I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3894 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the prompt notification 
of State Child Protective Services by military and civilian personnel 
of the Department of Defense required by law to report suspected in-
stances of child abuse and neglect. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 3, 2015 
Ms. GABBARD (for herself and Mr. TAKAI) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the 
prompt notification of State Child Protective Services 
by military and civilian personnel of the Department 
of Defense required by law to report suspected instances 
of child abuse and neglect. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. EXPEDITED REPORTING OF CHILD ABUSE AND 
NEGLECT 
TO 
STATE 
CHILD 
PROTECTIVE 
SERVICES. 
(a) REPORTING BY MILITARY AND CIVILIAN PER-
SONNEL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.—Section 
1787 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (a) and (b) as 
subsections (c) and (d), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting before subsection (c), as so re-
designated, the following new subsections: 
‘‘(a) REPORTING BY MILITARY AND CIVILIAN PER-
SONNEL.—A member of the armed forces, civilian em-
ployee of the Department of Defense, or contractor em-
ployee working on a military installation who is mandated 
by Federal regulation or State law to report known or sus-
pected instances of child abuse and neglect shall provide 
the report directly to State Child Protective Services or 
another appropriate State agency in addition to the mem-
ber’s or employee’s chain of command or any designated 
Department point of contact. 
‘‘(b) TRAINING FOR MANDATED REPORTERS.—The 
Secretary of Defense shall ensure that individuals referred 
to in subsection (a) who are mandated by State law to 
report known or suspected instances of child abuse and 
neglect receive appropriate training, in accordance with 
State guidelines, intended to improve their— 
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‘‘(1) ability to recognize evidence of child abuse 
and neglect; and 
‘‘(2) understanding of the mandatory reporting 
requirements imposed by law.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AND CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 
Section 1787 of title 10, United States Code, is further 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (c), as redesignated by sub-
section (a)(1), by striking ‘‘IN GENERAL.—’’ and in-
serting ‘‘REPORTING BY STATES.—’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d), as redesignated by sub-
section (a)(1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(d) DEFINITION.—In this 
section, the term’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(2) The term ‘State’ includes the District of 
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the 
Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the 
Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.’’. 
Æ 
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