[House Report 116-74]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


116th Congress }                                            { Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session   }                                            { 116-74

======================================================================

 
           STRONGER CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT ACT

                                _______
                                

  May 20, 2019.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Scott of Virginia, from the Committee on Education and Labor, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 2480]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Education and Labor, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 2480) to reauthorize the Child Abuse Prevention 
and Treatment Act, and for other purposes, having considered 
the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and 
recommend that the bill as amended do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Purpose and Summary..............................................    27
Committee Action.................................................    28
Committee Views..................................................    31
Section-by-Section Analysis......................................    41
Explanation of Amendments........................................    47
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch.....................
Unfunded Mandate Statement.......................................    47
Earmark Statement................................................    47
Roll Call Votes..................................................    47
Statement of Performance Goals and Objectives....................    47
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................    47
Hearings.........................................................    47
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the 
  Committee......................................................    48
New Budget Authority and CBO Cost Estimate.......................    48
Committee Cost Estimate..........................................    50
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............    50

    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act''.

SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

  The table of contents of this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.

                        TITLE I--GENERAL PROGRAM

Sec. 101. Repeal of findings.
Sec. 102. Repeal of Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect.
Sec. 103. National clearinghouse for information relating to child 
abuse.
Sec. 104. Research and assistance activities.
Sec. 105. Grants to States, Indian Tribes or tribal organizations, and 
public or private agencies and organizations.
Sec. 106. Grants to States for child abuse or neglect prevention and 
treatment programs.
Sec. 107. Miscellaneous requirements.
Sec. 108. Reports.
Sec. 109. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 110. Electronic interstate data exchange system.
Sec. 111. Technical and conforming amendments.

TITLE II--COMMUNITY-BASED GRANTS FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE AND 
                                NEGLECT

Sec. 201. Purpose and authority.
Sec. 202. Eligibility.
Sec. 203. Amount of grant.
Sec. 204. Application.
Sec. 205. Local program requirements.
Sec. 206. Performance measures.
Sec. 207. National network for community-based family resource 
programs.
Sec. 208. Definitions.
Sec. 209. Rule of construction.
Sec. 210. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 211. Study and report.

                   TITLE III--ADOPTION OPPORTUNITIES

Sec. 301. Purpose.
Sec. 302. Report and guidance on unregulated custody transfers.
Sec. 303. Information and services.
Sec. 304. Study and report on successful adoptions.
Sec. 305. Authorization of appropriations.

                        TITLE I--GENERAL PROGRAM

SEC. 101. REPEAL OF FINDINGS.

  Section 2 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 
5101 note) is repealed.

SEC. 102. REPEAL OF ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT.

  Section 102 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5102) is repealed.

SEC. 103. NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE FOR INFORMATION RELATING TO CHILD 
                    ABUSE.

  Section 103 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5104) is amended--
          (1) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ``early learning 
        programs and'' after ``including'';
          (2) in subsection (c)(1)(C)--
                  (A) in clause (iii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
                  (B) in clause (iv), by adding ``and'' at the end; and
                  (C) by adding at the end the following:
                          ``(v) the number of child fatalities and near 
                        fatalities due to maltreatment, as reported by 
                        States in accordance with the uniform standards 
                        established pursuant to subsection (d), and any 
                        other relevant information related to such 
                        fatalities;''; and
          (3) by adding at the end the following:
  ``(d) Uniform Standards for Tracking and Reporting of Child 
Fatalities Resulting From Maltreatment.--
          ``(1) Regulations required.--Not later than 24 months after 
        the date of the enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse 
        Prevention and Treatment Act, the Secretary shall develop and 
        issue final regulations establishing uniform standards for the 
        tracking and reporting of child fatalities and near-fatalities 
        resulting from maltreatment. As a condition on eligibility for 
        receipt of funds under section 106, the standards established 
        under this paragraph shall be used by States for the tracking 
        and reporting of such fatalities under subsection (d) of such 
        section.
          ``(2) Maintenance of state law.--Notwithstanding the uniform 
        standards developed under paragraph (1), a State that defines 
        or describes such fatalities for any purpose other than 
        tracking and reporting under this subsection may continue to 
        use that definition or description for such purpose.
          ``(3) Negotiated rulemaking.--In developing regulations under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit such regulations to a 
        negotiated rulemaking process, which shall include the 
        participants described in paragraph (4).
          ``(4) Participants described.--The participants described in 
        this paragraph are--
                  ``(A) State and county officials responsible for 
                administering the State plans under this Act and parts 
                B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 
                U.S.C. 621 et seq., 670 et seq.);
                  ``(B) child welfare professionals with field 
                experience;
                  ``(C) child welfare researchers;
                  ``(D) domestic violence researchers;
                  ``(E) domestic violence professionals;
                  ``(F) child development professionals;
                  ``(G) mental health professionals;
                  ``(H) pediatric emergency medicine physicians;
                  ``(I) child abuse pediatricians, as certified by the 
                American Board of Pediatrics, who specialize in 
                treating victims of child abuse;
                  ``(J) forensic pathologists;
                  ``(K) public health administrators;
                  ``(L) public health researchers;
                  ``(M) law enforcement;
                  ``(N) family court judges;
                  ``(O) prosecutors;
                  ``(P) medical examiners and coroners;
                  ``(Q) a representative from the National Center for 
                Fatality Review and Prevention; and
                  ``(R) such other individuals and entities as the 
                Secretary determines to be appropriate.''.

