I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1377 

To provide emergency funding for caseworkers and child protective services. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 25, 2021 

Ms. SCHRIER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To provide emergency funding for caseworkers and child 

protective services. 

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 ‘‘Emergency Funding 

5 for Child Protection Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL AMOUNT FOR THE STATE GRANT PRO2 GRAM FOR CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT PRE3 VENTION AND TREATMENT PROGRAMS. 

4 (a) APPROPRIATION.—There are hereby appropriated 

5 to the Secretary, out of amounts in the Treasury not oth6 erwise appropriated, $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, 

7 for the purpose of providing additional funding for the 

8 State grant program under section 106 of the Child Abuse 

9 Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a), in ac10 cordance with this section. Such amounts shall be in addi11 tion to other amounts made available for such purpose, 

12 and shall remain available until expended. 

13 (b) EMERGENCY DESIGNATION.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The amounts provided by 

15 this section are designated as an emergency require16 ment pursuant to section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay17 As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 933(g)). 

18 (2) DESIGNATION IN SENATE.—In the Senate, 

19 this section is designated as an emergency require20 ment pursuant to section 4112(a) of H. Con. Res. 

21 71 (115th Congress), the concurrent resolution on 

22 the budget for fiscal year 2018. 

23 (c) ALLOTMENTS.—As soon as practicable, but not 

24 later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 

25 the Secretary shall make allotments out of the amounts 

26 appropriated under subsection (a) to each State and terriVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:53 Mar 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1377.IH H1377

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1 tory receiving an allotment under section 106(f) of the 

2 Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 

3 5106a(f)) for fiscal year 2020, in the same manner that 

4 amounts appropriated under section 112 of such Act (42 

5 U.S.C. 5106f)) are allotted to States in accordance with 

6 section 106(f)(2) of such Act, except that, in allotting 

7 amounts under this subsection, ‘‘$50,000’’ shall be 

8 deemed to be ‘‘$1,000,000’’ each place such amount ap9 pears in such section 106(f)(2). 

10 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts received by a State 

11 or territory under subsection (c) may be used, consistent 

12 with section 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treat13 ment Act, to— 

14 (1) expand the ability of caseworkers to conduct 

15 safe, remote and in-person, homes visits and family 

16 visits to investigate and treat child abuse and ne17 glect, which may include— 

18 (A) purchasing personal protective equip19 ment for caseworkers and families, such as 

20 gloves, hand sanitizer, and face masks; 

21 (B) providing premium pay for case22 workers conducting in-home visits; 

23 (C) purchasing new technology and updat24 ing or improving existing technology infrastruc25 ture for child welfare agencies; 


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1 (D) purchasing technology, including inter2 net access, and prepaid telephone minutes for 

3 families; and 

4 (E) training on the use of such technology 

5 for caseworkers, families, and child welfare 

6 agencies; 

7 (2) access consultation and services related to 

8 mental health, substance use disorder, and domestic 

9 violence, including with infant-early childhood men10 tal health providers, to train and support case11 workers in the impacts of disasters and traumatic 

12 experience for children (including very young chil13 dren), youth, and adults, to help caseworkers provide 

14 trauma-informed services; 

15 (3) enhance the ability of caseworkers to con16 nect families with, or facilitate access to, other serv17 ices, such as telebehavioral health care, in-person 

18 well-child visits with pediatricians, substance use dis19 order treatment, and early intervention and special 

20 education services under the Individuals with Dis21 abilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) for 

22 young children with developmental delays and dis23 abilities; 

24 (4) address the needs, including mental health 

25 needs, of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and 


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1 queer youth who are suspected victims of child abuse 

2 or neglect; 

3 (5) purchase emergency supplies for families 

4 caring for children under protective services super5 vision (either at home or in foster care) and not able 

6 to afford them, which may include cleaning and 

7 sanitizing supplies, diapers, hygiene products, for8 mula for infants and toddlers, and reusable cloth 

9 face coverings that are consistent with the guidelines 

10 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

11 for preventing the spread of COVID–19 among the 

12 general public; 

13 (6) provide time-limited, direct payments for 

14 families caring for children under protective services 

15 supervision (either at home or in foster care) who 

16 are applying for government-funded assistance pro17 grams, to serve as a bridge until the family receives 

18 or is denied such assistance; 

19 (7) provide support, including assistance pay20 ments, training or mentorship in navigating virtual 

21 platforms such as virtual learning and telehealth, 

22 and access to legal representation, as needed, to rel23 atives or fictive kin to care for children, in lieu of 

24 placing such children in foster care, in the event that 

25 such children’s parents— 


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1 (A) are diagnosed with COVID–19; or 

2 (B) are unable to care for their children 

3 due to health or economic concerns stemming 

4 from the COVID–19 pandemic; 

5 (8) provide access to legal assistance for rel6 atives or fictive kin raising children with no parental 

7 involvement to make alternative plans for the chil8 dren in the event the caregivers die or become un9 able to care for the children; and 

10 (9) carry out such other activities that enhance 

11 the ability of the State or territory to protect chil12 dren and support families during the COVID–19 

13 pandemic. 

