[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 121 (Tuesday, October 3, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H8690-H8694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           STRENGTHENING ABUSE AND NEGLECT COURTS ACT OF 2000

  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 2272) to improve the administrative efficiency and 
effectiveness of the Nation's abuse and neglect courts and for other 
purposes consistent with the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 2272

       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 ``Strengthening Abuse and 
     Neglect Courts Act of 2000''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Under both Federal and State law, the courts play a 
     crucial and essential role in the Nation's child welfare 
     system and in ensuring safety, stability, and permanence for 
     abused and neglected children under the supervision of that 
     system.
       (2) The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 
     105-89; 111 Stat. 2115) establishes explicitly for the first 
     time in Federal law that a child's health and safety must be 
     the paramount consideration when any decision is made 
     regarding a child in the Nation's child welfare system.
       (3) The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 promotes 
     stability and permanence for abused and neglected children by 
     requiring timely decision-making in proceedings to determine 
     whether children can safely return to their families or 
     whether they should be moved into safe and stable adoptive 
     homes or other permanent family arrangements outside the 
     foster care system.
       (4) To avoid unnecessary and lengthy stays in the foster 
     care system, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 
     specifically requires, among other things, that States move 
     to terminate the parental rights of the parents of those 
     children who have been in foster care for 15 of the last 22 
     months.
       (5) While essential to protect children and to carry out 
     the general purposes of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 
     1997, the accelerated timelines for the termination of 
     parental rights and the other requirements imposed under that 
     Act increase the pressure on the Nation's already 
     overburdened abuse and neglect courts.
       (6) The administrative efficiency and effectiveness of the 
     Nation's abuse and neglect courts would be substantially 
     improved by the acquisition and implementation of 
     computerized case-tracking systems to identify and eliminate 
     existing backlogs, to move abuse and neglect caseloads 
     forward in a timely manner, and to move children into safe 
     and stable families. Such systems could also be used to 
     evaluate the effectiveness of such courts in meeting the 
     purposes of the amendments made by, and provisions of, the 
     Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.
       (7) The administrative efficiency and effectiveness of the 
     Nation's abuse and neglect courts would also be improved by 
     the identification and implementation of projects designed to 
     eliminate the backlog of abuse and neglect cases, including 
     the temporary hiring of additional judges, extension of court 
     hours, and other projects designed to reduce existing 
     caseloads.
       (8) The administrative efficiency and effectiveness of the 
     Nation's abuse and neglect courts would be further 
     strengthened by improving the quality and availability of 
     training for judges, court personnel, agency attorneys, 
     guardians ad litem, volunteers who participate in court-
     appointed special advocate (CASA) programs, and attorneys who 
     represent the children and the parents of children in abuse 
     and neglect proceedings.
       (9) While recognizing that abuse and neglect courts in this 
     country are already committed to the quality administration 
     of justice, the performance of such courts would be even 
     further enhanced by the development of models and educational 
     opportunities that reinforce court projects that have already 
     been developed, including models for case-flow procedures, 
     case management, representation of children, automated 
     interagency interfaces, and ``best practices'' standards.
       (10) Judges, magistrates, commissioners, and other judicial 
     officers play a central and vital role in ensuring that 
     proceedings in our Nation's abuse and neglect courts are run 
     efficiently and effectively. The performance of those 
     individuals in such courts can only be further enhanced by 
     training, seminars, and an ongoing opportunity to exchange 
     ideas with their peers.
       (11) Volunteers who participate in court-appointed special 
     advocate (CASA) programs play a vital role as the eyes and 
     ears of abuse and neglect courts in proceedings conducted by, 
     or under the supervision of, such courts and also bring 
     increased public scrutiny of the abuse and neglect court 
     system. The Nation's abuse and neglect courts would benefit 
     from an expansion of this program to currently underserved 
     communities.
       (12) Improved computerized case-tracking systems, 
     comprehensive training, and development of, and education on, 
     model abuse and neglect court systems, particularly with 
     respect to underserved areas, would significantly further the 
     purposes of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 by 
     reducing the average length of an abused and neglected 
     child's stay in foster care, improving the quality of 
     decision-making and court services provided to children and 
     families, and increasing the number of adoptions.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (a) Abuse and Neglect Courts.--The term ``abuse and neglect 
     courts'' means the State and local courts that carry out 
     State or local laws requiring proceedings (conducted by or 
     under the supervision of the courts)--
       (1) that implement part B and part E of title IV of the 
     Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq.; 670 et seq.) 
     (including preliminary disposition of such proceedings);
       (2) that determine whether a child was abused or neglected;
       (3) that determine the advisability or appropriateness of 
     placement in a family foster home, group home, or a special 
     residential care facility; or
       (4) that determine any other legal disposition of a child 
     in the abuse and neglect court system.
       (b) Agency Attorney.--The term ``agency attorney'' means an 
     attorney or other individual, including any government 
     attorney, district attorney, attorney general, State 
     attorney, county attorney, city solicitor or attorney, 
     corporation counsel, or privately retained special 
     prosecutor, who represents the State or local agency 
     administrating the

