(1) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘Indian 
tribes, and tribal organizations,’’ after ‘‘States,’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsections (c) through (e) 
as subsections (d) through (f), respectively; and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(c) PROTECTING AGAINST SYSTEMIC CHILD SEX-
UAL ABUSE.— 
‘‘(1) REPORTING AND TASK FORCE.—Not later 
than 24 months after the date of the enactment of 
the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 
Act, each State task force established under section 
107(c) and expanded as described in paragraph (2) 
shall study and make recommendations on the fol-
lowing, with a focus on preventing systemic child 
sexual abuse: 
‘‘(A) How to detect systemic child sexual 
abuse that occurs in an organization. 
‘‘(B) How to prevent child sexual abuse 
and systemic child sexual abuse from occurring 
in organizations, which shall include rec-
ommendations to improve— 
‘‘(i) practices and policies for the edu-
cation of parents, caregivers, and victims, 
and age appropriate education of children,
about risk factors or signs of potential 
child sexual abuse; and 
‘‘(ii) the efficacy of applicable State 
laws and the role such laws play in deter-
ring or preventing incidences of child sex-
ual abuse. 
‘‘(C) The feasibility of making available 
the disposition of a perpetrator within an orga-
nization to— 
‘‘(i) the child alleging sexual abuse or 
the child’s family; or 
‘‘(ii) an adult who was a child at the 
time of the sexual abuse claim in question 
or the adult’s family. 
‘‘(2) TASK FORCE COMPOSITION.—For purposes 
of this subsection, a State task force shall include— 
‘‘(A) the members of the State task force 
described in section 107(c) for the State; and 
‘‘(B) the following: 
‘‘(i) Family court judges. 
‘‘(ii) Individuals from religious organi-
zations. 
‘‘(iii) Individuals from youth-serving 
organizations, including youth athletics or-
ganizations.
‘‘(3) REPORTING ON RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not 
later than 6 months after a State task force makes 
recommendations under paragraph (1), the State 
maintaining such State task force shall— 
‘‘(A) make public the recommendations of 
such report; 
‘‘(B) report to the Secretary on the status 
of adopting such recommendations; and 
‘‘(C) in a case in which the State declines 
to adopt a particular recommendation, make 
public the explanation for such declination. 
‘‘(4) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sub-
section— 
‘‘(A) the terms ‘child sexual abuse’ and 
‘sexual abuse’ shall not be limited to an act or 
a failure to act on the part of a parent or care-
taker; 
‘‘(B) the term ‘organization’ means any 
entity that serves children; and 
‘‘(C) the term ‘systemic child sexual abuse’ 
means— 
‘‘(i) a pattern of informal or formal 
policy or de facto policy to not follow State 
and local requirements to report instances 
of child sexual abuse in violation of State
and local mandatory reporting laws or pol-
icy; or 
‘‘(ii) a pattern of assisting individual 
perpetrators in maintaining their careers 
despite substantiated evidence of child sex-
ual abuse.’’. 
SEC. 108. REPORTS. 
(a) SCALING
EVIDENCE-BASED
TREATMENT
OF 
CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT.—Section 110 of the Child 
Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106f) 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 110. STUDY AND REPORT RELATING TO SCALING EVI-
DENCE-BASED TREATMENT OF CHILD ABUSE 
AND NEGLECT; STUDY AND REPORT ON MAR-
ITAL AGE OF CONSENT; STUDY AND REPORT 
ON STATE MANDATORY REPORTING LAWS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct a 
study that examines challenges to, and best practices for, 
the scalability of treatments that reduce the trauma re-
sulting from child abuse and neglect and reduce the risk 
of revictimization, such as those allowable under sections 
105 and 106. 
‘‘(b) CONTENT OF STUDY.—The study described in 
subsection (a) shall be completed in a manner that con-
siders the variability among treatment programs and
among populations vulnerable to child abuse and neglect. 
The study shall include, at minimum: 
‘‘(1) A detailed synthesis of the existing re-
search literature examining barriers and challenges 
to, and best practices for the scalability of child wel-
fare programs and services as well as programs and 
services for vulnerable children and families in re-
lated fields, including healthcare and education. 
‘‘(2) Data describing state and local providers’ 
experiences with scaling treatments that reduce the 
trauma resulting from child abuse and neglect and 
reduce the risk of revictimization. 
‘‘(3) Consultation with experts in child welfare, 
healthcare, and education. 
‘‘(c) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
of the enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention 
and Treatment Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
the Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor 
of the House of Representatives a report that contains the 
results of the study conducted under subsection (a), in-
cluding recommendations for best practices for scaling 
treatments that reduce the trauma resulting from child 
abuse and neglect and reduce the risk of revictimization.
‘‘(d) STUDY AND REPORT ON MARITAL AGE OF CON-
SENT.— 
‘‘(1) STUDY.—The Secretary shall study, with 
respect to each State— 
‘‘(A) the State law regarding the minimum 
marriage age; and 
‘‘(B) the prevalence of marriage involving 
a child who is under the age of such minimum 
marriage age. 
‘‘(2) FACTORS.—The study required under 
paragraph (1) shall include an examination of— 
‘‘(A) the extent to which any statutory ex-
ceptions to the minimum marriage age in such 
laws contribute to the prevalence of marriage 
involving a child described in paragraph (1)(B); 
‘‘(B) whether such exceptions allow such a 
child to be married without the consent of such 
child; and 
‘‘(C) the impact of such exceptions on the 
safety of such children. 
‘‘(3) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse Pre-
vention and Treatment Act, the Secretary shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on
Education and Labor of the House of Representa-
tives a report containing the findings of the study 
required by this subsection, including any best prac-
tices. 
