I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6498 

To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to determine 

the extent to which reports of suspected or known instances of child 

abuse or neglect involving a potential combination of jurisdictions, such 

as intrastate, interstate, Federal-State, and State-Tribal, are screened 

out solely on the basis of the cross-jurisdictional complications, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 7, 2010 

Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York 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 determine the extent to which reports of suspected 

or known instances of child abuse or neglect involving 

a potential combination of jurisdictions, such as intrastate, interstate, Federal-State, and State-Tribal, are 

screened out solely on the basis of the cross-jurisdictional 

complications, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Protecting Children Across State Lines Act’’. 

4 (b) REFERENCES.—Except as otherwise expressly 

5 provided, whenever in this Act an amendment or repeal 

6 is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, 

7 a section or other provision, the reference shall be consid8 ered to be made to a section or other provision of the Child 

9 Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 et 

10 seq.). 

11 SEC. 2. RESEARCH AND ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES. 

12 Section 104(a) (42 U.S.C. 5105(a)) is amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (1)(I)— 

14 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of clause 

15 (ix); 

16 (B) by redesignating clause (x) as clause 

17 (xi); and 

18 (C) by inserting after clause (ix), the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(x) the extent to which reports of 

21 suspected or known instances of child 

22 abuse or neglect involving a potential com23 bination of jurisdictions, such as intra24 state, interstate, Federal-State, and State25 Tribal are being screened out solely on the 


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1 basis of the cross-jurisdictional complica2 tions; and’’; and 

3 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘subpara4 graphs (i) through (ix)’’ and inserting ‘‘clauses (i) 

5 through (x)’’. 

6 SEC. 3. TRAINING PROGRAMS. 

7 Section 105(a)(1) (42 U.S.C. 5106(a)(1)) is amend8 ed— 

9 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara10 graph (I); 

11 (2) by striking the period at the end of sub12 paragraph (J) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

14 ‘‘(K) for developing the best practices for 

15 the handling of reports of suspected or known 

16 child abuse or neglect related fatalities involving 

17 a potential combination of jurisdictions, such as 

18 intrastate, interstate, Federal-State, and State19 Tribal.’’. 

20 SEC. 4. ANNUAL STATE DATA REPORTS. 

21 Section 106(d)(2) (42 U.S.C. 5106a(d)(2))— 

22 (1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of subparagraph 

23 (B); 

24 (2) by striking the period at the end of sub25 paragraph (C) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 


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

2 ‘‘(D) screened out due to cross-jurisdic3 tional complications.’’. 

4 SEC. 5. GRANTS TO STATES FOR PROGRAMS RELATING TO 

5 THE INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF 

6 CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES. 

7 Section 107 (42 U.S.C. 5106c)— 

8 (1) in subsection (a)— 

9 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para10 graph (3); 

11 (B) by striking the period at the end of 

12 paragraph (4) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

13 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(5) the handling of reports of suspected or 

15 known instances of child abuse or neglect, including 

16 those reports involving a potential combination of ju17 risdictions, such as intrastate, interstate, Federal18 State, and State-Tribal, in a manner that ensures 

19 appropriate action is taken to protect children.’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (d)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

22 (i) by inserting ‘‘intrastate,’’ before 

23 ‘‘interstate’’; and 

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

2 paragraph (3); and 

3 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(2) review the handling of reports of suspected 

6 or known instances of child abuse or neglect involv7 ing a potential combination of jurisdictions, such as 

8 intrastate, interstate, Federal-State, and State-Trib9 al, including efforts to coordinate and ensure appro10 priate action is taken; and’’; and 

11 (3) in subsection (e)— 

12 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting 

13 ‘‘intrastate,’’ before ‘‘interstate’’; and 

14 (B) in paragraph (1)(C), by inserting ‘‘, 

15 which may include those children involved in re16 ports of child abuse or neglect with a potential 

17 combination of jurisdictions, such as intrastate, 

18 interstate, Federal-State, and State-Tribal,’’ 

19 after ‘‘protection for children’’. 

Æ 


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