SEC. 104. RESEARCH AND ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES.

  Section 104 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5105) is amended--
          (1) in subsection (a)--
                  (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
          ``(1) Topics.--The Secretary shall, in consultation with 
        other Federal agencies and recognized experts in the field, 
        carry out a continuing interdisciplinary program of research, 
        including longitudinal research, that is designed to provide 
        information needed to improve primary prevention of child abuse 
        and neglect, better protect children from child abuse or 
        neglect, and improve the well-being of victims of child abuse 
        or neglect, with at least a portion of such research being 
        field initiated. Such research program may focus on--
                  ``(A) disseminating evidence-based treatment directed 
                to individuals and families experiencing trauma due to 
                child abuse and neglect, including efforts to improve 
                the scalability of the treatments and programs being 
                researched;
                  ``(B) developing a set of evidence-based approaches 
                to support child and family well-being and developing 
                ways to identify, relieve, and mitigate stressors 
                affecting families in rural, urban, and suburban 
                communities;
                  ``(C) establishing methods to promote racial equity 
                in the child welfare system, including a focus on how 
                neglect is defined, how services are provided, and the 
                unique impact on Native American, Alaska Native, and 
                Native Hawaiian communities;
                  ``(D) improving service delivery or outcomes for 
                child welfare service agencies engaged with families 
                experiencing domestic violence, substance use disorder, 
                or other complex needs;
                  ``(E) the extent to which the number of 
                unsubstantiated, unfounded, and false reported cases of 
                child abuse or neglect have contributed to the 
                inability of a State to respond effectively to serious 
                cases of child abuse or neglect;
                  ``(F) the extent to which the lack of adequate 
                resources and the lack of adequate professional 
                development of individuals required by law to report 
                suspected cases of child abuse and neglect have 
                contributed to the inability of a State to respond 
                effectively to serious cases of child abuse and 
                neglect;
                  ``(G) the extent to which unsubstantiated reports 
                return as more serious cases of child abuse or neglect;
                  ``(H) the incidence and outcomes of child abuse and 
                neglect allegations reported within the context of 
                divorce, custody, or other family court proceedings, 
                and the interaction between family courts and the child 
                protective services system;
                  ``(I) the information on the national incidence of 
                child abuse and neglect specified in clauses (i) 
                through (xi) of subparagraph (J); and
                  ``(J) the national incidence of child abuse and 
                neglect, including--
                          ``(i) the extent to which incidents of child 
                        abuse and neglect are increasing or decreasing 
                        in number and severity;
                          ``(ii) the incidence of substantiated and 
                        unsubstantiated reported child abuse and 
                        neglect cases;
                          ``(iii) the number of substantiated cases 
                        that result in a judicial finding of child 
                        abuse or neglect or related criminal court 
                        convictions;
                          ``(iv) the extent to which the number of 
                        unsubstantiated, unfounded and false reported 
                        cases of child abuse or neglect have 
                        contributed to the inability of a State to 
                        respond effectively to serious cases of child 
                        abuse or neglect;
                          ``(v) the extent to which the lack of 
                        adequate resources and the lack of adequate 
                        education of individuals required by law to 
                        report suspected cases of child abuse and 
                        neglect have contributed to the inability of a 
                        State to respond effectively to serious cases 
                        of child abuse and neglect;
                          ``(vi) the number of unsubstantiated, false, 
                        or unfounded reports that have resulted in a 
                        child being placed in substitute care, and the 
                        duration of such placement;
                          ``(vii) the extent to which unsubstantiated 
                        reports return as more serious cases of child 
                        abuse or neglect;
                          ``(viii) the incidence and prevalence of 