‘‘(e) STUDY AND REPORT ON STATE MANDATORY 
REPORTING LAWS.— 
‘‘(1) STUDY.—The Secretary shall collect infor-
mation on and otherwise study State laws for man-
datory reporting of incidents of child abuse or ne-
glect. Such study shall examine trends in referrals 
and investigations of child abuse and neglect due to 
differences in such State laws with respect to the in-
clusion, as mandatory reporters, of the following in-
dividuals: 
‘‘(A) Individuals licensed or certified to 
practice in any health-related field licensed by 
the State, employees of health care facilities or 
providers licensed by the State, who are en-
gaged in the admission, examination, care or 
treatment of individuals, including mental 
health and emergency medical service providers. 
‘‘(B) Individuals employed by a school who 
have direct contact with children, including 
teachers, administrators, and independent con-
tractors.
‘‘(C) Peace officers and law enforcement 
personnel. 
‘‘(D) Clergy, including Christian Science 
practitioners, except where prohibited on ac-
count of clergy-penitent privilege. 
‘‘(E) Day care and child care operators 
and employees. 
‘‘(F) Employees of social services agencies 
who have direct contact with children in the 
course of employment. 
‘‘(G) Foster parents. 
‘‘(H) Court appointed special advocates 
(employees and volunteers). 
‘‘(I) Camp and after-school employees. 
‘‘(J) An individual, paid or unpaid, who, 
on the basis of the individual’s role as an inte-
gral part of a regularly scheduled program, ac-
tivity, or service, accepts responsibility for a 
child. 
‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the 
date of enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse Pre-
vention and Treatment Act, the Secretary shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on 
Education and Labor of the House of Representa-
tives a report containing the findings of the study 
required by this subsection, including any best prac-
tices related to the inclusion, as mandatory report-
ers, of individuals described in paragraph (1).’’. 
(b) REPORT ON CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT IN IN-
DIAN TRIBAL COMMUNITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comp-
troller General, in consultation with the Indian 
tribes from each of the 12 regions of the Bureau of 
Indian Affairs, shall study child abuse and neglect in 
Indian Tribal communities for the purpose of identi-
fying vital information and making recommendations 
concerning issues relating to child abuse and neglect 
in such communities, and submit to the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the 
Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate and the 
Committee on Education and Labor and the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep-
resentatives a report on such study, which shall in-
clude— 
(A) the number of Indian tribes providing 
primary child abuse and neglect prevention ac-
tivities;
(B) the number of Indian tribes providing 
secondary child abuse and neglect prevention 
activities; 
(C) promising practices of Indian tribes 
with respect to child abuse and neglect preven-
tion that are culturally-based or culturally- 
adapted; 
(D) information and recommendations on 
how such culturally-based or culturally-adapted 
child abuse and neglect prevention activities 
could become evidence-based; 
(E) the number of Indian tribes that have 
accessed Federal child abuse and neglect pre-
vention programs; 
(F) child abuse and neglect prevention ac-
tivities that Indian tribes provide using State 
funds; 
(G) child abuse and neglect prevention ac-
tivities that Indian tribes provide using Tribal 
funds; 
(H) Tribal access to State children’s trust 
fund resources, as described in section 202 of 
the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5116a);
(I) how a children’s trust fund model could 
be used to support prevention efforts regarding 
child abuse and neglect of American Indian and 
Alaska Native children; 
(J) Federal agency technical assistance ef-
forts to address child abuse and neglect preven-
tion and treatment of American Indian and 
Alaska Native children; 
(K) Federal agency cross-system collabora-
tion to address child abuse and neglect preven-
tion and treatment of American Indian and 
Alaska Native children; 
(L) Tribal access to child abuse and ne-
glect prevention research and demonstration 
grants under the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.); and 
(M) an examination of child abuse and ne-
glect data systems to identify what Tribal data 
is being submitted, barriers to submitting data, 
and recommendations on improving the collec-
tion of data from Indian Tribes. 
(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 
(A) the term ‘‘Alaska Native’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 111 of the
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5106g); and 
(B) the terms ‘‘child abuse and neglect’’ 
and ‘‘Indian tribe’’ have the meaning given the 
terms in section 3 of the Child Abuse Preven-
tion and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 note). 
SEC. 109. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Section 112(a) of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106h(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘to carry out’’ through 
‘‘fiscal year 2010’’ and inserting ‘‘to carry out 
this title $270,000,000 for fiscal year 2020’’; 
and 
(B) by striking ‘‘2011 through 2015’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2021 through 2025’’; and 
(2) by striking paragraph (2)(A) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts ap-
propriated for a fiscal year under paragraph 
(1), the Secretary shall make available 30 per-
cent of such amounts, or $100,000,000, which-
ever is less, to fund discretionary activities 
under this title.’’.
SEC. 110. MONITORING AND OVERSIGHT. 
Section 114(1) of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5108(1)) is amended— 
(1) in each of subparagraphs (A) and (B), by 
striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) include written guidance and tech-
nical assistance to support States, which shall 
include guidance on the requirements of this 
Act with respect to infants born with and iden-
tified as being affected by substance use or 
withdrawal symptoms, Neonatal Abstinence 
Syndrome, or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, 
as described in clauses (i) and (ii) of section 
106(b)(2)(D), including by— 
‘‘(i) enhancing States’ understanding 
of requirements and flexibilities under the 
law, including by clarifying key terms; 
‘‘(ii) addressing State-identified chal-
lenges with developing, implementing, and 
monitoring plans of safe care; and 
‘‘(iii) disseminating best practices on 
implementation of plans of safe care, on 
such topics as differential response, col-
laboration and coordination, and identifica-
tion and delivery of services for different
populations, while recognizing needs of dif-
ferent populations and varying community 
approaches across States; and 
‘‘(D) include the submission of a report to 
the Committee on Education and Labor of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
the Senate not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act that contains a de-
scription of the activities taken by the Secretary 
to comply with the requirements of subpara-
graph (C); and’’. 
SEC. 111. ELECTRONIC INTERSTATE DATA EXCHANGE SYS-
TEM. 
Title I of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 115. ELECTRONIC INTERSTATE DATA EXCHANGE SYS-
TEM. 
