I

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 3588

To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to require a

State, in order to be eligible for a grant for child abuse and neglect

prevention and treatment programs, to have in effect a State law providing for the prosecution of a person who makes a report of child abuse

or neglect without having a reasonable belief that the report is true,

and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

NOVEMBER 20, 1993

Mr. GOODLING introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Education and Labor

A BILL

To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act

to require a State, in order to be eligible for a grant

for child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment

programs, to have in effect a State law providing for

the prosecution of a person who makes a report of child

abuse or neglect without having a reasonable belief that

the report is true, 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 and

5 Neglect Accountability Act of 1993’’.
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1 SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL STATE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

2 FOR GRANTS FOR CHILD ABUSE AND NE3 GLECT PREVENTION AND TREATMENT PRO4 GRAMS UNDER CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION

5 AND TREATMENT ACT.

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (1) of section 107(b)

7 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42

8 U.S.C. 5106a(b)(1)) is amended—

9 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; and’’

10 and inserting a semicolon;

11 (2) in subparagraph (B), to read as follows:

12 ‘‘(B)(i) provisions making it a criminal of13 fense under State or local laws for a person to

14 make a report of child abuse or neglect without

15 having a reasonable belief that such report is

16 true;

17 ‘‘(ii) provisions increasing the penalties of

18 the criminal offense described in clause (i) if a

19 person commits such offense with the intent to

20 expose another person to public hatred, con21 tempt, ridicule, criminal investigation, or to

22 gain advantage in a civil proceeding; and

23 ‘‘(iii) provisions for immunity from pros24 ecution under State and local laws for a person

25 who reports instances of child abuse or neglect,

26 other than those instances described in clause
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1 (i) or (ii), for circumstances arising from such

2 reporting; and’’; and

3 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub4 paragraph:

5 ‘‘(C)(i) provisions making it a criminal of6 fense under State or local laws for a person to

7 intentionally cause or persuade a child to make

8 an allegation of child abuse or neglect without

9 having a reasonable belief that such allegation

10 is true; and

11 ‘‘(ii) provisions increasing the penalties for

12 the criminal offense described in clause (i) if a

13 person commits such offense with the intent to

14 expose another person to public hatred, con15 tempt, ridicule, criminal investigation, or to

16 gain advantage in a civil proceeding;’’.

17 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by

18 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to grants made on

19 or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

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