                        physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and 
                        physical and emotional neglect in substitute 
                        care;
                          ``(ix) the incidence and prevalence of child 
                        maltreatment by a wide array of demographic 
                        characteristics such as age, sex, race, family 
                        structure, household relationship (including 
                        the living arrangement of the resident parent 
                        and family size), school enrollment and 
                        education attainment, disability, grandparents 
                        as caregivers, labor force status, work status 
                        in previous year, and income in previous year;
                          ``(x) the extent to which reports of 
                        suspected or known instances of child abuse or 
                        neglect involving a potential combination of 
                        jurisdictions, such as intrastate, interstate, 
                        Federal-State, and State-Tribal, are being 
                        screened out solely on the basis of the cross-
                        jurisdictional complications; and
                          ``(xi) the incidence and outcomes of child 
                        abuse and neglect allegations reported within 
                        the context of divorce, custody, or other 
                        family court proceedings, and the interaction 
                        between family courts and the child protective 
                        services system.'';
                  (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``paragraph 
                (1)(O)'' and inserting ``paragraph (1)(J)'';
                  (C) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
          ``(3) Reporting requirements.--
                  ``(A) In general.--Not later than 4 years after the 
                date of the enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse 
                Prevention and Treatment Act, the Secretary shall 
                prepare and submit to the Committee on Education and 
                Labor of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
                on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate 
                a report that contains the results of the research 
                conducted under paragraph (2).
                  ``(B) National incidence.--The Secretary shall ensure 
                that research conducted, and data collected, under 
                paragraph (1)(J) are reported in a way that will allow 
                longitudinal comparisons as well as comparisons to the 
                national incidence studies conducted under this 
                title.''; and
                  (D) by striking the second paragraph (4);
          (2) in subsection (b), by amending paragraph (2) to read as 
        follows:
          ``(2) Areas of emphasis.--Such technical assistance--
                  ``(A) shall focus on--
                          ``(i) implementing strategies that can 
                        leverage existing community-based and State 
                        funded resources to prevent child abuse and 
                        neglect and providing education for individuals 
                        involved in prevention activities;
                          ``(ii) reducing racial bias in child welfare 
                        systems, including how such systems interact 
                        with health, law enforcement, and education 
                        systems;
                          ``(iii) promoting best practices for families 
                        experiencing domestic violence, substance use 
                        disorder, or other complex needs; and
                          ``(iv) providing professional development and 
                        other technical assistance to child welfare 
                        agencies to improve the understanding of and to 
                        help address the effects of trauma and adverse 
                        childhood experiences in parents and children 
                        in contact with the child welfare system; and
                  ``(B) may include the identification of--
                          ``(i) various methods and procedures for the 
                        investigation, assessment, and prosecution of 
                        child physical and sexual abuse cases;
                          ``(ii) ways to mitigate psychological trauma 
                        to the child victim;
                          ``(iii) effective programs carried out by the 
                        States under titles I and II; and
                          ``(iv) effective approaches being utilized to 
                        link child protective service agencies with 
                        health care, mental health care, and 
                        developmental services and early intervention 
                        to improve forensic diagnosis and health 
                        evaluations, and barriers and shortages to such 
                        linkages.'';
          (3) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (3); and
          (4) by striking subsection (e).

SEC. 105. GRANTS TO STATES, INDIAN TRIBES OR TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND 
                    PUBLIC OR PRIVATE AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS.