[[Page H8691]]

     programs under parts B and E of title IV of the Social 
     Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq.; 670 et seq.) in a 
     proceeding conducted by, or under the supervision of, an 
     abuse and neglect court, including a proceeding for 
     termination of parental rights.

     SEC. 4. GRANTS TO STATE COURTS AND LOCAL COURTS TO AUTOMATE 
                   THE DATA COLLECTION AND TRACKING OF PROCEEDINGS 
                   IN ABUSE AND NEGLECT COURTS.

       (a) Authority To Award Grants.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Attorney 
     General, acting through the Office of Juvenile Justice and 
     Delinquency Prevention of the Office of Justice Programs, 
     shall award grants in accordance with this section to State 
     courts and local courts for the purposes of--
       (A) enabling such courts to develop and implement automated 
     data collection and case-tracking systems for proceedings 
     conducted by, or under the supervision of, an abuse and 
     neglect court;
       (B) encouraging the replication of such systems in abuse 
     and neglect courts in other jurisdictions; and
       (C) requiring the use of such systems to evaluate a court's 
     performance in implementing the requirements of parts B and E 
     of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et 
     seq.; 670 et seq.).
       (2) Limitations.--
       (A) Number of grants.--Not less than 20 nor more than 50 
     grants may be awarded under this section.
       (B) Per state limitation.--Not more than 2 grants 
     authorized under this section may be awarded per State.
       (C) Use of grants.--Funds provided under a grant made under 
     this section may only be used for the purpose of developing, 
     implementing, or enhancing automated data collection and 
     case-tracking systems for proceedings conducted by, or under 
     the supervision of, an abuse and neglect court.
       (b) Application.--
       (1) In general.--A State court or local court may submit an 
     application for a grant authorized under this section at such 
     time and in such manner as the Attorney General may 
     determine.
       (2) Information required.--An application for a grant 
     authorized under this section shall contain the following:
       (A) A description of a proposed plan for the development, 
     implementation, and maintenance of an automated data 
     collection and case-tracking system for proceedings conducted 
     by, or under the supervision of, an abuse and neglect court, 
     including a proposed budget for the plan and a request for a 
     specific funding amount.
       (B) A description of the extent to which such plan and 
     system are able to be replicated in abuse and neglect courts 
     of other jurisdictions that specifies the common case-
     tracking data elements of the proposed system, including, at 
     a minimum--
       (i) identification of relevant judges, court, and agency 
     personnel;
       (ii) records of all court proceedings with regard to the 
     abuse and neglect case, including all court findings and 
     orders (oral and written); and
       (iii) relevant information about the subject child, 
     including family information and the reason for court 
     supervision.
       (C) In the case of an application submitted by a local 
     court, a description of how the plan to implement the 
     proposed system was developed in consultation with related 
     State courts, particularly with regard to a State court 
     improvement plan funded under section 13712 of the Omnibus 
     Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 670 note) if 
     there is such a plan in the State.
       (D) In the case of an application that is submitted by a 
     State court, a description of how the proposed system will 
     integrate with a State court improvement plan funded under 
     section 13712 of such Act if there is such a plan in the 
     State.
       (E) After consultation with the State agency responsible 
     for the administration of parts B and E of title IV of the 
     Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq.; 670 et seq.)--
       (i) a description of the coordination of the proposed 
     system with other child welfare data collection systems, 
     including the Statewide automated child welfare information 
     system (SACWIS) and the adoption and foster care analysis and 
     reporting system (AFCARS) established pursuant to section 479 
     of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 679); and
       (ii) an assurance that such coordination will be 
     implemented and maintained.
       (F) Identification of an independent third party that will 
     conduct ongoing evaluations of the feasibility and 
     implementation of the plan and system and a description of 
     the plan for conducting such evaluations.
       (G) A description or identification of a proposed funding 
     source for completion of the plan (if applicable) and 
     maintenance of the system after the conclusion of the period 
     for which the grant is to be awarded.
       (H) An assurance that any contract entered into between the 
     State court or local court and any other entity that is to 
     provide services for the development, implementation, or 
     maintenance of the system under the proposed plan will 
     require the entity to agree to allow for replication of the 
     services provided, the plan, and the system, and to refrain 
     from asserting any proprietary interest in such services for 
     purposes of allowing the plan and system to be replicated in 
     another jurisdiction.
       (I) An assurance that the system established under the plan 
     will provide data that allows for evaluation (at least on an 
     annual basis) of the following information:
       (i) The total number of cases that are filed in the abuse 
     and neglect court.
       (ii) The number of cases assigned to each judge who 
     presides over the abuse and neglect court.
       (iii) The average length of stay of children in foster 
     care.
       (iv) With respect to each child under the jurisdiction of 
     the court--