‘‘(a) INTERSTATE DATA EXCHANGE SYSTEM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall consider the recommenda-
tions included in the reports required under para-
graph (8)(A) and subsection (b)(2) in developing an 
electronic interstate data exchange system that al-
lows State entities responsible under State law for 
maintaining child abuse and neglect registries to 
communicate information across State lines. 
‘‘(2) STANDARDS.—In developing the electronic 
interstate data exchange system under paragraph 
(1), the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) use interoperable standards developed 
and maintained by intergovernmental partner-
ships, such as the National Information Ex-
change Model; 
‘‘(B) develop policies and governance 
standards that— 
‘‘(i) ensure consistency in types of in-
formation shared and not shared; and 
‘‘(ii) 
specify 
circumstances 
under 
which data should be shared through the 
interstate data exchange system; and 
‘‘(C) ensure that all standards and policies 
adhere to the privacy, security, and civil rights 
laws of each State and Federal law. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATION
ON
USE
OF
ELECTRONIC 
INTERSTATE DATA EXCHANGE SYSTEM.—The elec-
tronic interstate data exchange system may only be 
used for purposes relating to child safety. 
‘‘(4) PILOT PROGRAM.—
‘‘(A) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 6 
months after the date of the enactment of this 
section, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall begin implementation of a pilot 
program to generate recommendations for the 
full integration of the electronic interstate data 
exchange system. Such pilot program shall in-
clude not less than 10 States and not more 
than 15 States. 
‘‘(B) COMPLETION.—Not later than 30 
months after the date of the enactment of this 
section, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall complete the pilot program de-
scribed in subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(5) INTEGRATION.—The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services may assist States in the inte-
gration of this system into the infrastructure of each 
State using funds appropriated under this sub-
section. 
‘‘(6) PARTICIPATION.—As a condition on eligi-
bility for receipt of funds under section 106, each 
State shall— 
‘‘(A) participate in the electronic interstate 
data exchange system to the fullest extent pos-
sible in accordance with State law (as deter-
mined by the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services) not later than December 31, 2027; 
and 
‘‘(B) prior to the participation described in 
subparagraph (A), provide to the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services an assurance that 
the child abuse and neglect registry of such 
State provides procedural due process protec-
tions with respect to including individuals on 
such registry. 
‘‘(7) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services may not access or store data 
from the electronic interstate data exchange system, 
unless the State to which such data pertains volun-
tarily shares such data with the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services. 
‘‘(8) REPORTS.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall prepare and submit to Con-
gress— 
‘‘(A) not later than 3 years after the date 
of the enactment of this section, a report on the 
recommendations from the pilot program de-
scribed in paragraph (4); and
‘‘(B) not later than January 31, 2025, a 
report on the progress made in implementing 
this subsection. 
‘‘(9) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Of 
the funds appropriated under section 112 for a fiscal 
year— 
‘‘(A) for each of fiscal years 2020 and 
2021, $2,000,000 shall be reserved to carry out 
this section; and 
‘‘(B) for each of fiscal years 2022 through 
2025, $1,000,000 shall be reserved to carry out 
this section. 
‘‘(b) WORKING GROUP.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— Not later than 60 days 
after the date of the enactment of this section, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall con-
vene a working group to study and make rec-
ommendations on the following: 
‘‘(A) The feasibility of making publicly 
available on the website of each State defini-
tions and standards of substantiated child 
abuse and neglect for the State. 
‘‘(B) Whether background check require-
ments under this Act, the Child Care and De-
velopment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
9858 et seq.), and part E of title IV of the So-
cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.) are 
complementary or if there are discrepancies 
that need to be addressed. 
‘‘(C) How to improve communication be-
tween and across States, including through the 
use of technology and the use of the electronic 
interstate data exchange system established 
under subsection (a), to allow for more accurate 
and efficient exchange of child abuse and ne-
glect records. 
‘‘(D) How to reduce barriers and establish 
best practices for the State to provide timely re-
sponses to requests from other States for infor-
mation contained in the State’s child abuse and 
neglect registry through the electronic inter-
state data exchange system established under 
subsection (a). 
‘‘(E) How to ensure due process for any 
individual included in a State’s child abuse and 
neglect registry, including the following: 
‘‘(i) The level of evidence necessary 
for inclusion in the State’s child abuse and 
neglect registry.
‘‘(ii) The process for notifying such 
individual of inclusion in the State’s child 
abuse and neglect registry and the implica-
tions of such inclusion. 
‘‘(iii) The process for providing such 
individual the opportunity to challenge 
such inclusion, and the procedures for re-
solving such challenge. 
‘‘(iv) The length of time an individ-
ual’s record is to remain in the State’s 
child abuse and neglect registry, and the 
process for removing such individual’s 
record. 
‘‘(v) The criteria for when such indi-
vidual’s child abuse and neglect registry 
record may be— 
‘‘(I) made accessible to the gen-
eral public; 
‘‘(II) made available for purposes 
of an employment check; and 
‘‘(III) be shared for the purposes 
of participation in the electronic inter-
state data exchange system described 
in subsection (a).
‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 
the date of the enactment of this section, the work-
ing group convened under paragraph (1) shall sub-
mit a report containing its recommendations to the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
of the Senate, and the Committee on Education and 
Labor of the House of Representatives. 
‘‘(3) CONSTRUCTION.—There shall be no re-
quirement for any State to adopt the recommenda-
tions of the working group, nor shall the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services incentivize or coerce 
any State to adopt any such recommendation.’’. 
SEC. 112. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 
(a) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.— The Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.), 
as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is fur-
ther amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Committee on Education and 
the Workforce’’ each place it appears and inserting 
‘‘Committee on Education and Labor’’; 
(2) in section 103(c)(1)(F), by striking ‘‘abused 
and neglected children’’ and inserting ‘‘victims of 
child abuse or neglect’’; and
(3) in section 107(f), by striking ‘‘(42 U.S.C. 