  Section 105 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5106) is amended--
          (1) in subsection (a)--
                  (A) by redesignating paragraph (7) as paragraph (11);
                  (B) by striking paragraphs (1) through (6) and 
                inserting the following:
          ``(1) Prevention services.--The Secretary may award grants 
        under this subsection to entities to establish or expand 
        prevention services that reduce incidences of child 
        maltreatment and strengthen families.
          ``(2) Traumatic stress.--The Secretary may award grants under 
        this subsection to entities to address instances of traumatic 
        stress in families due to child abuse and neglect, especially 
        for families with complex needs or families that exhibit high 
        levels of adverse childhood experiences.
          ``(3) Promoting a high-quality workforce.--The Secretary may 
        award grants under this subsection to entities to carry out 
        programs or strategies that promote a high-quality workforce in 
        the child welfare system through---
                  ``(A) improvements to recruitment, support, or 
                retention efforts; or
                  ``(B) education for professionals and 
                paraprofessionals in the prevention, identification, 
                and treatment of child abuse and neglect.
          ``(4) Improving coordination.--The Secretary may award grants 
        under this subsection to entities to carry out activities to 
        improve intrastate coordination within the child welfare 
        system. Such activities may include--
                  ``(A) aligning information technology systems;
                  ``(B) improving information sharing regarding child 
                and family referrals; or
                  ``(C) creating collaborative voluntary partnerships 
                among public and private agencies, the State's child 
                protective services, local social service agencies, 
                community-based family support programs, State and 
                local legal agencies, developmental disability 
                agencies, substance use disorder treatment providers, 
                health care providers and agencies, domestic violence 
                prevention programs, mental health services, schools 
                and early learning providers, religious entities, and 
                other community-based programs.
          ``(5) Primary prevention.--The Secretary may award grants 
        under this subsection to entities to carry out or expand 
        primary prevention programs or strategies that address family 
        or community protective factors.
          ``(6) Neglect due to economic insecurity.--The Secretary may 
        award grants under this subsection to entities to carry out 
        programs or strategies that reduce findings of child neglect 
        due in full or in part to family economic insecurity.
          ``(7) Education of mandatory reporters.--The Secretary may 
        award grants under this subsection to entities for projects 
        that involve research-based strategies for innovative education 
        of mandated child abuse and neglect reporters, and for victims 
        to understand mandatory reporting.
          ``(8) Sentinel injuries.--The Secretary may award grants 
        under this subsection to entities to identify and test 
        effective practices to improve early detection and management 
        of injuries indicative of potential abuse in infants to prevent 
        future cases of child abuse and related fatalities.
          ``(9) Innovative partnerships.--The Secretary may award 
        grants under this subsection to entities to carry out 
        innovative programs or strategies to coordinate the delivery of 
        services to help reduce child abuse and neglect via 
        partnerships among health, mental health, education (including 
        early learning and care programs as appropriate), and child 
        welfare agencies and providers.
          ``(10) Reducing child abuse and neglect due to the substance 
        use disorder of a parent or caregiver.--The Secretary may award 
        grants under this subsection to entities to carry out 
        activities to reduce child abuse and neglect due to the 
        substance use disorder of a parent or caregiver.''; and
                  (C) by adding at the end the following:
          ``(12) National child abuse hotline.--
                  ``(A) In general.--The Secretary may award a grant 
                under this subsection to a nonprofit entity to provide 
                for the ongoing operation of a 24-hour, national, toll-
                free telephone hotline to provide information and 
                assistance to youth victims of child abuse or neglect, 
                parents, caregivers, mandated reporters, and other 
                concerned community members, including through 
                alternative modalities for communications (such as 
                texting or chat services) with such victims and other 
                information seekers.
                  ``(B) Priority.--In awarding grants described in this 
                paragraph, the Secretary shall give priority to 
                applicants with experience in operating a hotline that 
                provides assistance to victims of child abuse, parents, 
                caregivers, and mandated reporters.
                  ``(C) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
                described in this paragraph, a nonprofit entity shall 
                submit an application to the Secretary that shall--
                          ``(i) contain such assurances and 
                        information, be in such form, and be submitted 
                        in such manner, as the Secretary shall 
                        prescribe;
                          ``(ii) include a complete description of the 
                        entity's plan for the operation of a national 
                        child abuse hotline, including descriptions 
                        of--
                                  ``(I) the professional development 
                                program for hotline personnel, 
                                including technology professional 
                                development to ensure that all persons 
                                affiliated with the hotline are able to 
                                effectively operate any technological 
                                systems used by the hotline;
                                  ``(II) the qualifications for hotline 
                                personnel;
                                  ``(III) the methods for the creation, 
                                maintenance, and updating of a 
                                comprehensive list of prevention and 
                                treatment service providers;
                                  ``(IV) a plan for publicizing the 
                                availability of the hotline throughout 
                                the United States;
                                  ``(V) a plan for providing service to 
                                non-English speaking callers, including 
                                service through hotline personnel who 
                                have non-English language capability;
                                  ``(VI) a plan for facilitating access 
                                to the hotline and alternative modality 
                                services by persons with hearing 
                                impairments and disabilities;
                                  ``(VII) a plan for providing crisis 
                                counseling, general assistance, and 
                                referrals to youth victims of child 
                                abuse; and
                                  ``(VIII) a plan to offer alternative 
                                services to calling, such as texting or 
                                live chat;
                          ``(iii) demonstrate that the entity has the 
                        capacity and the expertise to maintain a child 
                        abuse hotline and a comprehensive list of 
                        service providers;
                          ``(iv) demonstrate the ability to provide 
                        information and referrals for contacts, 
                        directly connect contacts to service providers, 
                        and employ crisis interventions;
                          ``(v) demonstrate that the entity has a 
                        commitment to providing services to individuals 
                        in need; and
                          ``(vi) demonstrate that the entity complies 
                        with State privacy laws and has established 
                        quality assurance practices.''; and
          (2) by striking subsections (b) and (c) and inserting the 
        following:
  ``(b) Goals and Performance.--The Secretary shall ensure that each 
entity receiving a grant under this section--
          ``(1) establishes quantifiable goals for the outcome of the 
        project funded with the grant; and
          ``(2) adequately measures the performance of the project 
        relative to such goals.
  ``(c) Performance Report Required.--
          ``(1) In general.--Each entity that receives a grant under 
        this section shall submit to the Secretary a performance report 
        that includes--
                  ``(A) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the 
                project funded with the grant relative to the goals 
                established for such project under subsection (b)(1); 
                and
                  ``(B) data supporting such evaluation.
          ``(2) Submission.--The report under paragraph (1) shall be 
        submitted to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
        containing such information as the Secretary may require.
  ``(d) Continuing Grants.--The Secretary may only award a continuing 
grant to an entity under this section if such entity submits a 
performance report required under subsection (c) that demonstrates 
effectiveness of the project funded.''.

