Session of 1999
         
HOUSE BILL No. 2376
         
By Committee on Judiciary
          
2-10
          
  9             AN  ACT concerning crimes and punishment; abuse of a child; amending
10             K.S.A. 21-3609 and repealing the existing section.
11      
12       Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
13             Section  1. K.S.A. 21-3609 is hereby amended to read as follows: 21-
14       3609. (a) Abuse of a child is intentionally torturing, cruelly beating, shak-
15       ing which results in great bodily harm or inflicting cruel and inhuman
16       corporal punishment upon any child under the age of 18 years.
17             Abuse of a child is a severity level 5, person felony.:
18             (1) Inflicting serious physical injury upon any child or, having the
19       care or custody of a child, causing or permitting another to inflict serious
20       physical injury upon the child;
21             (2) inflicting physical injury upon any child or, having the care or
22       custody of a child, causing or permitting another to inflict physical injury
23       upon the child.
24             (b)  (1) Abuse of a child as described in subsection (a)(1) is:
25             (A) A severity level 4, person felony when done intentionally or
26       knowingly;
27             (B) a severity level 5, person felony when done recklessly.
28             (2) Abuse of a child as described in subsection (a)(2) is:
29             (A) A class A person misdemeanor when done intentionally or
30       knowingly;
31             (B) a class B person misdemeanor when done recklessly.
32             (c) As used in this section:
33             (1) "Child" means a person who is under the age of 18 years.
34             (2) "Physical injury" means an injury to or condition of a child which
35       impairs the physical condition of the child, including but not limited to:
36             (A) A bruise or other contusion of the skin;
37             (B) a minor laceration or abrasion;
38             (C) failure to thrive or malnutrition;and which is not a serious phys-
39       ical injury as defined in this subsection.
40             (3) "Serious physical injury" means any physical injury or set of in-
41       juries which seriously impairs a child's health, or which involves physical
42       torture or causes serious emotional harm to a child, or which involves a
43       substantial risk of death to a child, including but not limited to:

HB 2376

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  1             (A) Fracture of any bone or bones;
  2             (B) intracranial bleeding, swelling or contusion of the brain, whether
  3       caused by blows, shaking, or causing the child's head to impact with an
  4       object or surface;
  5             (C) any burn, including burns inflicted by hot water, or those caused
  6       by placing a hot object upon the skin or body of the child;
  7             (D) any injury caused by use of a dangerous weapon;
  8             (E) any combination of two or more physical injuries inflicted by the
  9       same person, either at the same time or on different occasions;
10             (F) any damage to internal organs of the body;
11             (G) any conduct toward a child which results in severe emotional
12       harm, severe developmental delay or retardation, or severe impairment
13       of the child's ability to function;
14             (H) any injury which creates a permanent disfigurement or pro-
15       tracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, limb or
16       organ;
17             (I) any conduct which causes a child to cease breathing, even if re-
18       suscitation is successful following the conduct; or
19             (J) any conduct which results in starvation or failure to thrive or
20       malnutrition that jeopardizes a child's life.  
21       Sec.  2. K.S.A. 21-3609 is hereby repealed.
22        Sec.  3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
23       publication in the statute book.