[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4943 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4943

       To improve the training of child protection professionals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 23, 2014

    Mr. Walz (for himself, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Womack, and Mr. Nolan) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the 
 Judiciary, 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 committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
       To improve the training of child protection professionals.

    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 ``National Child Protection Training 
Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF REGIONAL TRAINING CENTERS.

    (a) Regional Training Centers.--The Attorney General, through the 
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and in 
coordination with the National Child Protection Training Center, shall 
establish a program to sustain not less than 4 regional training 
centers affiliated with institutions of higher education.
    (b) Responsibilities.--The regional training centers described in 
subsection (a) shall--
            (1) develop model undergraduate curricula on recognizing 
        and responding to cases of child maltreatment that is inter-
        disciplinary and that, at a minimum, consists of a 3-course 
        certificate program or minor degree;
            (2) develop model graduate curricula on recognizing and 
        responding to cases of child maltreatment for medical schools, 
        law schools, seminaries, and other institutions of higher 
        education that instruct students likely to become child 
        protection professionals or other professionals required by law 
        to report cases of child maltreatment;
            (3) after approval by the Attorney General, disseminate 
        model undergraduate and graduate child maltreatment curricula 
        to institutions of higher education, including graduate 
        schools, law schools, and medical schools;
            (4) develop ``laboratory'' training facilities that include 
        mock houses, medical facilities, courtrooms, and forensic 
        interview rooms that allow for simulated, interactive, and 
        intensive training of undergraduate or graduate students 
        preparing for child protection careers as well as for training 
        child protection professionals currently in the field 
        (including child protection workers, child protection 
        attorneys, medical and mental health professionals, law 
        enforcement officers, forensic interviewers, and other 
        professionals who work directly with maltreated children);
            (5) assist communities in developing evidence-based 
        prevention programs; and
            (6) assist States in developing and maintaining forensic 
        interview training programs.
    (c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``institution of higher 
education'' has the meaning given that term in section 101(a) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
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