An effort to require clergy to report people suspected of child abuse is working its way through the state Senate after unanimously passing the House on Wednesday.

The bill would add clergy and other members of religious hierarchy to the list of professions required by law to report such abuse to the Family Independence Agency. Medical professionals, counselors and social workers, school officials and law enforcement officers already are required to report child abuse.

“I think it’s really critical, because of the evidence of child abuse coming up that has not been reported to the police,” said state Rep. Paul DeWeese, R-Williamston, who sponsored the legislation.

DeWeese said the recent number of child abuse cases among clergy is a key reason for the bill. The Catholic church has been embroiled in scandal since January because of sexual abuse allegations against priests and alleged cover-ups by church officials.

The bill would not require clergy to report information from confessionals.

Medical society joins Healthy Michigan Amendment ballot initiative

The Michigan State Medical Society has joined more than 10 health organizations in fighting to direct tobacco settlement money toward health care.

The society’s members include 14,000 Michigan physicians. They joined Citizens for a Healthy Michigan, a coalition seeking passage of the Healthy Michigan Amendment ballot proposal.

The amendment would require 90 percent of tobacco settlement funds go toward health care.

“The support of the Michigan State Medical Society is a significant positive development in our campaign to dedicate the state’s tobacco settlement to health care and saving lives,” coalition Chairman Art Knueppel said in a statement.

Other coalition members include the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and the Michigan Health & Hospital Association.

ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, has opposed the ballot initiative because it would take away the funding source for the Michigan Merit Award Scholarship program.

The merit-based scholarship program is paid for with tobacco settlement money.

Health advocates have said policymakers could find other ways to pay for the scholarship program.