HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- After a Henrico County hospital took weeks to report multiple premature babies' broken bones, a bill that would increase punishments for such a failure is headed for Gov. Abigail Spanberger's (D) desk. In mid-March, House Bill 1414 passed through the General Assembly, meaning it is now subject to Spanberger's approval. This legislation would strengthen existing laws surrounding people who are required by law to report child abuse and neglect at hospitals, institutions and other related facilities where children are cared for. Should Spanberger sign HB 1414 as written, staff at such facilities who fail to report possible child abuse or neglect within 24 hours of learning about the alleged treatment would be guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor. A second or subsequent offense would be a class 6 felony. MORE: Mother speaks out on baby’s stay in Henrico Doctors’ Hospital’s NICU, says all limbs were fractured Currently, such a failure to report is only a class 1 misdemeanor if the alleged crime is attempted rape, sodomy, aggravated sexual battery or object sexual penetration. Otherwise, a person can only be punished with a fine of no more than $500 for the first offense and a fine of $1,000 for a second or subsequent offense. During a Feb. 11 meeting of the Criminal subcommittee of the Senate committee on Courts of Justice, Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor explained that her office approached Del. Delores McQuinn (D-Henrico County) about carrying HB 1414. Taylor said this came about after Henrico Doctors' Hospital (HDH) failed to report the suspected abuse of nine premature babies in its neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) between 2022 and 2024. Former NICU nurse Erin Strotman has since been found guilty of abusing these babies. As Strotman's case played out, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) determined that HDH failed to protect its most vulnerable patients from being mishandled and having their bones intentionally broken by Strotman. PREVIOUS: ‘Finally,' Chesterfield father elated to find son’s case of proven child abuse at Henrico Doctor’s Hospital’s NICU has been reopened In fall 2023, HDH was made aware of several instances wherein four NICU babies were found with nonaccidental fractures. Despite this, it took the hospital several weeks to report these injuries to the state. "CPS reporting regulations exist for a reason: to use the investigatory function to protect vulnerable children," Taylor said. "By delaying reporting and investigating, an entity can circumvent the regulatory safeguards that exist to keep children safe." Taylor emphasized that the 24-hour reporting window is crucial when the victims of suspected abuse are under 2 years of age, as it allows Child Protective Services (CPS) to swiftly step in and implement a safety plan. "If this was done the right way ... perhaps these other children would not have been harmed," Taylor said. MORE: VDH finds Henrico Doctors’ NICU failed to prevent abuse of premature babies Notably, despite Strotman being identified as one of two people who could have harmed those four babies in 2023, she was able to return to her job in 2024 after serving a period of suspension. HDH put her under minimal oversight once she came back, per the VDH -- and she proceeded to hurt more babies. Strotman is set to be sentenced on June 5. Per the terms of her plea agreement, she will likely see a no more than 3-year sentence. Spanberger has until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 13 to make her decisions on all outstanding bills, including HB 1414. ...read more read less