Kansas House advances child abuse reporting changes

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas House has given first-round approval to a bill amending state law on mandatory reporting of alleged child abuse. Supporters said Wednesday the changes were in direct response to the allegations of child sex abuse at Penn State University involving former football defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

The bill expands the list of individuals required to report allegations of child abuse to authorities for investigation. It also strengthens the penalty for failure to report cases of suspected sexual abuse. It also would remove the defense that a person believed someone else was going to file the report, unless a report had actually been made, or that a person did not make a report for fear of reprisal or any other consequence.