Bill would require facilities to report deaths in custody within 10 days after low compliance in prior reporting

Delegate Price told the subcommittee HB 80 expands the Deaths in Custody Reporting Act and would require facilities under state purview — including local and regional jails, sheriffs’ offices, police departments and DOC facilities — to report deaths and certain associated information within 10 days. Price said the bill adds a mechanism to encourage compliance (including potential funding impacts for entities that do not report) after she said only roughly a quarter of the near-500 entities required to report had done so in prior cycles.

Supporters included Fatima Mawhid of Survivors for Justice Reform, who urged passage so families would have transparency when a death occurs. Legal-aid advocates supported the measure as a tool to identify patterns and reduce future tragedies.

Deputy Commissioner Collier of the Department of Social Services explained that a prior request from the U.S. Department of Agriculture had legally compelled the Commonwealth to share personally identifiable information for SNAP beneficiaries and that the state complied after review by the attorney general’s office; the sponsor said HB 80 would add a public-notice requirement to inform affected people when their data are requested or shared for reasons not directly related to administering a benefit.

After questions about federal requirements and implementation, the committee moved to report HB 80 and re-refer it to the Senate Finance Committee; the clerk recorded the roll as 11 yes, 2 no, 2 abstentions.