10603a)’’ and inserting ‘‘(34 U.S.C. 20104)’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) SECTION
103.—Section 103(b)(5) (42 
U.S.C. 5104(b)(5)) is amended by striking ‘‘section 
106(b)(2)(B)(iii)’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘section 
106(b)(2)(D)(ii)’’. 
(2) SECTION
105.—Section 105(a)(11) (42 
U.S.C. 5106(a)(11) (as redesignated by section 
105(1)(A) of this Act) is amended— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘sec-
tion 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 
106(b)(2)(D)(ii)’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (C)— 
(i) in clause (i)(II), by striking ‘‘sec-
tion 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)’’ and inserting ‘‘sec-
tion 106(b)(2)(D)(ii)’’; 
(ii) in clause (i)(IV), by striking ‘‘sec-
tion 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)(II)’’ and inserting 
‘‘section 106(b)(2)(D)(ii)(II)’’; and 
(iii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘clauses 
(ii) and (iii) of section 106(b)(2)(B)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘clauses (i) and (ii) of section 
106(b)(2)(D)’’; 
(C) in subparagraph (D)—
(i) in clause (i)(I), by striking ‘‘sec-
tion 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)(I)’’ and inserting 
‘‘section 106(b)(2)(D)(ii)(I)’’; 
(ii) in clause (ii)(I), by striking ‘‘sec-
tion 106(b)(2)(B)(ii)’’ and inserting ‘‘sec-
tion 106(b)(2)(D)(i)’’; 
(iii) in clause (ii)(II), by striking ‘‘sec-
tion 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)’’ and inserting ‘‘sec-
tion 106(b)(2)(D)(ii)(I)’’; 
(iv) in clause (iii)(I), by striking ‘‘sec-
tion 106(b)(2)(B)(i)’’ and inserting ‘‘sec-
tion 106(b)(2)(A)(i)’’; 
(v) in clause (iii)(IV), by striking 
‘‘section 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)’’ and inserting 
‘‘section 106(b)(2)(D)(ii)’’; and 
(vi) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘section 
106(b)(2)(B)(iii)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 
106(b)(2)(D)(ii)’’; 
(D) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘sec-
tion 106(b)(2)(B)(ii)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 
106(b)(2)(D)(i)’’; and 
(E) in subparagraph (G)(ii), by striking 
‘‘clauses (ii) and (iii) of section 106(b)(2)(B)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘clauses (i) and (ii) of section 
106(b)(2)(D)’’.
‘‘(1) to establish and maintain support for com-
munity-based family strengthening services and 
statewide systems-building approaches to the extent 
practicable, to ensure the development, operation, 
expansion, coordination, and evaluation of quality 
services, initiatives, programs, and activities to pre-
vent child abuse and neglect; and 
‘‘(2) to promote improved access for diverse 
populations with demonstrated need, including low- 
income families, racial and ethnic minorities, fami-
lies with children or caregivers with disabilities, un-
derserved communities, and rural communities, to 
family strengthening services in order to more effec-
tively prevent child abuse and neglect. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall make grants 
under this title on a formula basis to the entity designated 
by the State as the lead entity (referred to in this title 
as the ‘lead entity’) under section 202(1) for the following 
purposes: 
‘‘(1) Providing programs, activities, and initia-
tives to help families build protective factors linked 
to the prevention of child abuse and neglect, such as 
knowledge of parenting and child development, pa-
rental resilience, social connections, time-limited and
need-based concrete support, and social and emo-
tional development of children, that— 
‘‘(A) are accessible to diverse populations, 
effective, and culturally appropriate; 
‘‘(B) build upon existing strengths; 
‘‘(C) offer assistance to families; 
‘‘(D) provide early, comprehensive support 
for parents; 
‘‘(E) promote the development of healthy 
familial relationships and parenting skills, espe-
cially in young parents and parents with very 
young children; 
‘‘(F) increase family stability; 
‘‘(G) improve family access to formal and 
informal community-based resources, including 
health and mental health services, time-limited 
and need-based concrete supports, and services 
and supports to meet the needs of families with 
children or caregivers with disabilities; and 
‘‘(H) support the additional needs of fami-
lies with children with disabilities, including 
through respite care. 
‘‘(2) Fostering the development of a continuum 
of preventive services to strengthen families through
State- and community-based collaborations and both 
public and private partnerships. 
‘‘(3) Financing the start-up, maintenance, ex-
pansion, or redesign of core services described in 
section 205, where communities have identified gaps 
and decided to prioritize the establishment of such 
services, to the extent practicable given funding lev-
els and community priorities. 
‘‘(4) Maximizing funding through leveraging 
Federal, State, local, public, and private funds to 
carry out the purposes of this title. 
‘‘(5) Developing or enhancing statewide and 
local networks to operate, expand, or enhance com-
munity-based family strengthening services, initia-
tives, and activities that promote child, parent, fam-
ily, and community health and well-being and pre-
vent child abuse and neglect. 
‘‘(6) Promoting the development of, and coordi-
nation with, existing community coalitions of net-
works of family strengthening services that utilize 
culturally responsive providers in order to enhance 
child, family, and community well-being and prevent 
child abuse and neglect in all families.
‘‘(7) Financing public information activities 
that focus on parent and child development and 
child abuse and neglect prevention. 
‘‘(8) To the extent practicable— 
‘‘(A) promoting the development and im-
plementation of a statewide systems-building 
strategy to address the unmet needs identified 
in the inventory described in section 204(3), in-
cluding the participation of public and private 
stakeholders, community-based organizations, 
legislators, parents and other relevant stake-
holders, and State agencies, including the child 
welfare agency, the public health agency, hous-
ing agency, and the State education agency, to 
scale evidence-based, evidence-informed, and 
promising programs that expand access to fam-
ily strengthening services and reduce the num-
bers of children entering the foster care system; 
‘‘(B) developing comprehensive outreach 
strategies to engage families with various risk 
factors, including families who have experienced 
trauma or domestic violence, parents with sub-
stance use disorder, and families with children 
or caregivers with disabilities; and
‘‘(C) providing capacity-building supports 
to local programs to improve desired outcomes 
for children and families, such as— 
‘‘(i) technical assistance, including 
support for local programs to collect out-
come data that helps improve service deliv-
ery; 
‘‘(ii) professional development; and 
‘‘(iii) peer support networks, including 
through 
developing 
a 
problem-solving 
forum.’’. 