14 (e) NO STATE MATCH REQUIRED.—A State or terri15 tory shall not be required to provide any additional fund16 ing for the State program under section 106 of the Child 

17 Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act as a condition for 

18 receiving an allocation under subsection (c). 

19 (f) REPORTS.—Each State or territory receiving an 

20 allotment under this section shall submit to the Secretary, 

21 every 6 months until the amount so allotted has been fully 

22 expended, a report detailing how such State or territory 

23 is using such allotment in accordance with the require24 ments of this section. 


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1 SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL AMOUNT FOR COMMUNITY-BASED 

2 GRANTS FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD 

3 ABUSE AND NEGLECT. 

4 (a) APPROPRIATION.—There are hereby appropriated 

5 to the Secretary, out of amounts in the Treasury not oth6 erwise appropriated, $1,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, 

7 for the purpose of providing additional funding for the 

8 community-based grants for the prevention of child abuse 

9 and neglect under title II of the Child Abuse Prevention 

10 and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116 et seq.), in accord11 ance with this section. Such amounts shall be in addition 

12 to other amounts made available for such purpose, and 

13 shall remain available until expended. 

14 (b) EMERGENCY DESIGNATION.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The amounts provided by 

16 this section are designated as an emergency require17 ment pursuant to section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay18 As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 933(g)). 

19 (2) DESIGNATION IN SENATE.—In the Senate, 

20 this section is designated as an emergency require21 ment pursuant to section 4112(a) of H. Con. Res. 

22 71 (115th Congress), the concurrent resolution on 

23 the budget for fiscal year 2018. 

24 (c) ALLOTMENTS.—As soon as practicable, but not 

25 later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 

26 the Secretary shall make allotments out of the amounts 


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1 appropriated under subsection (a) to each State receiving 

2 an allotment under section 203 of the Child Abuse Preven3 tion and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116b) for fiscal year 

4 2020, in the same manner that amounts appropriated 

5 under section 209 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 5116i) are allot6 ted to States in accordance with section 203 of such Act, 

7 except that, in allotting amounts under this subsection— 

8 (1) in subsection (a) of such section 203, ‘‘1 

9 percent’’ shall be deemed to be ‘‘5 percent’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (b)(1)(A) of such section 

11 203— 

12 (A) ‘‘70 percent’’ shall be deemed to be 

13 ‘‘100 percent’’; and 

14 (B) ‘‘$175,000’’ shall be deemed to be 

15 ‘‘$1,000,000’’; and 

16 (3) subsections (b)(1)(B) and (c) of such sec17 tion 203 shall not apply. 

18 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts received by a State 

19 under subsection (c) may be used, consistent with title II 

20 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, to— 

21 (1) provide services and supports to help fami22 lies build protective factors linked to the prevention 

23 of child abuse and neglect; 

24 (2) purchase emergency supplies and basic ne25 cessities for families, which may include diapers and 


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1 infant hygiene products, formula, non-perishable 

2 food, water, soap, hand sanitizer, and reusable cloth 

3 face coverings that are consistent with the guidelines 

4 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

5 for preventing the spread of COVID–19 among the 

6 general public; 

7 (3) provide time-limited, direct payments for 

8 families caring for children under protective services 

9 supervision (either at home or in foster care) who 

10 are applying for government-funded assistance pro11 grams, to serve as a bridge until the family receives 

12 or is denied such assistance; 

13 (4) maximize the participation of racial and 

14 ethnic minorities; children and adults with disabil15 ities; families experiencing domestic violence; fami16 lies experiencing homelessness and those at risk of 

17 homelessness; families with low-incomes and families 

18 with caregivers recently unemployed; lesbian, gay, bi19 sexual, transgender, and queer youth; relative and 

20 fictive kin caregivers and the children raised by such 

21 caregivers; and young parents in community-based 

22 and prevention-focused programs designed to 

23 strengthen and support families to prevent child 

24 abuse and neglect; 


