide 21
Organization for Child Advocacy Centers under subsection (d) of this section; and 22

(6) shall be included in all joint investigation procedures developed in 23
accordance with § 5–706 of the Family Law Article. 24

(c) The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy may contract with 25
public or private nonprofit organizations to operate child advocacy centers. 26

(d) (1) The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy shall contract 27
with a nonprofit organization that is qualified under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 28
Code and represents urban, rural, and suburban child advocacy centers in the State to 29
establish a Maryland Statewide Organization for Child Advocacy Centers. 30

(2) The purpose of the Maryland Statewide Organization for Child 31
Advocacy Centers is to provide training, technical assistance, data collection, and capacity 32
building to meet local, State, and national requirements for child advocacy centers. 33

HOUSE BILL 1292 3

(3) [The] SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (4) OF THIS SUBSECTION, THE 1
Maryland Statewide Organization for Child Advocacy Centers shall establish standards for 2
child advocacy centers in the State that meet national accreditation standards for child 3
advocacy centers and shall include: 4

(i) multidisciplinary teams that include representation from law 5
enforcement, prosecutors, child protective services, the medical and mental health fields, 6
and victim advocacy; 7

(ii) cultural competency and diversity; 8

(iii) forensic interviews that are neutral, fact–finding, and avoid 9
duplicative interviewing;