I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 764

To reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 12, 1999

Ms. PRYCE of Ohio (for herself, Mr. EWING, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. DELAY,

and Mrs. JONES of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred

to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect, and

for other purposes.

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Child Abuse Preven5 tion and Enforcement Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF ACCESS TO CERTAIN COURT

7 AND LAW ENFORCEMENT RECORDS TO PRE8 VENT CHILD ABUSE.

9 (a) DESCRIPTION OF GRANT PROGRAM.—Section

10 1402 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act
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1 of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796aa–1) is amended by adding be2 fore the period at the end the following: ‘‘or to provide

3 child protective workers and child welfare workers (in pub4 lic and private agencies, who, in the course of their official

5 duties, are engaged in the assessment of risk and other

6 actions related to the protection of children, including

7 placement of children in foster care) access to criminal

8 conviction information and orders of protection based on

9 a claim of domestic or child abuse, or to improve law en10 forcement access to judicial custody orders, visitation or11 ders, protection orders, guardianship orders, stay away or12 ders, or other similar judicial orders’’.

13 (b) APPLICATION TO RECEIVE GRANTS.—Section

14 1403 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 3796aa–2) is amended—

15 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting before the

16 semicolon at the end the following: ‘‘or to provide

17 child protective workers and child welfare workers

18 (in public and private agencies, who, in the course

19 of their official duties, are engaged in the assess20 ment of risk and other actions related to the protec21 tion of children, including placement of children in

22 foster care) access to criminal conviction information

23 and orders of protection based on a claim of domes24 tic or child abuse, or to improve law enforcement ac25 cess to judicial custody orders, visitation orders, pro-
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1 tection orders, guardianship orders, stay away or2 ders, or other similar judicial orders’’; and

3 (2) in paragraph (2), by inserting before the pe4 riod at the end the following: ‘‘or to provide child

5 protective workers and child welfare workers (in

6 public and private agencies, who, in the course of

7 their official duties, are engaged in the assessment

8 of risk and other actions related to the protection of

9 children, including placement of children in foster

10 care) access to criminal conviction information and

11 orders of protection based on a claim of domestic or

12 child abuse, or to improve law enforcement access to

13 judicial custody orders, visitation orders, protection

14 orders, guardianship orders, stay away orders, or

15 other similar judicial orders’’.

16 (c) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—Section 1404(a) of

17 such Act (42 U.S.C. 3796aa–3(a)) is amended in the mat18 ter preceding paragraph (1) by inserting after ‘‘to receive

19 a grant’’ the following: ‘‘for closed circuit televising of tes20 timony of children who are victims of abuse’’.

21 (d) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1409(2) of such Act (42

22 U.S.C. 3796aa–8(2)) is amended by inserting before the

23 period at the end the following: ‘‘or the taking of a child

24 in violation of a court order’’.
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1 (e) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Part N of title I of

2 such Act (42 U.S.C. 3796aa) is amended in the heading

3 to read as follows:

4 ‘‘PART N—GRANTS FOR CLOSED-CIRCUIT TELE5 VISING OF TESTIMONY OF CHILDREN WHO

6 ARE VICTIMS OF ABUSE AND FOR IMPROV7 ING ACCESS TO COURT AND LAW ENFORCE8 MENT RECORDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRE9 VENTING CHILD ABUSE’’.

10 SEC. 3. USE OF FUNDS UNDER BYRNE GRANT PROGRAM

11 FOR CHILD PROTECTION.

12 Section 501(b) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Con13 trol and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3751) is

14 amended—

15 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph

16 (25);

17 (2) by striking the period at the end of para18 graph (26) and adding ‘‘; and’’; and

19 (3) by adding at the end the following:

20 ‘‘(27) enforcing child abuse and neglect laws

21 and programs designed to prevent child abuse and

22 neglect.’’.
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1 SEC. 4. INCREASE IN SET ASIDE FOR CHILD ABUSE VIC2 TIMS UNDER THE VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT OF

3 1984.

4 Section 1402(d)(2) of the Victims of Crime Act of

5 1984 is amended by striking ‘‘$10,000,000’’ and inserting

6 ‘‘$20,000,000’’.

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