Victims of Child Abuse Act Reauthorization Act of 2022
Bill: S.3975 | Sponsor: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. (D-DE)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Victims of Child Abuse Act Reauthorization Act of 2022
This bill reauthorizes for FY2022-FY2028 and otherwise revises grants for local and regional children's advocacy centers (CACs). CACs coordinate a multidisciplinary response to child abuse.

To reauthorize the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990, 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 ``Victims of Child Abuse Act 
Reauthorization Act of 2022''.

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 inserting 
                        ``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), respectively;
                    (C) by inserting afer paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) a key to a child victim healing from abuse is access 
        to supportive and healthy families and communities;''; and
                    (D) in paragraph (9)(B), as so redesignated, by 
                inserting ``, and operations of centers'' before the 
                period at the end;
            (2) in section 212 (34 U.S.C. 20302)--
                    (A) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``coordinated 
                team'' before ``response''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (8), by inserting ``organizational 
                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 
                                Victims of Crime,''; and
                                    (II) by inserting ``and maintain'' 
                                after ``establish'';
                            (iii) in paragraph (3)--
                                    (I) by striking ``and victim 
                                advocates'' and inserting ``victim 
                                advocates, multidisciplinary team 
                                leadership, 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:
            ``(4) provide technical assistance, training, coordination, 
        and organizational capacity support for State chapters; and''; 
        and
                            (vi) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated, 
                        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 
                                inserting ``and maintain'' after 
                                ``establish''; and
                                    (II) in the matter following 
                                subparagraph (B), by striking ``and 
                                technical assistance to aid communities 
                                in establishing'' and inserting 
                                ``training and technical assistance to 
                                aid communities in establishing and 
                                maintaining''; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (2)--
                                    (I) in subparagraph (A)--
                                            (aa) in clause (ii), by 
                                        inserting ``Center'' after 
                                        ``Advocacy''; and
                                            (bb) in clause (iii), by 
                                        striking ``of, assessment of, 
                                        and intervention in'' and 
                                        inserting ``and intervention in 
                                        child''; and
                                    (II) in subparagraph (B), by 
                                striking ``centers and interested 
                                communities'' and inserting ``centers, 
                                interested communities, and chapters''; 
                                and
                    (C) in subsection (c)--
                            (i) in paragraph (2)--
                                    (I) in subparagraph (B), by 
                                striking ``evaluation, intervention, 
                                evidence gathering, and counseling'' 
                                and inserting ``investigation and 
                                intervention 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 
                        multidisciplinary programs that respond to 
                        child abuse'' and inserting ``and chapters so 
                        that 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 chapters 
                        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 inserting 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, prosecutions, and 
        interventions are continually occurring and coordinating 
        activities within local children's advocacy centers and 
        multidisciplinary teams;
            ``(2) develop, enhance, and coordinate multidisciplinary 
        child abuse investigations, intervention, and prosecution 
        activities;
            ``(3) promote the effective delivery of the evidence-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 evaluation, and support 
        State chapter organizational capacity and local children's 
        advocacy center organizational capacity and operations in order 
        to meet such practice standards and best practices.'';
                    (B) in subsection (b), by striking ``, in 
                coordination 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:
                    ``(D) Forensic interviews of child victims by 
                trained personnel that are used by law enforcement, 
                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 linkage agreement 
                regarding the delivery of multidisciplinary child abuse 
                investigation, prosecution, and intervention services.
                    ``(G) Coordination of each step of the 
                investigation process to eliminate duplicative forensic 
                interviews with a child victim.
                    ``(H) Designation of a director for the children's 
                advocacy center.
                    ``(I) Designation of a multidisciplinary team 
                coordinator.
                    ``(J) Assignment of a volunteer or staff advocate 
                to each child in order to assist the child and, when 
                appropriate, the child's family, throughout each step 
                of intervention and judicial proceedings.
                    ``(K) Coordination with State chapters to assist 
                and provide oversight, and organizational capacity that 
                supports local children's advocacy centers, 
                multidisciplinary teams, and communities working to 
                implement a multidisciplinary response to child abuse 
                in the provision of evidence-informed initiatives, 
                including mental health counseling, forensic 
                interviewing, multidisciplinary team coordination, and 
                victim advocacy.
                    ``(L) Such other criteria as the Administrator 
                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 awarding grants under this section, the 
Administrator shall ensure 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 evidence-
informed initiatives including mental health, counseling, forensic 
interviewing, multidisciplinary team coordination, and victim 
advocacy.'';
            (5) in section 214A (34 U.S.C. 20305)--
                    (A) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) in paragraph (1), by striking 
                        ``attorneys and other allied'' and inserting 
                        ``prosecutors and other attorneys and allied''; 
                        and
                            (ii) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting 
                        ``Center'' after ``Advocacy''; and
                    (B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking subparagraph 
                (A) and inserting the following:
                    ``(A) a significant connection to prosecutors who 
                handle child abuse cases in State courts, such as a 
                membership organization or support service providers; 
                and''; and
            (6) by striking 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 fiscal years 2022 through 
2028.''.
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