SEC. 106. GRANTS TO STATES FOR CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT PREVENTION AND 
                    TREATMENT PROGRAMS.

  (a) Development and Operation Grants.--Subsection (a) of section 106 
of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a) is 
amended to read as follows:
  ``(a) Development and Operation Grants.--The Secretary shall make 
grants to the States, from allotments under subsection (f) for each 
State that applies for a grant under this section, for purposes of 
assisting the States in improving and implementing a child protective 
services system that is family-centered, integrates community services, 
and is capable of providing rapid response to high-risk cases, by 
carrying out the following:
          ``(1) Conducting the intake, assessment, screening, and 
        investigation of reports of child abuse or neglect.
          ``(2) Ensuring that reports concerning a child's living 
        arrangements or subsistence needs are addressed through 
        services or benefits and that no child is separated from such 
        child's parent for reasons of poverty.
          ``(3) Creating and improving the use of multidisciplinary 
        teams and interagency, intra-agency, interstate, and intrastate 
        protocols to enhance fair investigations; and improving legal 
        preparation and representation.
          ``(4) Complying with the assurances in section 106(b)(2).
          ``(5) Establishing State and local networks of child and 
        family service providers that support child and family well-
        being, which shall--
                  ``(A) include child protective services, as well as 
                agencies and service providers, that address family-
                strengthening, parenting skills, child development, 
                early childhood care and learning, child advocacy, 
                public health, mental health, substance use disorder 
                treatment, domestic violence, developmental 
                disabilities, housing, juvenile justice, elementary and 
                secondary education, and child placement; and
                  ``(B) address instances of child abuse and neglect by 
                incorporating evaluations that assess the development 
                of a child, including language and communication, 
                cognitive, physical, and social and emotional 
                development, the need for mental health services, 
                including trauma-related services, trauma-informed 
                care, and parental needs.
          ``(6) Ensuring child protective services is addressing the 
        safety of children and responding to parent and family needs, 
        which shall include--
                  ``(A) family-oriented efforts that emphasize case 
                assessment and follow up casework focused on child 
                safety and child and parent well-being, which may 
                include--
                          ``(i) ensuring parents and children undergo 
                        physical and mental health assessments, as 
                        appropriate, and ongoing developmental 
                        monitoring;
                          ``(ii) multidisciplinary approaches to 
                        assessing family needs and connecting the 
                        family with services, including prevention 
                        services under section 471 of the Social 
                        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671);
                          ``(iii) organizing a treatment team with the 
                        goal of preventing child abuse and neglect, and 
                        improving parent and child well-being;
                          ``(iv) case monitoring that supports child 
                        well-being; and
                          ``(v) differential response efforts; and
                  ``(B) establishing and maintaining a rapid response 
                system that responds promptly to all reports of child 
                abuse or neglect, with special attention to cases 
                involving children under 3 years of age.
          ``(7) Educating caseworkers, community service providers, 
        attorneys, health care professionals, parents, and others 
        engaged in the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child 
        abuse and neglect, which shall include education on--
                  ``(A) practices that help ensure child safety and 
                well-being;
                  ``(B) approaches to family-oriented prevention, 
                intervention, and treatment of child abuse and neglect;
                  ``(C) early childhood, child, and adolescent 
                development, and the impact of adverse childhood 
                experiences on such development;
                  ``(D) the relationship between child abuse and 
                domestic violence, and support for non-abusing parents;
                  ``(E) strategies to work with families impacted by 
                substance use disorder and mental health issues (and, 
                when appropriate, be coordinated with prevention 
                efforts funded under section 471 of the Social Security 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 671));
                  ``(F) effective use of multiple services to address 
                family and child needs, including needs resulting from 
                trauma;
                  ``(G) efforts to improve family and child well-being;
                  ``(H) support for child welfare workers affected by 
                secondary trauma; and
                  ``(I) supporting families and caregivers to combat 
                and prevent unsubstantiated, unfounded, or false 
                reports, including through education on the rights of 
                families and caregivers.
          ``(8) Creating or improving data systems that allow for--
                  ``(A) the identification of cases requiring prompt 
                responses;
                  ``(B) real-time case monitoring that tracks 
                assessments, service referrals, follow-up, case 
                reviews, and progress toward parent and child goals; 
                and
                  ``(C) sharing basic identifying data with law 
                enforcement, as necessary.
          ``(9) Improving the general child protective system by 
        developing, improving, and implementing safety assessment 
        tools, providing that such tools, protocols, and systems shall 
