LANSING, Mich. (April 21, 2026) — During Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Michigan Senate came together in bipartisan fashion to pass Senate Bill 626, Sen. Kevin Hertel’s (D-St. Clair Shores) legislation that would strengthen Wyatt’s Law and help parents protect their kids from individuals with a known record of abuse or neglect.
“For six years, I worked alongside Wyatt’s mom to turn unimaginable tragedy into meaningful change and empower parents across our state with the information they need to better protect their kids,” said Sen. Hertel. “But we knew our work couldn’t stop there. We’ve continued working with parents, advocates, and stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of this legislation and find ways to further improve it. By strengthening Wyatt’s Law with this more comprehensive definition of abuse, we’re closing critical gaps and ensuring all violators are included on the registry.”
Originally championed by Sen. Hertel in 2022, Wyatt’s Law helps keep serial abusers away from children by making information about convicted child abusers available to parents whose children are in the care of another adult. The bill is named after Wyatt Rewoldt, a child abused by his father’s girlfriend who had a previous history of child abuse. Wyatt’s mother, Erica Hammel, worked hand-in-hand with Sen. Hertel to get this law passed.
Senate Bill 626 would strengthen Wyatt’s Law by expanding the definition of “confirmed serious abuse or neglect” to include manslaughter, the death of a child, and sexual abuse. This comes at the request of the Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services, who has found that the current definition does not encompass the full range of cases they encounter.
The legislation now heads to the Michigan House for their consideration.