‘Wyatt’s Law’ passes Senate panel, headed to full Senate vote - The Macomb Daily
A bill package known as “Wyatt’s Law” that would create a public or semi-public registry of child abusers has passed a state Senate committee, leaving only the full Senate to pass it before it could be signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The unanimous passage by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday was greeted with passionate approval by Erica Hammel of St. Clair Shores, the mother of 9-year-old Wyatt Rewoldt, who was abused by his father’s girlfriend who had a prior conviction for abusing a child.
Hammell for years has been lobbying lawmakers to get the law passed.
“What a great day in Lansing!,” Hammel posted on Facebook Thursday. “Another step forward. It’s mind blowing for me to think back 7+ years ago when I decided to start a simple online petition that I hoped would get 500 signatures. Now we literally are one step away from the governor’s desk.”
She predicted the law will save children’s lives.
“It does get much better than that,” she added in a written statement. “This bill is going to save so many children from going through what Wyatt had to endure and what I as a parent have to endure.”
Wyatt suffered permanent injuries from the abuse, including brain damage and blindness in one of his eyes. Hammel says Wyatt was violently shaken by his abuser at age 1.
Hammel and Christyne Kadlitz, whose child was previously abused by the same woman who assaulted Wyatt, have been working with state Rep. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, and other lawmakers.
“I applaud the Senate Judiciary Committee for passing Wyatt’s Law,” Hertel said in a news release. “This legislation can save lives and protect our children. It’s just common sense. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle during the legislative process to ensure that this becomes law.”
Hertel said he has been told the Senate will vote on the package, “soon, within a couple of weeks.”
The proposed law previously passed in the Senate but for years couldn’t gain traction in the state House of Representatives. But Hammel was encouraged last December when it passed the state House of Representatives after some wrinkles were ironed out, garnering more support.
Hammel at the time said she believes the Oxford High School shooting last fall had some impact as legislators realized children need greater protections.
The new version of the package would “clean up” the current, cumbersome child abuse registry, which is non-public, to include those who present a danger to children, Hertel said. The new list would contain the names of all of those convicted of child abuse and could be made public or accessed by a parent or guardian. The details of access would be developed by Child Protective Services within the Department of Health and Human Services, which would administer the list.
It also would provide a way for people on the list to be removed.
Hammel was initially assisted in attempting to get the law passed by former state representatives Sarah Roberts and Derek Miller before they left office.
source: https://www.macombdaily.com/2022/03/11/wyatts-law-passes-senate-panel-headed-to-full-senate-vote/
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