        not authorize the separation of any child from the legal parent 
        or guardian of such child solely on the basis of poverty, or 
        without a judicial order, except in the case of imminent 
        harm.''.
  (b) Eligibility Requirements.--
          (1) State plan.--Paragraph (1) of section 106(b) of the Child 
        Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a(b)) is 
        amended to read as follows:
          ``(1) State plan.--
                  ``(A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
                under this section, a State shall submit to the 
                Secretary a State plan that--
                          ``(i) specifies how the grant will be used, 
                        and the State's strategic plan, to treat child 
                        abuse and neglect and enhance community-based, 
                        prevention-centered approaches that attempt to 
                        prevent child abuse and neglect while 
                        strengthening and supporting families whenever 
                        possible; and
                          ``(ii) meets the requirements of this 
                        subsection.
                  ``(B) Coordination and consultation.--
                          ``(i) Coordination.--Each State, to the 
                        maximum extent practicable, shall coordinate 
                        its State plan under this subsection with its 
                        State plan under part B of title IV of the 
                        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.) 
                        relating to child and family services and, in 
                        States electing to provide services under part 
                        E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 
                        U.S.C. 670 et seq.) relating to foster care 
                        prevention services, its State plan under such 
                        part E.
                          ``(ii) Consultation.--In developing a State 
                        plan under this subsection, a State shall 
                        consult with community-based prevention and 
                        service agencies, parents and families affected 
                        by child abuse or neglect in the State, law 
                        enforcement, family court judges, prosecutors 
                        who handle criminal child abuse cases, and 
                        medical professionals engaged in the treatment 
                        of child abuse and neglect.
                  ``(C) Duration and submission of plan.--Each State 
                plan shall--
                          ``(i) be submitted not less than every 5 
                        years; and
                          ``(ii) if necessary, revised by the State to 
                        inform the Secretary of any substantive 
                        changes, including--
                                  ``(I) any changes to State law or 
                                regulations, relating to the prevention 
                                of child abuse and neglect that may 
                                affect the eligibility of the State 
                                under this section; or
                                  ``(II) any changes in the State's 
                                activities, strategies, or programs 
                                under this section.''.
          (2) Contents.--Paragraph (2) of section 106(b) of the Child 
        Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a(b)) is 
        amended to read as follows:
          ``(2) Contents.--A State plan submitted under paragraph (1) 
        shall contain a description of the activities that the State 
        will carry out using amounts received under the grant to 
        achieve the objectives of this title, including--
                  ``(A) an assurance in the form of a certification by 
                the Governor of the State that the State has in effect 
                and is enforcing a State law, or has in effect and is 
                operating a statewide program, relating to child abuse 
                and neglect that includes--
                          ``(i) provisions or procedures for an 
                        individual to report known and suspected 
                        instances of child abuse and neglect, including 
                        a State law for mandatory reporting by 
                        individuals required to report such instances;
                          ``(ii) procedures for the immediate 
                        screening, risk and safety assessment, and 
                        prompt investigation of such reports of alleged 
                        abuse and neglect in order to ensure the well-
                        being and safety of children;
                          ``(iii) procedures for immediate steps to be 
                        taken to ensure and protect the safety of a 
                        victim of child abuse or neglect and of any 
                        other child under the same care who may also be 
                        in danger of child abuse or neglect and 
                        ensuring their placement in a safe environment;
                          ``(iv) methods to preserve the 
                        confidentiality of all records in order to 
                        protect the rights of the child and of the 
                        child's parents or guardians, including 
                        requirements ensuring that reports and records 
                        made and maintained pursuant to the purposes of 
                        this Act shall only be made available to--
                                  ``(I) individuals who are the subject 
                                of the report;
                                  ``(II) Federal, State, or local 
                                government entities, or any agent of 
                                such entities, as described in clause 
                                (xi) of this subparagraph;
                                  ``(III) child abuse citizen review 
                                panels;
                                  ``(IV) child fatality review panels;
                                  ``(V) a grand jury or court, upon a 
                                finding that information in the record 
                                is necessary for the determination of 
