[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 8 (Monday, January 12, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4163. Mrs. BLACKBURN submitted an amendment intended to be 
proposed by her to the bill H.R. 6938, making consolidated 
appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in title II of division D, insert 
     the following:

     SEC. __. GRACIE ACT OF 2026.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the 
     ``Generate Recordings of All Child protective Interviews 
     Everywhere Act'' or the ``GRACIE Act of 2026''.
       (b) Grants.--The Associate Commissioner may award grants to 
     States for the purpose of assisting State agencies 
     responsible for conducting child welfare interviews in 
     recording and retaining all child welfare interviews 
     conducted by such State agencies.
       (c) Application.--A State seeking a grant under this 
     section shall submit an application to the Associate 
     Commissioner at such time and in such manner as the Associate 
     Commissioner may require. Such application shall include--
       (1) the State's lead agency for the grant program and that 
     agency's current requirements involving the recording and 
     retention of child welfare interviews;
       (2) the challenges the State faces in developing, 
     implementing, and monitoring requirements involving the 
     recording and retention of child welfare interviews; and
       (3) a description of how the State plans to use funds for 
     activities described in subsection (d).
       (d) Use of Funds.--
       (1) In general.--Amounts received under a grant under this 
     section shall be used exclusively for costs directly 
     associated with conducting and retaining for 5 years the 
     recording of all child welfare interviews by a State agency 
     responsible for conducting child welfare interviews, 
     including initial interviews conducted during a family 
     assessment to the extent practicable.
       (2) Recording requirement.--A State receiving a grant under 
     this section shall have a statute, ordinance, policy, or 
     practice requiring all child welfare interviews conducted by 
     the State agency responsible for conducting child welfare 
     interviews to be recorded through electronic audio recording, 
     body camera video, or any other reasonable means of 
     recording.
       (3) Retention requirement.--A State receiving a grant under 
     this section shall have a statute, ordinance, policy, or 
     practice requiring the recordings described in paragraph (2) 
     to be retained and stored for not less than 5 years in a 
     manner consistent with the protocols established by the State 
     for such recordings, which shall include that--
       (A) a copy of such recording--
       (i) subject to clause (ii), may only be released to 
     appropriate government agencies investigating an allegation 
     or prosecuting an offense relating to an allegation; and
       (ii) upon request by a caregiver or guardian in connection 
     with a judicial proceeding, shall be made available to the 
     caregiver or guardian, unless the court orders otherwise;
       (B) a penalty is imposed for a violation of the limitation 
     described in subparagraph (A); and
       (C) the retention systems of the State agency responsible 
     for conducting child welfare interviews securely manage the 
     storage and distribution of such a recording with access 
     controls and role-based permission management.
       (e) Accountability.--
       (1) Records.--A State that receives a grant under this 
     section shall maintain such records as the Associate 
     Commissioner may require to facilitate an effective audit 
     relating to the receipt of the grant, the use of amounts from 
     the grant, or outsourcing activities.
       (2) Access.--For the purpose of conducting audits and 
     examinations, the Associate Commissioner shall have access to 
     any book, document, or record of the State agency that 
     receives a grant under this section if the Associate 
     Commissioner determines that the book, document, or record 
     relates to--
       (A) the receipt of the grant; or
       (B) the use of amounts from the grant.
       (f) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Associate commissioner.--The term ``Associate 
     Commissioner'' means the Associate Commissioner of the 
     Children's Bureau of the Office of the Administration for 
     Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human 
     Services.
       (2) Child welfare interview.--The term ``child welfare 
     interview'' means a documented interview with any relevant 
     parties, including a child or an adult, conducted by a State 
     agency responsible for conducting child welfare interviews in 
     order to elicit information regarding concerns of abuse of a 
     child, neglect of a child, or other crimes against a child.
       (3) State.--The term ``State'' means--
       (A) each of the several States;
       (B) the District of Columbia;
       (C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and
       (D) any territory or possession of the United States.
       (g) Funding and Sunset.--For each of fiscal years 2026 
     through 2031, the Associate Commissioner shall use not more 
     than $30,000,000 of the amounts appropriated to carry out 
     subpart 1 of part B of title IV of the Social Security Act 
     (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.) to carry out this section.
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