SEC. 202. ELIGIBILITY. 
Section 202 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116a) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking subparagraph (A) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(A) the Governor of the State has designated 
a lead entity to administer funds under this title for 
the purposes identified under the authority of this 
title, including to develop, implement, operate, en-
hance, or expand community-based family strength-
ening services designed to prevent child abuse and 
neglect;’’; and
(B) by striking subparagraph (D) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(D) the Governor of the State has given con-
sideration to the capacity and expertise of all entities 
requesting to be designated under subparagraph 
(A);’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) by striking subparagraph (A) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(A) has demonstrated ongoing meaningful 
partnerships with parents in the development, 
operation, and oversight of State- and commu-
nity-based family strengthening services de-
signed to prevent child abuse and neglect;’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘community-based and prevention-focused pro-
grams and activities designed to strengthen and 
support families’’ and inserting ‘‘community- 
based family strengthening services designed’’; 
(C) by striking subparagraph (C) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(C) has the capacity to provide oper-
ational support (both financial and pro-
grammatic), professional development, technical
assistance, and evaluation assistance, to com-
munity-based organizations;’’; and 
(D) by striking subparagraph (D) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(D) will integrate efforts with individuals 
and organizations experienced in working in 
partnership with low-income families, racial and 
ethnic minorities, families with children or care-
givers with disabilities, sexual and gender mi-
nority youth, victims of domestic violence, and 
with the child abuse and neglect prevention ac-
tivities in the State, and demonstrate a finan-
cial commitment to those activities; and 
‘‘(E) will take into consideration access for 
diverse populations and unmet need when dis-
tributing funds to local programs under section 
205.’’. 
SEC. 203. AMOUNT OF GRANT. 
Section 203 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116b) is amended— 
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(a) RESERVATION.—For the purpose of making al-
lotments to Indian tribes and tribal organizations and mi-
grant programs, the Secretary shall reserve 5 percent of
the amount appropriated under section 210(a) for each 
fiscal year, except that, if making such reservation would 
cause the total amount allotted to States under this sec-
tion for a fiscal year to be less than such total for fiscal 
year 2019, the Secretary shall reserve 1 percent of the 
amount appropriated under section 210(a) for the year for 
such purpose.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) LIMITATION.—For any fiscal year for which the 
amount allotted to a State under subsection (b) exceeds 
the amount allotted to the State under such subsection 
for fiscal year 2019, the State’s lead entity may use not 
more than 10 percent of such excess amount for adminis-
trative expenses.’’. 
SEC. 204. APPLICATION. 
Section 204 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116d) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘specified by the Secretary as essential to 
carrying out the provisions of section 202, includ-
ing’’ and inserting ‘‘and assurances required in 
paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 202 and types of 
information specified by the Secretary as essential in 
carrying out the provisions of section 201(b), includ-
ing’’;
(2) in paragraphs (1), (2), and (4), by striking 
‘‘community-based and prevention-focused programs 
and activities designed to strengthen and support 
families’’ and inserting ‘‘community-based family 
strengthening services designed’’; 
(3) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘community- 
based and prevention-focused programs and activi-
ties’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘community-based 
family 
strengthening services designed’’; 
(4) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and preven-
tion-focused programs and activities designed to 
strengthen and support families to prevent child 
abuse and neglect;’’ and inserting ‘‘services and 
statewide strategies designed to strengthen and sup-
port families to promote child, family, and commu-
nity well-being and prevent child abuse and ne-
glect;’’; 
(5) by striking paragraph (6) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(6) a description of the State’s capacity and 
commitment to ensure the meaningful involvement 
of parents who are or have been consumers of pre-
ventative supports, including the involvement of par-
ents of diverse populations, such as low-income fami-
lies, families with children or caregivers with disabil-
ities, racial and ethnic minorities, and members of 
other underrepresented or underserved groups, fam-
ily advocates, and adult victims of child abuse or ne-
glect who can provide leadership in the planning, im-
plementation, and evaluation of the programs and 
policy decisions of the applicant agency in accom-
plishing the desired outcomes for such efforts;’’; 
(6) by redesignating paragraph (12) as para-
graph (15); 
(7) by redesignating paragraphs (7) through 
(11) as paragraphs (8) through (12), respectively; 
(8) by inserting after paragraph (6) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(7) a description of the process and criteria 
the lead entity will use to identify and select commu-
nities in which to build a continuum of family 
strengthening services, including an assurance that 
the process will ensure access for all families, includ-
ing families in communities with high rates of child 
abuse and neglect relative to other communities in 
the State;’’; 
(9) by striking paragraph (9), as so redesig-
nated, and inserting the following: 
‘‘(9) a description of outreach activities that the 
lead entity and local grantees will undertake to
maximize the participation of low-income families, 
racial and ethnic minorities, families with children or 
caregivers with disabilities, sexual and gender minor-
ity youth, victims of domestic violence, homeless 
families and those at risk of homelessness, and 
members of other underserved or underrepresented 
groups;’’. 