       (I) the number of episodes of placement in foster care;
       (II) the number of days placed in foster care and the type 
     of placement (foster family home, group home, or special 
     residential care facility);
       (III) the number of days of in-home supervision; and
       (IV) the number of separate foster care placements.

       (v) The number of adoptions, guardianships, or other 
     permanent dispositions finalized.
       (vi) The number of terminations of parental rights.
       (vii) The number of child abuse and neglect proceedings 
     closed that had been pending for 2 or more years.
       (viii) With respect to each proceeding conducted by, or 
     under the supervision of, an abuse and neglect court--

       (I) the timeliness of each stage of the proceeding from 
     initial filing through legal finalization of a permanency 
     plan (for both contested and uncontested hearings);
       (II) the number of adjournments, delays, and continuances 
     occurring during the proceeding, including identification of 
     the party requesting each adjournment, delay, or continuance 
     and the reasons given for the request;
       (III) the number of courts that conduct or supervise the 
     proceeding for the duration of the abuse and neglect case;
       (IV) the number of judges assigned to the proceeding for 
     the duration of the abuse and neglect case; and
       (V) the number of agency attorneys, children's attorneys, 
     parent's attorneys, guardians ad litem, and volunteers 
     participating in a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) 
     program assigned to the proceeding during the duration of the 
     abuse and neglect case.

       (J) A description of how the proposed system will reduce 
     the need for paper files and ensure prompt action so that 
     cases are appropriately listed with national and regional 
     adoption exchanges, and public and private adoption services.
       (K) An assurance that the data collected in accordance with 
     subparagraph (I) will be made available to relevant Federal, 
     State, and local government agencies and to the public.
       (L) An assurance that the proposed system is consistent 
     with other civil and criminal information requirements of the 
     Federal government.
       (M) An assurance that the proposed system will provide 
     notice of timeframes required under the Adoption and Safe 
     Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89; 111 Stat. 2115) for 
     individual cases to ensure prompt attention and compliance 
     with such requirements.
       (c) Conditions for Approval of Applications.--
       (1) Matching requirement.--
       (A) In general.--A State court or local court awarded a 
     grant under this section shall expend $1 for every $3 awarded 
     under the grant to carry out the development, implementation, 
     and maintenance of the automated data collection and case-
     tracking system under the proposed plan.
       (B) Waiver for hardship.--The Attorney General may waive or 
     modify the matching requirement described in subparagraph (A) 
     in the case of any State court or local court that the 
     Attorney General determines would suffer undue hardship as a 
     result of being subject to the requirement.
       (C) Non-federal expenditures.--
       (i) Cash or in kind.--State court or local court 
     expenditures required under subparagraph (A) may be in cash 
     or in kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, or 
     services.
       (ii) No credit for pre-award expenditures.--Only State 
     court or local court expenditures made after a grant has been 
     awarded under this section may be counted for purposes of 
     determining whether the State court or local court has 
     satisfied the matching expenditure requirement under 
     subparagraph (A).
       (2) Notification to state or appropriate child welfare 
     agency.--No application for a grant authorized under this 
     section may be approved unless the State court or local court 
     submitting the application demonstrates to the satisfaction 
     of the Attorney General that the court has provided the 
     State, in the case of a State court, or the appropriate child 
     welfare agency, in the case of a local court, with notice of 
     the contents and submission of the application.
       (3) Considerations.--In evaluating an application for a 
     grant under this section the Attorney General shall consider 
     the following:
       (A) The extent to which the system proposed in the 
     application may be replicated in other jurisdictions.
       (B) The extent to which the proposed system is consistent 
     with the provisions of, and amendments made by, the Adoption 
     and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89; 111 Stat. 
     2115), and parts B and E of title IV of

