I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7419 
To reauthorize the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 6, 2022 
Mr. COSTA (for himself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mrs. WAGNER, and Mrs. LESKO) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, 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 com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To reauthorize the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Victims of Child Abuse 
Act Reauthorization Act of 2022’’. 
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SEC. 2. IMPROVING INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF 
CHILD ABUSE CASES. 
The Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 (34 U.S.C. 
20301 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 211 (34 U.S.C. 20301)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘3,300,000’’ and in-
serting ‘‘3,400,000’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘, and drug abuse is 
associated with a significant portion of 
these’’; 
(B) 
by 
redesignating 
paragraphs 
(3) 
through (8) as paragraphs (4) through (9), re-
spectively; 
(C) by inserting afer paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) a key to a child victim healing from abuse 
is access to supportive and healthy families and com-
munities;’’; and 
(D) in paragraph (9)(B), as so redesig-
nated, by inserting ‘‘, and operations of cen-
ters’’ before the period at the end; 
(2) in section 212 (34 U.S.C. 20302)— 
(A) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘coordi-
nated team’’ before ‘‘response’’; and 
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(B) in paragraph (8), by inserting ‘‘organi-
zational capacity’’ before ‘‘support’’; 
(3) in section 213 (34 U.S.C. 20303)— 
(A) in subsection (a)— 
(i) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘AND 
MAINTENANCE’’ after ‘‘ESTABLISHMENT’’; 
(ii) in the matter preceding paragraph 
(1)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘, in coordination 
with the Director of the Office of Vic-
tims of Crime,’’; and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘and maintain’’ 
after ‘‘establish’’; 
(iii) in paragraph (3)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘and victim advo-
cates’’ and inserting ‘‘victim advo-
cates, multidisciplinary team leader-
ship, and children’s advocacy center 
staff’’; and 
(II) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(iv) by redesignating paragraph (4) as 
paragraph (5); 
(v) by inserting after paragraph (3) 
the following: 
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‘‘(4) provide technical assistance, training, co-
ordination, and organizational capacity support for 
State chapters; and’’; and 
(vi) in paragraph (5), as so redesig-
nated, by striking ‘‘and oversight to’’ and 
inserting ‘‘organizational capacity support, 
and oversight of’’; 
(B) in subsection (b)— 
(i) in paragraph (1)— 
(I) in subparagraph (A), by in-
serting ‘‘and maintain’’ after ‘‘estab-
lish’’; and 
(II) in the matter following sub-
paragraph (B), by striking ‘‘and tech-
nical assistance to aid communities in 
establishing’’ and inserting ‘‘training 
and technical assistance to aid com-
munities in establishing and maintain-
ing’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (2)— 
(I) in subparagraph (A)— 
(aa) in clause (ii), by insert-
ing ‘‘Center’’ after ‘‘Advocacy’’; 
and 
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(bb) in clause (iii), by strik-
ing ‘‘of, assessment of, and inter-
vention in’’ and inserting ‘‘and 
intervention in child’’; and 
(II) in subparagraph (B), by 
striking ‘‘centers and interested com-
munities’’ and inserting ‘‘centers, in-
terested communities, and chapters’’; 
and 
(C) in subsection (c)— 
(i) in paragraph (2)— 
(I) in subparagraph (B), by 
striking ‘‘evaluation, intervention, evi-
dence gathering, and counseling’’ and 
inserting ‘‘investigation and interven-
tion in child abuse’’; and 
(II) in subparagraph (E), by 
striking ‘‘judicial handling of child 
abuse and neglect’’ and inserting 
‘‘multidisciplinary response to child 
abuse’’; 
(ii) in paragraph (3)(A)(i), by striking 
‘‘so that communities can establish multi-
disciplinary programs that respond to child 
abuse’’ and inserting ‘‘and chapters so that 
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communities can establish and maintain 
multidisciplinary programs that respond to 
child abuse and chapters can establish and 
maintain children’s advocacy centers in 
their State’’; 
(iii) in paragraph (4)(B)— 
(I) in clause (iii), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(II) in by redesignating clause 
(iv) as clause (v); and 
(III) by inserting after clause 
(iii) the following: 
‘‘(iv) best result in supporting chap-
