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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 656 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 656

 To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to enable State 
  child protective services systems to improve the identification and 
assessment of child victims of sex trafficking, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 4, 2015

  Mr. Portman introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to enable State 
  child protective services systems to improve the identification and 
assessment of child victims of sex trafficking, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ensuring a Better Response for 
Victims of Child Sex Trafficking''.

SEC. 2. CAPTA AMENDMENTS.

    (a) State Plans.--Section 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(2)(B)--
                    (A) in clause (xxii), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(xxiv) provisions and procedures 
                        requiring identification and assessment of all 
                        reports involving children known or suspected 
                        to be victims of sex trafficking (as defined in 
                        section 103(9)(B) of the Trafficking Victims 
                        Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102 
                        (9)(B))); and
                            ``(xxv) provisions and procedures for 
                        training child protective services workers 
                        about identifying, assessing, and providing 
                        comprehensive services for children who are sex 
                        trafficking victims, including efforts to 
                        coordinate with State law enforcement, juvenile 
                        justice, and social service agencies such as 
                        runaway and homeless youth shelters to serve 
                        this population;''; and
            (2) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the following:
            ``(17) The number of children determined to be victims 
        described in subsection (b)(2)(B)(xxiv).''.
    (b) Special Rule.--
            (1) In general.--Section 111 of the Child Abuse Prevention 
        and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106g) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``For purposes'' and inserting the 
                following:
    ``(a) Definitions.--For purposes''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Special Rule.--
            ``(1) In general.--For purposes of section 3(2) and 
        subsection (a)(4), a child shall be considered a victim of 
        `child abuse and neglect' and of `sexual abuse' if the child is 
        identified, by a State or local agency employee of the State or 
        locality involved, as being a victim of sex trafficking (as 
        defined in paragraph (10) of section 103 of the Trafficking 
        Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102)) or a victim of 
        severe forms of trafficking in persons described in paragraph 
        (9)(A) of that section.
            ``(2) State option.--Notwithstanding the definition of 
        `child' in section 3(1), a State may elect to define that term 
        for purposes of the application of paragraph (1) to section 
        3(2) and subsection (a)(4) as a person who has not attained the 
        age of 24.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 3(2) of the Child Abuse 
        Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 note) is amended 
        by inserting (``including sexual abuse as determined under 
        section 111)'' after ``sexual abuse or exploitation''.
            (3) Technical correction.--Paragraph (5)(C) of subsection 
        (a), as so designated, of section 111 of the Child Abuse 
        Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106g) is amended by 
        striking ``inhumane;'' and inserting ``inhumane.''.
                                 <all>
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