[[Page H8692]]

     the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq.; 670 et seq.).
       (C) The extent to which the proposed system is feasible and 
     likely to achieve the purposes described in subsection 
     (a)(1).
       (4) Diversity of awards.--The Attorney General shall award 
     grants under this section in a manner that results in a 
     reasonable balance among grants awarded to State courts and 
     grants awarded to local courts, grants awarded to courts 
     located in urban areas and courts located in rural areas, and 
     grants awarded in diverse geographical locations.
       (d) Length of Awards.--No grant may be awarded under this 
     section for a period of more than 5 years.
       (e) Availability of Funds.--Funds provided to a State court 
     or local court under a grant awarded under this section shall 
     remain available until expended without fiscal year 
     limitation.
       (f) Reports.--
       (1) Annual report from grantees.--Each State court or local 
     court that is awarded a grant under this section shall submit 
     an annual report to the Attorney General that contains--
       (A) a description of the ongoing results of the independent 
     evaluation of the plan for, and implementation of, the 
     automated data collection and case-tracking system funded 
     under the grant; and
       (B) the information described in subsection (b)(2)(I).
       (2) Interim and final reports from attorney general.--
       (A) Interim reports.--Beginning 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, and biannually thereafter until a 
     final report is submitted in accordance with subparagraph 
     (B), the Attorney General shall submit to Congress interim 
     reports on the grants made under this section.
       (B) Final report.--Not later than 90 days after the 
     termination of all grants awarded under this section, the 
     Attorney General shall submit to Congress a final report 
     evaluating the automated data collection and case-tracking 
     systems funded under such grants and identifying successful 
     models of such systems that are suitable for replication in 
     other jurisdictions. The Attorney General shall ensure that a 
     copy of such final report is transmitted to the highest State 
     court in each State.
       (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section, $10,000,000 for 
     the period of fiscal years 2001 through 2005.

     SEC. 5. GRANTS TO REDUCE PENDING BACKLOGS OF ABUSE AND 
                   NEGLECT CASES TO PROMOTE PERMANENCY FOR ABUSED 
                   AND NEGLECTED CHILDREN.