(10) by striking paragraph (10), as so redesig-
nated, and inserting the following: 
‘‘(10) a plan for providing operational support, 
professional development, and technical assistance to 
grantees, other State and local programs and pro-
viders, families, and other entities involved in 
strengthening families and preventing child abuse 
and neglect;’’; 
(11) in paragraph (11), as so redesignated, by 
striking ‘‘and its members (where appropriate)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘of community-based family strengthening 
services and statewide initiatives’’; and 
(12) by striking paragraph (12), as so redesig-
nated, and inserting the following: 
‘‘(12) a description of the actions that the ap-
plicant entity will take to inform systemic changes in 
State policies, practices, procedures, and regulations 
to improve the delivery of community-based family
strengthening services designed to promote child, 
family, and community well-being, and to prevent 
child abuse and neglect; 
‘‘(13) a description of how the lead entity will 
incorporate research evidence in its process for se-
lecting community-based family strengthening serv-
ices; 
‘‘(14) an assurance that, in issuing regulations 
to improve the delivery of community-based family 
strengthening services designed to promote child, 
family, and community well-being, and to prevent 
child abuse and neglect, the State will— 
‘‘(A) take into account how such regula-
tions will impact activities funded under this 
Act; and 
‘‘(B) where appropriate, attempt to avoid 
duplication of efforts, minimize costs of compli-
ance with such regulations, and maximize local 
flexibility with respect to such regulations; 
and’’. 
SEC. 205. LOCAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS. 
Section 205 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116e) is amended to read as 
follows:
‘‘SEC. 205. LOCAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Grants from the lead entity 
made under this title shall be used to develop, implement, 
operate, expand, and enhance community-based family 
strengthening services designed to prevent child abuse and 
neglect that— 
‘‘(1) assess community assets and needs and 
develop a strategy to create a comprehensive con-
tinuum of effective services that strengthen and sup-
port families to prevent child abuse and neglect, 
through a planning process involving parents, local 
and public agencies, local nonprofit organizations 
and service providers, and private sector representa-
tives in meaningful ways; 
‘‘(2) develop or enhance existing place-based 
family strengthening services, other parenting sup-
port services, and connections and coordination 
among key family services in the community by 
reaching spaces familiar to such families; and 
‘‘(3) help families build protective factors that 
support child and family well-being and help prevent 
child abuse and neglect, including knowledge of par-
enting and child development, parental resilience, so-
cial connections, time-limited and need-based con-
crete support, and social and emotional development 
of children.
‘‘(b) LOCAL CONSIDERATION.—In awarding grants, 
the lead entity shall consider, consistent with the needs 
of the State and community, how the grantee— 
‘‘(1) demonstrates the ability to form collabora-
tions across a range of services or initiatives and the 
commitment to engage in long-term planning and 
strategic development for community-based family 
strengthening services as well as provide on-going 
problem solving support; 
‘‘(2) involves parents, including parents of chil-
dren with disabilities, diverse racial and ethnic 
groups, and members of other underrepresented or 
underserved populations, in the development, imple-
mentation, oversight, and evaluation of services; 
‘‘(3) addresses the need for place-based services 
and the need to reach families in hard-to-reach areas 
through 
approaches 
that 
provide 
core 
family 
strengthening services; 
‘‘(4) promotes improved access to family 
strengthening services for diverse populations and 
ensures that the services address identified needs of 
all families; and 
‘‘(5) demonstrates an understanding of the 
sources of child and family trauma and the strate-
gies that mitigate the impact of and prevent adverse 
childhood experiences. 
‘‘(c) LOCAL USES OF FUNDS.—Grant funds from the 
lead entity shall be used for community-based family 
strengthening services designed to prevent child abuse and 
neglect, which may include the following: 
‘‘(1) Developing a strategy based on supporting 
a comprehensive continuum of preventive, family- 
centered services that strengthen and support fami-
lies to prevent child abuse and neglect, especially to 
young parents, to parents with young children, and 
to parents who are adult victims of domestic violence 
or child abuse or neglect, through public-private 
partnerships. 
‘‘(2) Addressing the needs of families in hard- 
to-reach areas by creating access to place-based fam-
ily strengthening services. 
‘‘(3) Performing an assessment of community 
needs, including by partnering, at the option of the 
grantee, with an organization that already has per-
formed a needs assessment (such as a Maternal, In-
fant and Early Childhood Home Visiting program 
under section 511 of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 711) or a Head Start program under the 
Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.).
‘‘(4) Supporting outreach for services, including 
by coordinating with existing family strengthening 
services such as home visiting and other early inter-
vention programs. 
‘‘(5) Providing, promoting the development or 
enhancement of, or connecting families to, core serv-
ices that include— 
‘‘(A) parenting support and parent edu-
cation programs, including services that help 
parents and other caregivers support children’s 
development; 
‘‘(B) parent leadership skills development 
programs that support parents’ personal growth 
as leaders in their families and communities; 
‘‘(C) mutual support groups for parents, 
children, and parent partners; 
‘‘(D) respite and crisis care; and 
‘‘(E) referrals to optional community and 
social services, including— 
‘‘(i) domestic violence services; 
‘‘(ii) screening and referrals to early 
intervention; 
‘‘(iii) voluntary home visiting pro-
grams;
‘‘(iv) health and mental health serv-
ices, including referrals for information on 
the State Medicaid plan under title XIX of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et 
seq.); 
‘‘(v) early care and learning programs 
including child care and Head Start pro-
grams and Early Head Start programs 
under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 
et seq.); 
‘‘(vi) nutrition programs, including 
the special supplemental nutrition program 
for women, infants, and children estab-
lished under section 17 of the Child Nutri-
tion Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786) and the 
supplemental nutrition assistance program 
established under the Food and Nutrition 
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.); 
‘‘(vii) education and workforce devel-
opment programs, including adult literacy, 
child development, wellness, and family so-
cioeconomic mobility programs; and 
‘‘(viii) services and supports to meet 
the needs of families with children or care-
givers with disabilities, such as early inter-
vention services for infants and toddlers 
with disabilities and their families, as early 
intervention services are defined in section 
632 of the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1432). 
‘‘(6) Providing leadership in mobilizing local 
public and private resources to support the provision 
of community-based family strengthening services 
designed to prevent child abuse and neglect. 
‘‘(7) Developing and maintaining meaningful 
partnerships with parents relating to the develop-
ment, operation, evaluation, and oversight of the 
programs and services. 
