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SECOND REGULAR SESSION
[TRULY AGREED TO AND FINALLY PASSED]
SENATE SUBSTITUTE NO. 2 FOR
SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
HOUSE BILL NO. 2292
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
4920S.10T 2026
AN ACT
To amend chapters 192, 210, and 273, RSMo, by adding thereto six new sections relating to
reporting of abuse and neglect by certain professionals, with penalty provisions.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapters 192, 210, and 273, RSMo, are amended by adding thereto six
2 new sections, to be known as sections 192.2510, 210.191, 273.410, 273.415, 273.420, and
3 273.425, to read as follows:
192.2510. 1. No later than December 31, 2027, all persons providing protective
2 services to eligible adults, as the terms "protective services" and "eligible adults" are
3 defined in section 192.2400, and who have direct contact with such adults shall be
4 required to complete at least one and one-half hour of training as described in this
5 subsection. Any person beginning employment after December 31, 2027, who provides
6 protective services to eligible adults and who has direct contact with such adults shall
7 complete such training within sixty days of beginning employment. The training shall
8 include the following:
9 (1) Requirements to report animal abuse or neglect and the penalties associated
10 with failure to report under section 273.410;
11 (2) How to identify animal abuse or neglect;
12 (3) How to make a report of animal abuse or neglect; and
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
SS #2 SCS HCS HB 2292 2
13 (4) The relationship between eligible adult abuse or neglect and animal abuse or
14 neglect.
15 2. By December 31, 2026, the department of health and senior services and the
16 department of agriculture, in consultation with the Missouri Animal Control
17 Association, or a successor entity, shall develop or adapt and use available training
18 materials for the training required under this section.
19 3. Persons required to complete training under this section shall be provided
20 with opportunities to do so during regular working hours. The training may qualify as
21 part of any continuing education requirements otherwise required for such person as a
22 condition of licensure or employment.
23 4. As used in this section, the following terms shall mean:
24 (1) "Animal", dogs, cats, rabbits, and domesticated birds;
25 (2) "Successor entity", any entity designated as such jointly by the department
26 of health and senior services and the children's division.
27 5. The provisions of this section shall expire on December 31, 2030.
210.191. 1. No later than December 31, 2027, all children's division employees
2 and contractors for children's services who have direct contact with children through
3 the state's child protection and welfare system shall be required to complete at least one
4 and one-half hour of training as described in this subsection. Any children's division
5 employee and contractor for children's services beginning employment after December
6 31, 2027, who has direct contact with children through the state's child protection and
7 welfare system shall complete such training within sixty days of beginning employment.
8 The training shall include the following:
9 (1) Requirements to report animal abuse or neglect and the penalties associated
10 with failure to report under section 273.410;
11 (2) How to identify animal abuse or neglect;
12 (3) How to make a report of animal abuse or neglect; and
13 (4) The relationship between child abuse or neglect and animal abuse or neglect.
14 2. By December 31, 2026, the division and the department of agriculture, in
15 consultation with the Missouri Animal Control Association, or a successor entity, shall
16 develop or adapt and use available training materials for the training required under
17 this section.
18 3. Persons required to complete training under this section shall be provided
19 with opportunities to do so during regular working hours. The training may qualify as
20 part of any continuing education requirements otherwise required for such person as a
21 condition of licensure or employment.
22 4. As used in this section, the following terms shall mean:
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23 (1) "Animal", dogs, cats, rabbits, and domesticated birds;
24 (2) "Successor entity", any entity designated as such jointly by the department
25 of health and senior services and the children's division.
26 5. The provisions of this section shall expire on December 31, 2030.
273.410. 1. When any psychologist, mental health professional, social worker,
2 school counselor, teacher, or other school professional, or juvenile officer, law
3 enforcement or peace officer, probation or parole officer, home health aide, adult or
4 child protective services worker, or volunteer or personnel of a community service
5 program that offers support or advocacy services for children in foster care has
6 reasonable cause to suspect that an animal has been or may be subjected to abuse or
7 neglect or observes an animal being subjected to conditions or circumstances that would
8 reasonably result in abuse or neglect, that person shall make a report to the hotline
9 established and operated by the Missouri Animal Control Association (MACA), or a
10 successor entity, within one day. As used in this section, "reasonable cause" shall mean
11 that abuse or neglect is more likely than not to have occurred.
12 2. The hotline worker shall request all of the following information for the
13 report:
14 (1) The name and description of the animal involved, if known;
15 (2) The address and telephone number of the owner or other person responsible
16 for the care of the animal, if known;
17 (3) The nature and extent of the suspected abuse or neglect; and
18 (4) Any other information that the person making the report believes may be
19 useful in establishing the existence of the suspected abuse or neglect or the identity of the
20 person causing the abuse or neglect.
21 3. Upon receiving a report of suspected abuse or neglect, MACA, or a successor
22 entity, shall provide the report to any duly-authorized law enforcement official and, if
23 appropriate, a county or municipal animal control officer or any Missouri peace officer
24 standards and training (POST)-certified or MACA-certified animal cruelty investigator.
25 4. Any person required to report animal abuse or neglect under this section shall
26 be immune from civil and criminal liability in connection with making any required
27 reports if the person acted in good faith when making such report.
28 5. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any information
29 identifying a person who reports suspected animal abuse or neglect under this section
30 shall be confidential and shall not be deemed a public record and shall not be subject to
31 the provisions of section 109.180 or chapter 610.