       (a) Authority to Award Grants.--The Attorney General, 
     acting through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
     Prevention of the Office of Justice Programs and in 
     collaboration with the Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services, shall award grants in accordance with this section 
     to State courts and local courts for the purposes of--
       (1) promoting the permanency goals established in the 
     Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89; 
     111 Stat. 2115); and
       (2) enabling such courts to reduce existing backlogs of 
     cases pending in abuse and neglect courts, especially with 
     respect to cases to terminate parental rights and cases in 
     which parental rights to a child have been terminated but an 
     adoption of the child has not yet been finalized.
       (b) Application.--A State court or local court shall submit 
     an application for a grant under this section, in such form 
     and manner as the Attorney General shall require, that 
     contains a description of the following:
       (1) The barriers to achieving the permanency goals 
     established in the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 
     that have been identified.
       (2) The size and nature of the backlogs of children 
     awaiting termination of parental rights or finalization of 
     adoption.
       (3) The strategies the State court or local court proposes 
     to use to reduce such backlogs and the plan and timetable for 
     doing so.
       (4) How the grant funds requested will be used to assist 
     the implementation of the strategies described in paragraph 
     (3).
       (c) Use of Funds.--Funds provided under a grant awarded 
     under this section may be used for any purpose that the 
     Attorney General determines is likely to successfully achieve 
     the purposes described in subsection (a), including 
     temporarily--
       (1) establishing night court sessions for abuse and neglect 
     courts;
       (2) hiring additional judges, magistrates, commissioners, 
     hearing officers, referees, special masters, and other 
     judicial personnel for such courts;
       (3) hiring personnel such as clerks, administrative support 
     staff, case managers, mediators, and attorneys for such 
     courts; or
       (4) extending the operating hours of such courts.
       (d) Number of Grants.--Not less than 15 nor more than 20 
     grants shall be awarded under this section.
       (e) Availability of Funds.--Funds awarded under a grant 
     made under this section shall remain available for 
     expenditure by a grantee for a period not to exceed 3 years 
     from the date of the grant award.
       (f) Report on Use of Funds.--Not later than the date that 
     is halfway through the period for which a grant is awarded 
     under this section, and 90 days after the end of such period, 
     a State court or local court awarded a grant under this 
     section shall submit a report to the Attorney General that 
     includes the following:
       (1) The barriers to the permanency goals established in the 
     Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 that are or have been 
     addressed with grant funds.
       (2) The nature of the backlogs of children that were 
     pursued with grant funds.
       (3) The specific strategies used to reduce such backlogs.
       (4) The progress that has been made in reducing such 
     backlogs, including the number of children in such backlogs--
       (A) whose parental rights have been terminated; and
       (B) whose adoptions have been finalized.
       (5) Any additional information that the Attorney General 
     determines would assist jurisdictions in achieving the 
     permanency goals established in the Adoption and Safe 
     Families Act of 1997.
       (g) Authorization of Appropriation.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated for the period of fiscal years 2001 and 
     2002 $10,000,000 for the purpose of making grants under this 
     section.

     SEC. 6. GRANTS TO EXPAND THE COURT-APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATE 
                   PROGRAM IN UNDERSERVED AREAS.

       (a) Grants To Expand CASA Programs in Underserved Areas.--
     The Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and 
     Delinquency Prevention of the Department of Justice shall 
     make a grant to the National Court-Appointed Special Advocate 
     Association for the purposes of--
       (1) expanding the recruitment of, and building the capacity 
     of, court-appointed special advocate programs located in the 
     15 largest urban areas;
       (2) developing regional, multijurisdictional court-
     appointed special advocate programs serving rural areas; and
       (3) providing training and supervision of volunteers in 
     court-appointed special advocate programs.
       (b) Limitation on Administrative Expenditures.--Not more 
     than 5 percent of the grant made under this subsection may be 
     used for administrative expenditures.
       (c) Determination of Urban and Rural Areas.--For purposes 
     of administering the grant authorized under this subsection, 
     the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and 
     Delinquency Prevention of the Department of Justice shall 
     determine whether an area is one of the 15 largest urban 
     areas or a rural area in accordance with the practices of, 
     and statistical information compiled by, the Bureau of the 
     Census.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to make the grant authorized under this 
     section, $5,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2001 and 
     2002.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Hyde) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde).


                             General Leave

  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on S. 2272.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 2272, the Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts Act 
of 2000, provides grants to allow States to improve the administrative 
efficiency and effectiveness of child abuse and neglect courts 
throughout the Nation. The bill gives the Attorney General the 
authority to award grants to State and local courts; to provide 
computerized case tracking and technical assistance; promote innovative 
strategies to reduce case loads; and provide additional court-appointed 
special advocates to assist in supporting children and courts.
  Every child should have the opportunity to be whatever it is they 
want to be, and it is our responsibility as a community and as parents 
to provide them a nurturing environment so that every child can fulfill 
their great promise.
  The act of child abuse is incomprehensible to all of us. Child abuse 
steals the innocence from our coming generation. The victims of child 
abuse are not allowed to be children; they become adults all too soon. 
We must give the States the tools to assist them in protecting our 
children.
  Child welfare is an example where State law is generally paramount. 
The Federal Government supports State action by providing funds to 
States for child welfare activities. Grants to States have been used to 
expand and strengthen child welfare services. This bill is finely tuned 
to assist States in this regard.

