What needs to change in Missouri.

• Clergy expressly named at § 210.115.1

  Section 210.115.1 enumerates 'minister, as provided by section 352.400' alongside physicians, teachers, social workers, peace officers, child-care workers, and other persons with responsibility for the care of children. Section 352.400's definition covers a minister of the gospel, clergyperson, priest, rabbi, or other person serving in a similar capacity for a religious organization, where that person is responsible for or has supervisory authority over one responsible for the care, custody, and control of a child, or has access to a child. The reporting duty applies whenever a covered minister has reasonable cause to suspect abuse or neglect.

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• Clergy-penitent privilege expressly preserved at § 210.140 and § 352.400.2

  Section 210.140 abrogates 'any legally recognized privileged communication' as grounds for failure to report child abuse or neglect, with two exceptions: attorney-client and 'communications made to a minister or clergyperson.' Section 352.400.2 reinforces the carveout from the clergy side: 'Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or sections 210.109 to 210.183, a minister shall not be required to report concerning a privileged communication made to him or her in his or her professional capacity.' The two statutes encode the same exemption from both directions.

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• Designated-agent backstop at § 352.400.3

  Section 352.400.3 permits a religious organization to designate an internal agent to receive reports and discharge the statutory reporting duty on the organization's behalf. If a minister, official, or staff member with probable cause does not personally report, the designated agent must be notified and becomes responsible for making or causing the report. The statute expressly does not preclude any person from reporting abuse or neglect directly, but when an individual does not personally report, the institution controls who receives the internal report.

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• Failure-to-report penalty at § 210.165

  Violating any provision of §§ 210.110 to 210.165, including the duty to report under § 210.115, is a Class A misdemeanor under § 210.165.1. The statute states no knowledge requirement. A first intentional false report is a Class A misdemeanor under § 210.165.2; a person previously convicted of making a false report who is then convicted of intentionally filing another is guilty of a Class E felony under § 210.165.3. The penalty applies to clergy as a class of mandated reporter under § 210.115, subject to the privilege carveout at § 210.140 and § 352.400.2.

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• Prior repeal attempts stalled in committee. Outcome: died without hearings

  Associated Press reporting in September 2022 documented that prior Missouri bills targeting the clergy-penitent carveout were referred to committee and never received hearings. The sponsor told the AP she considered the effort a lost cause, citing behind-the-scenes pushback from legislators aligned with the religious institutions most directly affected. The 2026 bills SB1707 and HB2340 are the next round in a multi-session reform pattern, not a one-off attempt.

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What it takes to close the gap.

How Missouri got here.

• 2002
  § 352.400 minister-reporting framework enacted

  Missouri's § 352.400 framework establishes the operative definition of 'minister' and the affirmative reporting duty for ministers and designated religious-organization agents.

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• 2022-09
  AP investigation surfaces the carveout

  Associated Press reporting documents how 33 states, including Missouri, exempt clergy from reporting privileged communications about child abuse. The reporting names the legislative pattern: Missouri bills targeting the carveout had been referred to committee and never received hearings.

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• 2026
  SB1707 and HB2340 introduced, then died at sine die

  Two 2026 bills targeted the clergy-penitent carveout at § 210.140 and § 352.400.2 for repeal: SB1707 (Sen. McCreery) in the Senate and HB2340 (Rep. Proudie) in the House. Both were referred to committee, and both died when the legislature adjourned sine die on May 15, 2026. SB1707 never received a hearing.

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Public-record sources UCO is tracking.

Always verify against the underlying statute or filing before quoting.

• Missouri Revisor of Statutes· Effective August 28, 2021
  Mo. Rev. Stat. § 210.115 — Reports of abuse, neglect, and under-age-eighteen deaths; persons required to report

  Principal mandatory-reporting statute. Subsection 1 expressly names 'minister, as provided by section 352.400' in the enumerated list of mandated reporters, alongside physicians, teachers, social workers, peace officers, and child-care workers. Anchors the expressly-named statusBucket.

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• Missouri Revisor of Statutes· Effective August 28, 2001
  Mo. Rev. Stat. § 210.140 — Privileged communication not recognized, exception

  Privilege carveout statute. Abrogates 'any legally recognized privileged communication' as grounds for failure to report child abuse or neglect, except for attorney-client and 'communications made to a minister or clergyperson.' Anchors the preserved privilegePosture.

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• Missouri Revisor of Statutes· Effective August 28, 2003
  Mo. Rev. Stat. § 352.400 — Ministers, duty to report child abuse and neglect; definitions; designation of an agent

  Companion statute that supplies the definition of 'minister' incorporated by § 210.115. Subsection 2 reinforces the privilege carveout from the clergy side. Subsection 3 establishes the designated-agent backstop that routes any internal report to an agent of the religious organization's choosing.

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• Missouri Senate· 2026 Regular Session
  SB1707 (2026) — Bill information

  Official Missouri Senate bill page for SB1707 from Sen. Tracy McCreery, which would make clergy and religious workers mandated reporters and repeal the clergy-penitent privilege carveout. Died in committee at the close of the 2026 session.

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• LegiScan· 2026 Regular Session
  HB2340 (2026) — Bill tracking

  Bill page for HB2340 from Rep. Raychel Proudie, the House companion targeting the clergy-penitent carveout for repeal. Died in committee at the close of the 2026 session.

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• Spectrum News / Associated Press· 2022-09-28
  33 states exempt clergy from reporting abuse

  AP investigative reporting documenting the multi-state clergy-penitent carveout and the prior Missouri legislative attempts that were referred to committee and never received hearings. Anchors the active-push posture as a multi-session pattern rather than a one-off attempt.

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