“Wyatt’s Law” has been signed as part of a package of legislation that establishes a statewide child abuse registry and a statewide electronic case management system to track confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect.
The registry will be accessible to parents and guardians of Michigan children and would modify the procedure to amend or expunge inaccurate reports.
Wyatt’s law is named after Wyatt Hammel who was abused by someone who had a previous history of child abuse. The legislation was introduced by State Representative Kevin Hertel who acted on behalf of Wyatt’s mother, Erica Hammel, who has been advocating for the legislation for 7 ½ years.
Hertel said, “While Erica and Wyatt will always feel the impacts of child abuse, this law will bring justice for countless other families by helping prevent abuse before it can happen.”
Erica Hammel said, “What happened to Wyatt could have been prevented had pertinent information been easily accessible. Starting today, countless children’s lives in Michigan will be saved because that information is NOW easily accessible.”
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