[[Page H8693]]

  We must come together as a Nation to restore what has been stolen 
from this generation. We must come together as a Nation to prevent and 
stop the cycle of this terrible abuse.
  I want to thank Senator DeWine of Ohio for bringing this important 
bill forward, and I hope everyone will support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, while we seem to be making some progress reducing the 
overall crime rate in this country, crimes against children, 
particularly reports of child abuse and neglect, have grown by 41 
percent over the last 10 years. In 1997, Congress passed the Adoption 
and Safe Families Act to begin the process for accelerating time lines 
and making other improvements designed to speed up the process of 
securing safe, permanent, caring families for abused and neglected 
children.
  Unfortunately, in passing the law, Congress failed to recognize the 
additional burdens of these time lines and other improvements would 
exact on the already overburdened family and domestic relations courts. 
Courts nationwide are struggling to meet the accelerated time lines and 
other requirements of that legislation and, as a result, there are 
substantial backlogs in processing of these cases.
  This bill, which is supported by the Conference of Chief Justices and 
the Conference of State Court Administrators, will help to further the 
goals of the Adoption and Safe Families Act by authorizing $10 million 
over 5 years to assist State and local courts in developing and 
implementing automated case tracking systems for abused and neglect 
proceedings. It also authorizes an additional $10 million to reduce 
existing backlogs of abuse and neglect cases and $5 million to expand 
the Court-Appointed Special Advocate, CASA, program into underserved 
areas.
  Mr. Speaker, I am familiar with this program. They have several 
programs in Virginia. CASA volunteers do an excellent job in assisting 
children in the court system, and I am delighted we are expanding this 
system in the legislation.
  In sum, this bill authorizes a total of $25 million to address this 
pressing problem. I acknowledge that this is just a drop in the bucket 
of what is necessary. However, it will help to alleviate an 
overburdened family court system. And I encourage my colleagues not to 
stop here.
  The research tells us that children who experience abuse are four 
times more likely to be involved in delinquent and criminal activity 
than a child who has not been abused. Furthermore, those children are 
more likely to be arrested 1 year earlier, commit twice as many 
offenses and be arrested more frequently than youths who are not abused 
or neglected.
  But the statistic that should most concern us is that nearly 70 
percent of youths arrested have a prior history of abuse and neglect, 
which means that we already have the ability to identify those children 
at risk of delinquency through child protection and child welfare 
systems. By identifying those children and providing them with 
appropriate intervention programs and services, we can drastically 
decrease juvenile delinquency.
  As the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Crime, I must express my 
regret that this Congress has not made these improvements in proven 
crime prevention initiatives a priority. H.R. 1501, the Consequences 
for Juvenile Offenders Act, and H.R. 1150, which reauthorizes the 
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act as originally 
introduced in the House, would have provided increased funding for 
juvenile crime prevention programs and services for at-risk youth.
  These bills were loaded down in the House with slogans and sound 
bites posing as amendments and then buried in a conference committee 
that has not met for a year. It is unfortunate that this Congress chose 
to play politics instead of choosing to address the problem of at-risk 
youth in this country and to reduce juvenile crime.
  In the end, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the passage 
of the measure before us today. It is a good start and will provide 
family courts with resources they need to enhance their tracking 
systems and to begin reducing backlogs.
  I look forward to working with my friends across the aisle next year 
on juvenile justice legislation that builds upon the foundation started 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield such time as she 
may consume to the distinguished gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Pryce).
  Ms. PRYCE of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the honorable and 
distinguished chairman for yielding me time and for his assistance in 
this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this measure, the 
Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts Act, or SANCA. There is nothing 
more tragic than the thought of a child who has been abused or 
neglected, and nothing happier than a child finding the warmth and love 
of a permanent adoptive family. Unfortunately, the period of time 
between these two points during which a child's case is pending before 
the courts can be a period of interminable delays, bureaucratic snags, 
and a less-than-thorough accurate review of the child's case, all of 
which can have a lasting negative effect on the child.

