[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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