ters in each State; and’’; and 
(iv) in paragraph (6), by inserting 
‘‘under this Act’’ after ‘‘recipients’’; 
(4) in section 214 (34 U.S.C. 20304)— 
(A) by striking subsection (a) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall make 
grants to— 
‘‘(1) establish and maintain a network of care 
for child abuse victims where investigation, prosecu-
tions, and interventions are continually occurring 
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and coordinating activities within local children’s ad-
vocacy centers and multidisciplinary teams; 
‘‘(2) develop, enhance, and coordinate multi-
disciplinary child abuse investigations, intervention, 
and prosecution activities; 
‘‘(3) promote the effective delivery of the evi-
dence-based, trauma-informed Children’s Advocacy 
Center Model and the multidisciplinary response to 
child abuse; and 
‘‘(4) develop and disseminate practice standards 
for care and best practices in programmatic evalua-
tion, and support State chapter organizational ca-
pacity and local children’s advocacy center organiza-
tional capacity and operations in order to meet such 
practice standards and best practices.’’; 
(B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘, in co-
ordination with the Director of the Office of 
Victims of Crime,’’; 
(C) in subsection (c)(2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (C), by inserting 
‘‘to the greatest extent practicable, but in 
no case later than 72 hours,’’ after 
‘‘hours’’; and 
(ii) by striking subparagraphs (D) 
through (I) and inserting the following: 
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‘‘(D) Forensic interviews of child victims 
by trained personnel that are used by law en-
forcement, health, and child protective service 
agencies to interview suspected abuse victims 
about allegations of abuse. 
‘‘(E) Provision of needed follow up services 
such as medical care, mental healthcare, and 
victims advocacy services. 
‘‘(F) A requirement that, to the extent 
practicable, all interviews and meetings with a 
child victim occur at the children’s advocacy 
center or an agency with which there is a link-
age agreement regarding the delivery of multi-
disciplinary child abuse investigation, prosecu-
tion, and intervention services. 
‘‘(G) Coordination of each step of the in-
vestigation process to eliminate duplicative fo-
rensic interviews with a child victim. 
‘‘(H) Designation of a director for the chil-
dren’s advocacy center. 
‘‘(I) Designation of a multidisciplinary 
team coordinator. 
‘‘(J) Assignment of a volunteer or staff ad-
vocate to each child in order to assist the child 
and, when appropriate, the child’s family, 
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throughout each step of intervention and judi-
cial proceedings. 
‘‘(K) Coordination with State chapters to 
assist and provide oversight, and organizational 
capacity that supports local children’s advocacy 
centers, multidisciplinary teams, and commu-
nities working to implement a multidisciplinary 
response to child abuse in the provision of evi-
dence-informed initiatives, including mental 
health counseling, forensic interviewing, multi-
disciplinary team coordination, and victim advo-
cacy. 
‘‘(L) Such other criteria as the Adminis-
trator shall establish by regulation.’’; and 
(D) by striking subsection (f) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(f) GRANTS TO STATE CHAPTERS FOR ASSISTANCE 
TO LOCAL CHILDREN’S ADVOCACY CENTERS.—In award-
ing grants under this section, the Administrator shall en-
sure that a portion of the grants is distributed to State 
chapters to enable State chapters to provide oversight, 
training, and technical assistance to local centers on evi-
dence-informed initiatives including mental health, coun-
seling, forensic interviewing, multidisciplinary team co-
ordination, and victim advocacy.’’; 
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(5) in section 214A (34 U.S.C. 20305)— 
(A) in subsection (a)— 
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘at-
torneys and other allied’’ and inserting 
‘‘prosecutors and other attorneys and al-
lied’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting 
‘‘Center’’ after ‘‘Advocacy’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking sub-
paragraph (A) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(A) a significant connection to prosecu-
tors who handle child abuse cases in State 
courts, such as a membership organization or 
support service providers; and’’; and 
(6) by striking section 214B (34 U.S.C. 20306) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘SEC. 214B. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
sections 213, 214, and 214A, $40,000,000 for each of fis-
cal years 2022 through 2028.’’. 
Æ 
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