Child abuse report bill vetoed over ‘unintended consequence’

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant has vetoed a bill dealing with people telling authorities about suspected abuse or neglect of children or vulnerable older people.

Senate Bill 2460 would have required a person reporting abuse to provide his or her own name, address and telephone number. It said that information would be redacted at the end of an investigation.

However, Bryant says in his veto message Monday that people might stop reporting abuse or neglect if they have to provide their own information. He says it was “a well-intentioned bill with an unintended consequence.”

The bill also said that if a person accused of child abuse or neglect is on active-duty military service, the Department of Child Protection Services would have to notify the military’s family advocacy program about the accusation.