I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3894 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the prompt notification 

of State Child Protective Services by military and civilian personnel 

of the Department of Defense required by law to report suspected instances of child abuse and neglect. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 3, 2015 

Ms. GABBARD (for herself and Mr. TAKAI) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the 

prompt notification of State Child Protective Services 

by military and civilian personnel of the Department 

of Defense required by law to report suspected instances 

of child abuse and neglect. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. EXPEDITED REPORTING OF CHILD ABUSE AND 

2 NEGLECT TO STATE CHILD PROTECTIVE 

3 SERVICES. 

4 (a) REPORTING BY MILITARY AND CIVILIAN PER5 SONNEL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.—Section 

6 1787 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating subsections (a) and (b) as 

8 subsections (c) and (d), respectively; and 

9 (2) by inserting before subsection (c), as so re10 designated, the following new subsections: 

11 ‘‘(a) REPORTING BY MILITARY AND CIVILIAN PER12 SONNEL.—A member of the armed forces, civilian em13 ployee of the Department of Defense, or contractor em14 ployee working on a military installation who is mandated 

15 by Federal regulation or State law to report known or sus16 pected instances of child abuse and neglect shall provide 

17 the report directly to State Child Protective Services or 

18 another appropriate State agency in addition to the mem19 ber’s or employee’s chain of command or any designated 

20 Department point of contact. 

21 ‘‘(b) TRAINING FOR MANDATED REPORTERS.—The 

22 Secretary of Defense shall ensure that individuals referred 

23 to in subsection (a) who are mandated by State law to 

24 report known or suspected instances of child abuse and 

25 neglect receive appropriate training, in accordance with 

26 State guidelines, intended to improve their— 


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1 ‘‘(1) ability to recognize evidence of child abuse 

2 and neglect; and 

3 ‘‘(2) understanding of the mandatory reporting 

4 requirements imposed by law.’’. 

5 (b) CONFORMING AND CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

6 Section 1787 of title 10, United States Code, is further 

7 amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (c), as redesignated by sub9 section (a)(1), by striking ‘‘IN GENERAL.—’’ and in10 serting ‘‘REPORTING BY STATES.—’’; and 

11 (2) in subsection (d), as redesignated by sub12 section (a)(1)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘(d) DEFINITION.—In this 

14 section, the term’’ and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 ‘‘(1) The term’’; and 

17 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

18 paragraph: 

19 ‘‘(2) The term ‘State’ includes the District of 

20 Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 

21 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 

22 Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the 

23 Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the 

24 Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.’’. 

Æ 


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