‘‘(8) Coordinating with other community-based 
family strengthening services designed to prevent 
child abuse and neglect in the development, oper-
ation, and expansion of networks where appropriate. 
‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—When awarding grants, a lead enti-
ty shall give priority to effective community-based efforts 
that serve low-income communities and are focused on 
comprehensive approaches to serving young parents or 
parents with young children.’’. 
SEC. 206. PERFORMANCE MEASURES. 
Section 206 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116f) is amended—
(1) in paragraphs (1), (5), (6), and (8), by 
striking ‘‘community-based and prevention-focused 
programs and activities designed to strengthen and 
support families’’ and inserting ‘‘community-based 
family strengthening services designed’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘meets’’ and 
inserting ‘‘meet’’; 
(3) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘including 
core and optional services as described in section 
202’’; 
(4) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(3) shall demonstrate how they have addressed 
unmet needs identified by the inventory required 
under section 204;’’. 
(5) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(4) shall describe the number of families 
served, including families with children or caregivers 
with disabilities, and the involvement of a diverse 
representation of families in the design, operation, 
and evaluation of both community-based family 
strengthening services and networks of such serv-
ices;’’;
(6) by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(7) shall describe— 
‘‘(A) the number of programs funded 
disaggregated by urban, suburban, and rural 
community type; 
‘‘(B) the number of children and families 
served under each such program disaggregated 
by urban, suburban, and rural community type; 
and 
‘‘(C) the number of programs that partner 
with outside entities and the services such out-
side entities provide;’’; 
(7) in paragraph (8)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘leadership of’’ and insert 
‘‘partnership with’’; and 
(B) by striking the period at the end and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(8) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) shall describe the extent to which there is 
evidence to support the effectiveness of activities 
conducted under this title for the program’s in-
tended purpose, or, in instances where such evidence 
is not available, shall describe barriers and chal-
lenges to developing evidence of effectiveness.’’.
SEC. 207. NATIONAL NETWORK FOR COMMUNITY-BASED 
FAMILY RESOURCE PROGRAMS. 
Section 207 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116g) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘such sums as may be necessary’’ and in-
serting ‘‘not more than 5 percent’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘community- 
based and prevention-focused programs and activi-
ties designed to strengthen and support families’’ 
and inserting ‘‘community-based family strength-
ening services designed’’. 
SEC. 208. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 208 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116h) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 
paragraphs (2) and (1), respectively, and transfer-
ring paragraph (1) as redesignated to appear before 
paragraph (2) as redesignated; and 
(2) by striking paragraph (1) (as so redesig-
nated) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) COMMUNITY-BASED
FAMILY
STRENGTH-
ENING SERVICES.—The term ‘community-based fam-
ily strengthening services’ includes organizations 
such as family resource programs, family support 
programs, voluntary home visiting programs, respite
care services, parenting education, mutual support 
groups for parents, children, parent partner pro-
grams, and other community programs or networks 
of such programs that provide activities that are de-
signed to prevent child abuse and neglect.’’. 
SEC. 209. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Child Abuse Pre-
vention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116 et seq.) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating section 209 as section 210; 
and 
(2) by inserting after section 208 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 209. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
‘‘Nothing in this title shall be construed to prohibit 
grandparents, kinship care providers, foster parents, adop-
tive parents, or any other individual in a parenting role 
from receiving or participating in services and programs 
under this title.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents in section 1(b) of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act is amended by striking the item relating 
to section 209 and inserting the following: 
‘‘Sec. 209. Rule of construction. 
‘‘Sec. 210. Authorization of appropriations.’’.
SEC. 210. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Section 210 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116 et seq.), as redesignated 
by section 209 of this Act, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘There are’’ and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘to carry out’’ through ‘‘fiscal 
year 2010’’ and inserting ‘‘to carry out this title 
$270,000,000 for fiscal year 2020’’; 
(3) by striking ‘‘2011 through 2015’’ and in-
serting ‘‘2021 through 2025’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b) TREATMENT OF NON-FEDERAL FUNDS IN CER-
TAIN FISCAL YEARS.—For any fiscal year for which the 
amount appropriated under subsection (a) exceeds the 
amount appropriated under such subsection for fiscal year 
2019, the Secretary shall consider non-Federal funds and 
in-kind contributions as part of the State contribution for 
the activities specified in section 204(4).’’. 
SEC. 211. STUDY AND REPORT. 
(a) STUDY RELATING TO NEW PREVENTION PRO-
GRAMS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of 
the United States shall complete a study, using data 
reported by States to the Secretary of Health and
Human Services under section 206 of the Child 
Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 
5116f), as amended by this Act— 
(A) to determine how many families and 
children in the first 3 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act are served annually 
through programs funded under title II of the 
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5116 et seq.); and 
(B) to compare the number of such fami-
lies and children served annually in the first 3 
years after the date of the enactment of this 
Act to the number of such families and children 
served in fiscal year 2019. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The study required under 
paragraph (1) shall include the following for each of 
the first 3 years after the date of the enactment of 
this Act: 
(A) An examination of how many families 
received evidence-based programming under 
title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116 et seq.). 
(B) An examination of the extent to which 
local programs conduct evaluations using funds
provided under such title and the findings of 
such evaluations. 
(C) An examination of whether findings of 
effectiveness in evaluation studies vary by 
urban, suburban, or rural community type. 
(D) An examination of whether programs 
partnering with other entities are more effective 
than those that do not partner with other enti-
ties. 
(E) An examination of barriers to imple-
ment evidence-based programming or to con-
duct evaluations in instances where such activi-
ties do not occur. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of 
the United States shall submit to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and 
the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
Representatives a report that contains the results of the 
study conducted under paragraph (1).
100 
TITLE III—ADOPTION 
OPPORTUNITIES 
SEC. 301. PURPOSE. 
