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HB 7049

AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE OFFICE OF THE CHILD ADVOCATE REGARDING THE INFANT MORTALITY REVIEW PROGRAM.

2025 Regular Session

HB 7049 strengthens the Infant Mortality Review program by expanding interagency data sharing and confidentiality safeguards to deliver timely, actionable system improvements.

FILE NO. 121
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Bill Summary · HB 7049

Summary — HB 7049

Title: AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE OFFICE OF THE CHILD ADVOCATE REGARDING THE INFANT MORTALITY REVIEW PROGRAM
Bill Number: HB 7049 (File No. 121)
Introduced: February 20, 2025
Subject areas: Infant mortality; Office of the Child Advocate; child abuse/neglect investigations; confidentiality and disclosure of personal data; public health; behavioral health services; task forces; professional licenses; children and families.

Purpose

HB 7049 is intended to implement recommendations from the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) related to the State’s Infant Mortality Review (IMR) program. The general aim is to strengthen the IMR process so that reviews of infant deaths can produce timely, actionable findings and recommended system improvements while balancing confidentiality and privacy protections.

Key provisions (based on bill title, subject list and available legislative actions)

The bill text is not included in the materials provided. Based on the bill’s title and listed subjects, HB 7049 likely (or explicitly) would:

  • Formalize or revise the statutory authority and structure of the Infant Mortality Review program (membership, roles, and duties).
  • Clarify and/or broaden legal authority for data sharing among state agencies (e.g., OCA, Department of Public Health, Department of Children and Families), health care providers, coroners/medical examiners, and other relevant entities for purposes of IMR.
  • Establish or strengthen confidentiality and disclosure rules to permit necessary data access for reviews while protecting personal and medical information (including limits on public disclosure).
  • Authorize multidisciplinary review teams or task forces and define their scope (including possible participation by behavioral health representatives, child welfare and public health professionals).
  • Require periodic reporting of IMR findings and system-level recommendations to the legislature, state agencies, and/or the public (subject to confidentiality rules).
  • Address interactions between IMR findings and professional licensing or complaint processes (e.g., how information may be used by licensing boards or in complaints).
  • Provide for training, data collection standards, or protocols to improve the quality and consistency of reviews.

Who would be affected

  • Office of the Child Advocate (lead or participant in IMR activities)
  • Department of Public Health, Department of Children and Families, coroners/medical examiners
  • Health care providers, hospitals, and behavioral health providers whose records may be used in reviews
  • Families of deceased infants (whose personal data would be subject to confidentiality protections)
  • Professional licensing boards and regulated professionals (if disclosure or complaint processes are implicated)

Procedural status and timeline

  • Referred to the Joint Committee on Public Health: 02/20/2025
  • Public hearing held: 03/03/2025
  • Joint Favorable Substitute filed: 03/05/2025
  • Filed with LCO: 03/05/2025
  • Favorable report out of committee, tabled for House calendar: 03/18/2025 (House Calendar No. 106)
  • Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis: 03/11/2025

Potential impact and next steps

If enacted, the bill would likely increase interagency coordination and data access for infant mortality reviews and could produce clearer recommendations for preventing infant deaths. Critical implementation details (exact data-sharing mechanisms, confidentiality safeguards, reporting timelines, and any fiscal impacts) require reading the bill text and fiscal analysis prepared by OFA. The next procedural step is consideration on the House calendar; interested stakeholders should review the bill text and OFA analysis (when available) for specifics.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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