gally separated, divorced, or otherwise not sharing a
household. During separation and divorce, family vi-
olence often escalates, and child custody and visita-
tion become the new forum for the continuation of
abuse.
(2) Current child custody and visitation laws
are based on incorrect assumptions that divorcing
parents are in relatively equal positions of power and
that such parents always act in the children’s best
interest. These laws often work against the protec-
tion of the children and the abused spouse or inti-
mate partner in families with a history of family
violence.
(3) Some perpetrators use the children as
pawns to control the abused party after the couple
is separated.
(4) Every year an estimated 1,000 to 5,000
children are killed by their parents in the United
States.
(5) In 1988, the Department of Justice re-
ported that 354,100 children were abducted by fam-
ily members who violated custody agreements or de-
crees. Most victims were children from ages 2 to 11
years.
(6) Approximately 160,000 children are seri-
ously injured or impaired by abuse or neglect each
year.
(7) Studies by the American Humane Associa-
tion indicate that reports of child abuse and neglect
have increased by over 200 percent from 1976 to
1986.
(8) Approximately 90 percent of children in
homes in which their mothers are abused witness the
abuse.
(9) Data indicates that women and children are
at elevated risk for violence during the process of
and after separation.
(10) Fifty to 70 percent of men who abuse their
spouses or partners also abuse their children.
(11) Up to 75 percent of all domestic assaults
reported to law enforcement agencies were inflicted
after the separation of the couples.
(12) In one study of spousal homicide, over half
of the male defendants were separated from their
victims.
(13) Seventy-three percent of battered women
seeking emergency medical services do so after sepa-
ration.
SEC. 3. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to authorize funding to
enable supervised visitation centers to provide the follow-
ing:
(1) Supervised visitation in cases where there is
documented sexual, physical or emotional abuse as
determined by the appropriate court.
(2) Supervised visitation in cases where there is
suspected or elevated risk of sexual, physical or emo-
tional abuse, or where there have been threats of pa-
rental abduction of the child.
(3) Supervised visitation for children who have
been placed in foster homes as a result of abuse.
(4) An evaluation of visitation between parents
and children for child protection social services to
assist such service providers in making determina-
tions of whether the children should be returned to
a previously abusive home.
(5) A safe location for custodial parents to tem-
porarily transfer custody of their children with non-
custodial parents, or to provide a protected visitation
environment, where there has been a history of do-
mestic violence or an order for protection is involved.
(6) An additional safeguard against the child
witnessing abuse or a safeguard against the injury
or death of a child or parent.
(7) An environment for families to have healthy
interaction activities, quality time, non-violent mem-
ory building experiences during visitation to help
build the parent/child relationship.
(8) Parent and child education and support
groups to help parents heal and learn new skills, and
to help children heal from past abuse.
SEC. 4. DEMONSTRATION GRANTS FOR SUPERVISED VISI-
TATION CENTERS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and
Human Services (hereafter referred to in this Act as the
‘‘Secretary’’) is authorized to award grants to and enter
into contracts and cooperative agreements with public or
nonprofit private entities to assist such entities in the es-
tablishment and operation of supervised visitation centers.
(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding grants, con-
tracts and agreements under subsection (a), the Secretary
shall take into account—
(1) the number of families to be served by the
proposed visitation center to be established under
the grant, contract or agreement;
(2) the extent to which supervised visitation
centers are needed locally;
(3) the relative need of the applicant; and
(4) the capacity of the applicant to make rapid
and effective use of assistance provided under the
grant, contract or agreement.
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Amounts provided under a
grant, contract or cooperative agreement awarded
under this section shall be used to establish super-
vised visitation centers and for the purposes de-
scribed in section 3. In using such amounts, grant-
ees shall target the economically disadvantaged and
those individuals who could not otherwise afford
such visitation services. Other individuals may be
permitted to utilize the services provided by the cen-
ter on a fee basis.
(2) COSTS.—To the extent practicable, the Sec-
retary shall ensure that, with respect to recipients of
grants, contracts or agreements under this section,
the perpetrators of the family violence, abuse or ne-
glect will be responsible for any and all costs associ-
ated with the supervised visitation undertaken at the
center.
SEC. 5. DEMONSTRATION GRANT APPLICATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—A grant, contract or cooperative
agreement may not be made or entered into under this
Act unless an application for such grant, contract or coop-
erative agreement has been submitted to and approved by
the Secretary.
(b) APPROVAL.—Grants, contracts and cooperative
agreements under this Act shall be awarded in accordance
with such regulations as the Secretary may promulgate.
At a minimum, to be approved by the Secretary under this
section an application shall—
(1) demonstrate that the applicant has recog-
nized expertise in the area of family violence and a
record of high quality service to victims of family vi-
olence; and
(2) be submitted from an entity located in a
State where State law requires the courts to con-
sider evidence of violence in custody decisions.
SEC. 6. EVALUATION OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the
end of each fiscal year, a recipient of a grant, contract
or cooperative agreement under this Act shall prepare and
submit to the Secretary a report that contains information
concerning—
(1) the number of families served per year;
(2) the number of families served per year cat-
egorized by—
(A) families who require that supervised
visitation because of child abuse only;