                                an issue before the court or grand 
                                jury; and
                                  ``(VI) other entities or classes of 
                                individuals statutorily authorized by 
                                the State to receive such information 
                                pursuant to a legitimate State purpose;
                          ``(v) provisions and procedures requiring 
                        that in every case involving a victim of child 
                        abuse or neglect which results in a judicial 
                        proceeding, a guardian ad litem, who has 
                        received education appropriate to the role, 
                        including education in early childhood, child, 
                        and adolescent development, and domestic 
                        violence, and who may be an attorney or a court 
                        appointed special advocate who has received 
                        education appropriate to that role (or both), 
                        shall be appointed to represent the child (who, 
                        for purposes of this section, shall have any 
                        age limit elected by the State pursuant to 
                        section 475(8)(B)(iii) of the Social Security 
                        Act (42 U.S.C. 675(8)(B)(iii)) in such 
                        proceedings--
                                  ``(I) to obtain first-hand, a clear 
                                understanding of the situation and 
                                needs of such child; and
                                  ``(II) to make recommendations to the 
                                court concerning the best interests of 
                                such child;
                          ``(vi) the establishment of citizen review 
                        panels in accordance with subsection (c);
                          ``(vii) provisions and procedures to require 
                        that a representative of the child protective 
                        services agency shall, at the initial time of 
                        contact with the individual subject to a child 
                        abuse or neglect investigation, advise the 
                        individual of the complaints or allegations 
                        made against the individual, in a manner that 
                        is consistent with laws protecting the rights 
                        of the informant;
                          ``(viii) provisions, procedures, and 
                        mechanisms--
                                  ``(I) for the expedited termination 
                                of parental rights in the case of any 
                                infant determined to be abandoned under 
                                State law; and
                                  ``(II) by which individuals who 
                                disagree with an official finding of 
                                child abuse or neglect can appeal such 
                                finding;
                          ``(ix) provisions addressing the professional 
                        development of representatives of the child 
                        protective services system regarding the legal 
                        duties of the representatives, which may 
                        consist of various methods of informing such 
                        representatives of such duties (including 
                        providing such education in different languages 
                        if necessary), in order to protect the legal 
                        rights and safety of children and their parents 
                        and caregivers from the initial time of contact 
                        during investigation through treatment;
                          ``(x) provisions for immunity from civil or 
                        criminal liability under State and local laws 
                        and regulations for individuals making good 
                        faith reports of suspected or known instances 
                        of child abuse or neglect, or who otherwise 
                        provide information or assistance, including 
                        medical evaluations or consultations, in 
                        connection with a report, investigation, or 
                        legal intervention pursuant to a good faith 
                        report of child abuse or neglect;
                          ``(xi) provisions to require the State to 
                        disclose confidential information to any 
                        Federal, State, or local government entity, or 
                        any agent of such entity, that has a need for 
                        such information in order to carry out its 
                        responsibilities under law to protect children 
                        from child abuse and neglect;
                          ``(xii) provisions requiring, and procedures 
                        in place that facilitate the prompt expungement 
                        of any records that are accessible to the 
                        general public or are used for purposes of 
                        employment or other background checks in cases 
                        determined to be unsubstantiated or false, 
                        except that nothing in this section shall 
                        prevent State child protective services 
                        agencies from keeping information on 
                        unsubstantiated reports in their casework files 
                        to assist in future risk and safety assessment;
                          ``(xiii) provisions and procedures for 
                        requiring criminal background record checks 
                        that meet the requirements of section 
                        471(a)(20) of the Social Security Act (42 
                        U.S.C. 671(a)(20)) for prospective foster and 
                        adoptive parents and other adult relatives and 
                        non- relatives residing in the household;
                          ``(xiv) provisions for systems of technology 
                        that support the State child protective 
                        services system and track reports of child 
                        abuse and neglect from intake through final 
                        disposition;
                          ``(xv) provisions and procedures requiring 