Section 201 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 
5111) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘CON-
GRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF 
PURPOSE’’ and inserting ‘‘PURPOSE’’; 
(2) by striking subsection (a); and 
(3) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—’’; 
(B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by inserting ‘‘sexual and gender minority 
youth’’ after ‘‘particularly older children, minor-
ity children,’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘serv-
ices and,’’ after ‘‘post-legal adoption’’. 
SEC. 302. REPORT AND GUIDANCE ON UNREGULATED CUS-
TODY TRANSFERS. 
The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and 
Adoption Reform Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 5111 et seq.) 
is amended by inserting after section 201 the following:
101 
‘‘SEC. 202. REPORT AND GUIDANCE ON UNREGULATED CUS-
TODY TRANSFERS. 
‘‘(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that: 
‘‘(1) Some adopted children may be at risk of 
experiencing an unregulated custody transfer be-
cause the challenges associated with adoptions (in-
cluding the child’s mental health needs and the dif-
ficulties many families face in acquiring support 
services) may lead families to seek out unregulated 
custody transfers. 
‘‘(2) Some adopted children experience trauma, 
and the disruption and placement in another home 
by unregulated custody transfer creates additional 
trauma and instability for children. 
‘‘(3) Children who experience an unregulated 
custody transfer may be placed with families who 
have not completed required child welfare or crimi-
nal background checks or clearances. 
‘‘(4) Social services agencies and courts are 
often unaware of the placement of children through 
unregulated custody transfer and therefore do not 
conduct assessments on the child’s safety and well- 
being in such placements.
102 
‘‘(5) Such lack of placement oversight places a 
child at risk for future abuse and increases the 
chance that the child may experience— 
‘‘(A) abuse or neglect; 
‘‘(B) contact with unsafe adults or youth; 
and 
‘‘(C) exposure to unsafe or isolated envi-
ronments. 
‘‘(6) The caregivers with whom a child is placed 
through unregulated custody transfer often have no 
legal responsibility with respect to such child, plac-
ing the child at risk for additional unregulated cus-
tody transfers. 
‘‘(7) Such caregivers also may not have com-
plete records with respect to such child, including 
the child’s birth, medical, or immigration records. 
‘‘(8) A child adopted through intercountry 
adoption may be at risk of not acquiring United 
States citizenship if an unregulated custody transfer 
occurs before the adoptive parents complete all nec-
essary steps to finalize the adoption of such child. 
‘‘(9) Engaging in, or offering to engage in, un-
regulated custody transfer places children at risk of 
harm. 
‘‘(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—
103 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this section, the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services shall provide 
to the Committee on Education and Labor of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee on Ways 
and Means of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Finance of the Senate, and the Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of 
the Senate a report on unregulated custody transfers 
of children, including of adopted children. 
‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under 
paragraph (1) shall include— 
‘‘(A) the causes, methods, and characteris-
tics of unregulated custody transfers, including 
the use of social media and the internet; 
‘‘(B) the effects of unregulated custody 
transfers on children, including the lack of as-
sessment of a child’s safety and well-being by 
social services agencies and courts due to such 
unregulated custody transfer; 
‘‘(C) the prevalence of unregulated custody 
transfers within each State and across all 
States; and 
‘‘(D) recommended policies for preventing, 
identifying, and responding to unregulated cus-
105 
‘‘(B) guidance on appropriate pre-adoption 
education and post-adoption services for domes-
tic and international adoptive families to pro-
mote child permanency; and 
‘‘(C) the assistance available through the 
National Resource Center for Special Needs 
Adoption under section 203(b)(9). 
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, and any 
commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United 
States. 
‘‘(2) UNREGULATED
CUSTODY
TRANSFER.— 
The term ‘unregulated custody transfer’ means the 
abandonment of a child, by the child’s parent, legal 
guardian, or a person or entity acting on behalf, and 
with the consent, of such parent or guardian— 
‘‘(A) by placing a child with a person who 
is not— 
‘‘(i) the child’s parent, step–parent, 
grandparent, adult sibling, legal guardian, 
or other adult relative; 
‘‘(ii) a friend of the family who is an 
adult and with whom the child is familiar; 
or
106 
‘‘(iii) a member of the Federally rec-
ognized Indian tribe of which the child is 
also a member; 
‘‘(B) with the intent of severing the rela-
tionship between the child and the parent or 
guardian of such child; and 
‘‘(C) without— 
‘‘(i) reasonably ensuring the safety of 
the child and permanency of the placement 
of the child, including by conducting an of-
ficial home study, background check, and 
supervision; and 
‘‘(ii) transferring the legal rights and 
responsibilities of parenthood or guardian-
ship under applicable Federal and State 
law to a person described in subparagraph 
(A).’’. 
SEC. 303. INFORMATION AND SERVICES. 
(a) NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER
FOR SPECIAL 
NEEDS ADOPTION.—Section 203(b)(9) of the Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 
1978 (42 U.S.C. 5113(b)(9)) is amended by inserting ‘‘not 
later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of the 
Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, es-
tablish and’’ before ‘‘maintain’’.
109 
(2) by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2011 through 
2015’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2021 through 
2025’’. 
TITLE IV—AMENDMENTS TO 
OTHER LAWS 
SEC. 401. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO 
OTHER LAWS. 
(a) HEAD START ACT.—Section 658E(c)(2)(L) of 
the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9858c(c)(2)(L)) is amend-
ed by striking ‘‘will comply with the child abuse reporting 
requirements of section 106(b)(2)(B)(i) of the Child 
Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 
5106a(b)(2)(B)(i))’’ and inserting ‘‘will comply with the 
child 
abuse 
reporting 
requirements 
of 
section 
106(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treat-
ment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a(b)(2)(A)(i))’’. 
(b) VICTIMS
OF CRIME ACT
OF 1984.—Section 
1404A of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (34 U.S.C. 
20104) is amended by striking ‘‘section 109’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘section 107’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives May 20, 2019. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 2480 
AN ACT 
To reauthorize the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act, and for other purposes.