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1 (5) bolster the efforts of the State hotlines by 

2 publicizing such hotlines, hiring more staff, and in3 creasing hours of operation; 

4 (6) establish satellite locations and mobile units 

5 for community based nonprofit organizations and 

6 family resource centers so families can access re7 sources and services in a safe manner; 

8 (7) hire, and provide premium pay to, social 

9 program navigators, parent coaches, and home visi10 tors to reach more families; 

11 (8) purchase technology, including internet ac12 cess, for staff and families to support the prevention 

13 of child abuse and neglect, and train staff and fami14 lies to facilitate usage of such technology; 

15 (9) develop and distribute parenting tip sheets 

16 and guides for families that address topics that may 

17 include— 

18 (A) children’s responses to trauma caused 

19 by the COVID–19 pandemic; 

20 (B) adult self-care and stress management; 

21 (C) familial conflict resolution and de-esca22 lation; 

23 (D) maintaining healthy attachments be24 tween caregivers and children, and where ap25 propriate, birth parents; 


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1 (E) understanding the intersection of trau2 ma with childhood development; and 

3 (F) other tips and advice pertinent to 

4 maintaining child and parent and caregiver 

5 well-being during the COVID–19 pandemic; 

6 (10) develop and distribute mandatory reporter 

7 tip sheets and guides that address topics that may 

8 include— 

9 (A) recognizing and reporting child abuse 

10 and neglect in a virtual environment; 

11 (B) helping parents, caregivers, and kin 

12 access community supports to help families with 

13 non-safety concerns outside of the child welfare 

14 system; and 

15 (C) other tips or advice pertinent to recog16 nizing and reporting child abuse or neglect, or 

17 supporting families at risk of child abuse or ne18 glect, during the COVID–19 pandemic; 

19 (11) access services related to mental health, 

20 substance use disorder, and domestic violence, in21 cluding infant-early childhood mental health services, 

22 through consultants to train and support staff 

23 around the impacts of the COVID–19 pandemic, 

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1 sponse teams and the procedures to connect via re2 mote technology; 

3 (12) assist community-based organizations op4 erating programs and activities designed to strength5 en and support families to prevent child abuse and 

6 neglect with operating costs to ensure that such or7 ganizations can continue providing services during 

8 the COVID–19 pandemic; 

9 (13) prevent child fatalities and near fatalities, 

10 including by— 

11 (A) providing support for crisis nurseries; 

12 and 

13 (B) conducting targeted educational cam14 paigns for parents and caregivers; and 

15 (14) carry out other programs, services, and ac16 tivities that strengthen families and prevent child 

17 abuse and neglect. 

18 (e) NO STATE MATCH REQUIRED.—Notwithstanding 

19 section 204(4) of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treat20 ment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116d(4)), a State shall not be re21 quired to provide any additional funding for the program 

22 under title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treat23 ment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116 et seq.) as a condition for re24 ceiving an allocation under subsection (c). 


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1 (f) REPORTS.—Each State receiving an allotment 

2 under this section shall submit to the Secretary, every 6 

3 months until the amount so allotted has been fully ex4 pended, a report detailing how such State is using such 

5 allotment in accordance with the requirements of this sec6 tion. 

7 SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL AMOUNT FOR THE NATIONAL CHILD 

8 ABUSE HOTLINE. 

9 (a) APPROPRIATION.—There are hereby appropriated 

10 to the Secretary, out of amounts in the Treasury not oth11 erwise appropriated, $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, for 

12 the purpose of operating and expanding the national child 

13 abuse hotline, including by publicizing such helpline, hir14 ing more staff, and increasing hours of operation. Such 

15 amounts shall be in addition to other amounts made avail16 able for such purpose, and shall remain available until ex17 pended. 

18 (b) EMERGENCY DESIGNATION.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The amounts provided by 

20 this section are designated as an emergency require21 ment pursuant to section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay22 As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 933(g)). 

23 (2) DESIGNATION IN SENATE.—In the Senate, 

24 this section is designated as an emergency require25 ment pursuant to section 4112(a) of H. Con. Res. 


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1 71 (115th Congress), the concurrent resolution on 

2 the budget for fiscal year 2018. 

3 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) CASEWORKER.—The term ‘‘caseworker’’ in6 cludes child welfare agency staff and staff of other 

7 related organizations, such as in-home services or 

8 home visiting services. 

9 (2) FAMILY.—The term ‘‘family’’ includes for10 mal and informal kinship care arrangements. 

11 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

12 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

Æ 


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