Indiana House members voted unanimously in favor of a bill that would shield Hoosier parents from child welfare investigations based solely for allowing their children age-appropriate independence.
The 93-0 vote Tuesday advances House Bill 1035 to the Senate for its consideration.
Bill author Rep. Jake Teshka, R-North Liberty, said he believed state law needed to explicitly state that a child wasn’t endangered simply by being unsupervised.
“We’ve got kids who are unleashed in the digital world and yet restrained in the physical world,” Teshka said. “Evidence has consistently shown that age appropriate independence actually strengthens decision making, risk assessment, self control, improves social skills and academic performance.”
The bill defines “independent activity” to include walking or traveling on foot or by bicycle, playing outdoors, remaining at home, or staying in a stationary vehicle without direct supervision.
It additionally specifies that parents wouldn’t be subject of Department of Child Services investigation “solely because the child engages in an independent activity,” unless a parent or guardian acted “so reckless as to endanger the health or safety of the child,” taking into account the child’s “maturity, condition and ability.”
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