                              {time}  1745

  Mr. Speaker, for those children who reach adulthood without permanent 
placement and transition out of the foster care system, they begin 
their adult lives with no sense of family, low self-esteem and little 
direction for the future. Children are being removed from abusive homes 
only to be abused once again by the system.
  Healing can only begin for these children when they are in a safe and 
permanent environment. But all too often these children languish in the 
foster care system in a state of emotional limbo.
  According to the National Center for Juvenile Justice, between 1991 
and 1997, in my own home district of Franklin County, Ohio, 38 percent 
of the children who are waiting permanent adoption because parental 
rights have been severed have been in the system over 4 years. And 
nationally, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, 
children who are adopted from foster care leave the system between 3.5 
and 5.5 years later.
  This is simply too long for these children to wait for the love and 
warmth of a permanent family. This is a good part of a childhood.
  Congress began to address this situation in 1997 with the Adoption 
and Safe Families Act. Without a doubt this is one of our crowning 
achievements of the last session. But while ASFA's accelerated 
timelines are essential to promoting stability and permanence for 
abused and neglected children, these timelines, along with grossly 
insufficient funding, have resulted in continued prolonged stays for 
abused and neglected children in the foster care system and increased 
pressure on our Nation's already overburdened abuse and neglect courts.
  SANCA addresses the shortfalls of the Adoption and Safe Families Act 
by making Federal funding available to State and local courts to reduce 
case backlogs and to develop and implement automated case tracking 
systems for abuse and neglect proceedings.
  SANCA also provides funding for start-up grants to appoint the Court 
Appointed Special Advocate for CASA, programs in underserved areas.
  The foster care system cannot help abused and neglected children 
without properly functioning State and local courts. The relatively 
small amount of funding provided by SANCA will have a dramatic impact 
on the lives of abused and neglected children.
  SANCA is backed by the American Bar Association, the Conference of 
Chief Justices, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court 
Judges, among others. Clearly, this legislation is of vital importance 
to abused and neglected children who need nothing more than the 
stability and love that comes with the safe and permanent home. Mr. 
Speaker, I urge my colleagues' support.
  Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill will have the short-term effect of reducing 
backlogs but will have the long-term effect of improving the lives of 
many children. I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), 
the distinguished

[[Page H8694]]

chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary for bringing the bill to the 
floor and thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Pryce) for her advocacy 
in this issue. She is a former judge and is very knowledgeable on this 
issue. I thank her for her advocacy on behalf of children.
  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, the strengthening Abuse and 
neglect Courts Act of 2000 will build on the success of the Adoption 
and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) which required states to shorten 
the length of time that children remain in foster care by filing 
termination of parental rights petitions at 15 months.
  Implementation of ASFA has resulted in an unprecedented 64 percent 
increase in adoptions out of foster care since 1996.
  As a direct result of ASFA, developed by the Committee on Ways and 
means, new pressures have been put on state courts to hold permanency 
hearings, implement permanency plans, make judicial findings and 
finalize adoptions cases involving abused and neglected children in a 
timely fashion.
  The Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts Act of 2000 will increase 
the efficiency and capacity of the nation's abuse and neglect courts by 
providing funds to state courts to computerize a data collection and 
case tracking system. This system will allow judges to track the number 
of children under judicial care to monitor how these children are 
faring. A case tracking system will allow judges to keep a running 
account of the number and type of services offered to the family and 
the results of these interventions. This information is critical to 
keeping children safe and promoting permanency.
  This Act will enable state and local courts to reduce existing 
backlogs of children awaiting termination of parental rights or 
finalization of adoption. According to the Department of Health and 
Human Services there were over 103,000 children awaiting adoption in 
1998. Grants provided to state courts under this Act will allow courts 
to hire additional judges to hear these cases and to establish night 
court sessions for hearing these cases.
  The Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts Act of 2000 is a logical 
next step to the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. We need courts 
that work to reduce delays and keep children safe and in loving 
families. This legislation does that and I wholeheartedly support it.
  Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ose). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 2272.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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