[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 137 (Thursday, October 17, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1891-E1892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             KEEPING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SAFE ACT OF 2002

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                               speech of

                          HON. PETER HOEKSTRA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 10, 2002

  Mr. HOEKSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we are here today to 
consider H.R. 5601, the ``Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 
2002'' which reauthorizes and improves the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (CAPTA), the Adoption Opportunities program, and the 
Abandoned Infants Act.
  While I recognize and am disappointed that we were not able to come 
to agreement on all issues of the original bill, H.R. 3839, the bill 
before us shows our effort and commitment to ensure that programs aimed 
at the prevention of child abuse and neglect continue. I would like to 
thank my colleagues on both sides for their hard work and efforts in 
developing this mutual compromise in the bill before us for 
consideration today.
  I especially want to thank the full committee chairman, Mr. Boehner, 
for his support of this bill, and Mr. Greenwood for his diligence in 
ensuring that infants bom addicted to alcohol or drugs receive 
necessary services.
  I want to also thank the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. 
Roemer, and the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Miller, for 
their cooperation in working towards this alternative bill before us 
today.
  This bill provides for the continued provision of important federal 
resources for identifying and addressing the issues of child abuse and

[[Page E1892]]

neglect, and for supporting effective methods of prevention and 
treatment.
  It also continues local projects with demonstrated value in 
eliminating barriers to permanent adoption and addressing the 
circumstances that often lead to child abandonment.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill emphasizes the prevention of child abuse and 
neglect before it occurs. It promotes partnerships between child 
protective services and private and community-based organizations, 
including education, and health systems to ensure that services and 
linkages are more effectively provided.
  The bill retains language that appropriately addresses a growing 
concern over parents being falsely accused of child abuse and neglect 
and the aggressiveness of social workers in their child abuse 
investigations. It retains language to increase public education 
opportunities to strengthen the public's understanding of the child 
protection system and appropriate reporting of suspected incidents of 
child maltreatment.
  The agreement continues to foster cooperation between parents and 
child protective service workers by requiring caseworkers to inform 
parents of the allegations made against them, and improves the training 
opportunities and requirements for child protective services personnel 
regarding the extent and limits of their legal authority and the legal 
rights of parents and legal guardians.
  It also ensures the safety of foster and adoptive children by 
requiring states to conduct criminal background checks for prospective 
foster and adoptive parents and other adult relatives and non-relatives 
residing in the household.
  Lastly, this bill expands adoption opportunities to provide for 
services for infants and young children who are disabled or born with 
life-threatening conditions, and requires the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services to conduct a study on the annual number of infants and 
young children abandoned each year.
  I again want to thank my colleagues for their work on this bill and 
urge them to join me in support of this effort to improve the 
prevention and treatment of child abuse by supporting H.R. 5601, the 
Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2002.

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