BY RACHEL BEHRNDT
Missouri News Network
Victims and advocates allege “cracks and failures” led to the ongoing abuse of many of Missouri’s most vulnerable children.
The House Committee on Children and Families tried to fill some of those cracks Wednesday as it passed HB 557 and HB 560.
The bills would require faith-based youth homes to notify the state of their location, provide background checks for all employees and ensure that Social Services can see a child that it suspects is being abused or neglected.
The vote comes weeks after moving testimony brought lawmakers to tears as victims of these homes told their stories of neglect and abuse that went unchecked by state officials.