[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 156 (Tuesday, September 27, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5069-S5070]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5680. Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. Blunt) submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for 
himself and Mr. Inhofe) and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 
7900, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for military 
activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and 
for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe 
military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other 
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. _____. 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

[[Page S5070]]

     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 2023 through 2029.''.
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