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32 6. No person required to make a report of animal abuse or neglect under this
33 section shall knowingly make a false report. The penalty for making a false report and
34 the defenses to prosecution shall be the same as under section 575.080.
35 7. If an agency or political subdivision of the state determines that an employee
36 who is a mandated reporter under this section has failed to make a report as required by
37 this section, the agency or political subdivision shall issue a written notice to such
38 employee that shall include a finding of facts in support of the failure to make a report
39 and an explanation of the reporting requirement. Such notice shall not be retained in a
40 permanent employment file and shall be retained in a separate file or database
41 maintained by the agency or political subdivision. Such notice shall be considered a
42 closed record under the provisions of chapter 610.
43 8. Any person required to make a report under this section who is subject to
44 professional licensure and who fails to make a report as required by this section shall be
45 subject to discipline by his or her respective licensing board.
46 9. The duty to report animal abuse or neglect and any associated penalties for
47 failure to report animal abuse or neglect imposed under this section shall not be in effect
48 during any period in which the hotline established and operated by MACA, or a
49 successor entity, has yet to begin or has otherwise ceased operation and shall resume
50 when the hotline is operational.
51 10. As used in this section, the following terms mean:
52 (1) "Animal", dogs, cats, rabbits, and domesticated birds;
53 (2) "Successor entity", any entity designated as such jointly by the department
54 of health and senior services and the children's division.
55 11. The provisions of this section shall expire on December 31, 2030.
273.415. 1. No later than December 31, 2027, all persons employed or serving as
2 animal control officers or animal humane investigators who have direct contact with
3 animals shall be required to complete at least one and one-half hour of training as
4 described in this subsection. Any person beginning employment after December 31,
5 2027, as an animal control officer or animal humane investigator who has direct contact
6 with animals shall complete such training within sixty days of beginning employment or
7 service. The training shall include the following:
8 (1) Requirements to report child abuse or neglect or eligible person abuse or
9 neglect under section 273.420 and the penalties associated with failure to report such
10 abuse or neglect;
11 (2) How to identify child or eligible adult abuse or neglect;
12 (3) How to make a report of child or eligible adult abuse or neglect; and
13 (4) The relationship between child, eligible adult, and animal abuse or neglect.
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14 2. By December 31, 2026, the children's division, the department of health and
15 senior services, and the department of agriculture, in consultation with the Missouri
16 Animal Control Association, or a successor entity, shall develop or adapt and use
17 available training materials for the training required under this section.
18 3. Persons required to complete training under this section shall be provided
19 with opportunities to do so during regular working hours. The training may qualify as
20 part of any continuing education requirements otherwise required for such person as a
21 condition of licensure or employment.
22 4. As used in this section, the following terms shall mean:
23 (1) "Animal", dogs, cats, rabbits, and domesticated birds;
24 (2) "Animal humane investigator", a duly-authorized county or municipal
25 animal control officer or any Missouri peace officer standards and training (POST)-
26 certified or Missouri Animal Control Association (MACA)-certified animal cruelty
27 investigator;
28 (3) "Successor entity", any entity designated as such jointly by the department
29 of health and senior services and the children's division.
30 5. The provisions of this section shall expire on December 31, 2030.
273.420. 1. Beginning January 1, 2028, any animal control officer or animal
2 humane investigator, as defined in section 273.415, shall immediately report or cause a
3 report to be made to the department of health and senior services if such person has
4 reasonable cause to suspect that an eligible adult, as such term is defined in section
5 192.2400, has been subject to abuse or neglect or observes the eligible adult being
6 subjected to conditions or circumstances that would reasonably result in abuse or
7 neglect.
8 2. Beginning January 1, 2028, any animal control officer or animal humane
9 investigator shall immediately report or cause a report to be made to the children's
10 division, in accordance with the provisions of sections 210.109 to 210.183, if such person
11 has reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been or may be subjected to abuse or
12 neglect or observes a child being subjected to conditions or circumstances that would
13 reasonably result in abuse or neglect.
14 3. Any person required to report under this section may also report the suspicion
15 of abuse or neglect to any law enforcement agency or juvenile office. Such report shall
16 not, however, take the place of reporting to the department or the division.
17 4. The penalty for failing to report as required under this section shall be a class
18 A misdemeanor.
19 5. As used in this section, the term "reasonable cause" shall mean that abuse or
20 neglect is more likely than not to have occurred.
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21 6. The provisions of this section shall expire on December 31, 2030.
273.425. 1. The Missouri Animal Control Association, or a successor entity, in
2 collaboration with the department of health and senior services and the children's
3 division, shall provide a report to the governor and general assembly by December 31,
4 2028, and again by November 1, 2029, that shall include, but not be limited to, the
5 following:
6 (1) Call wait times for all types of abuse or neglect reporting;
7 (2) Number of eligible adults, children, and animals for which reports have been
8 submitted under sections 273.415 and 273.420; and
9 (3) Number of reports in which investigation determined that eligible adult or
10 child abuse or neglect and animal abuse or neglect have been found to be connected, co-
11 occurring, or otherwise related.
12 2. The report provided under this section shall not include any information
13 otherwise prohibited from disclosure under state or federal law.
14 3. As used in this section the following terms shall mean:
15 (1) "Eligible adult", shall have the same meaning as defined in section 192.2400;
16 (2) "Successor entity", any entity designated as such jointly by the department
17 of health and senior services and the children's division.
18 4. The provisions of this section shall expire on December 31, 2030.
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