                        identification and assessment of all reports 
                        involving children known or suspected to be 
                        victims of sex trafficking (as defined in 
                        section 103(12) of the Trafficking Victims 
                        Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102 (12));
                          ``(xvi) provisions, procedures, and 
                        mechanisms that assure that the State does not 
                        require reunification of a surviving child with 
                        a parent who has been found by a court of 
                        competent jurisdiction--
                                  ``(I) to have committed murder (which 
                                would have been an offense under 
                                section 1111(a) of title 18, United 
                                States Code, if the offense had 
                                occurred in the special maritime or 
                                territorial jurisdiction of the United 
                                States) of another child of such 
                                parent;
                                  ``(II) to have committed voluntary 
                                manslaughter (which would have been an 
                                offense under section 1112(a) of title 
                                18, United States Code, if the offense 
                                had occurred in the special maritime or 
                                territorial jurisdiction of the United 
                                States) of another child of such 
                                parent;
                                  ``(III) to have aided or abetted, 
                                attempted, conspired, or solicited to 
                                commit such murder or voluntary 
                                manslaughter;
                                  ``(IV) to have committed a felony 
                                assault that results in the serious 
                                bodily injury to the surviving child or 
                                another child of such parent;
                                  ``(V) to have committed sexual abuse 
                                against the surviving child or another 
                                child of such parent; or
                                  ``(VI) to be required to register 
                                with a sex offender registry under 
                                section 113(a) of the Adam Walsh Child 
                                Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 
                                U.S.C. 16913(a)); and
                          ``(xvii) an assurance that, upon the 
                        implementation by the State of the provisions, 
                        procedures, and mechanisms under clause (xvi), 
                        conviction of any one of the felonies listed in 
                        clause (xvi) constitute grounds under State law 
                        for the termination of parental rights of the 
                        convicted parent as to the surviving children 
                        (although case-by-case determinations of 
                        whether or not to seek termination of parental 
                        rights shall be within the sole discretion of 
                        the State);
                  ``(B) an assurance that the State has in place 
                procedures for responding to the reporting of medical 
                neglect (including instances of withholding of 
                medically indicated treatment from infants with 
                disabilities who have life-threatening conditions), 
                procedures or programs, or both (within the State child 
                protective services system), to provide for--
                          ``(i) coordination and consultation with 
                        individuals designated by and within 
                        appropriate health-care facilities;
                          ``(ii) prompt notification by individuals 
                        designated by and within appropriate health-
                        care facilities of cases of suspected medical 
                        neglect (including instances of withholding of 
                        medically indicated treatment from infants with 
                        disabilities who have life-threatening 
                        conditions); and
                          ``(iii) authority, under State law, for the 
                        State child protective services system to 
                        pursue any legal remedies, including the 
                        authority to initiate legal proceedings in a 
                        court of competent jurisdiction, as may be 
                        necessary to prevent the withholding of 
                        medically indicated treatment from infants with 
                        disabilities who have life-threatening 
                        conditions;
                  ``(C) an assurance or certification that programs and 
                education conducted under this title address the unique 
                needs of unaccompanied homeless youth, including access 
                to enrollment and support services and that such youth 
                are eligible for under parts B and E of title IV of the 
                Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq., 670 et 
                seq.) and meet the requirements of the McKinney-Vento 
                Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11301 et seq.);
                  ``(D) a description of--
                          ``(i) policies and procedures (including 
                        appropriate referrals to child welfare service 
                        systems and for other appropriate services 
                        (including home visiting services and mutual 
                        support and parent partner programs)) to 
                        address the needs of infants born with and 
                        identified as being affected by substance use 
                        or withdrawal symptoms resulting from prenatal 
                        drug exposure, or a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum 
                        Disorder, including a requirement that health 
                        care providers involved in the delivery or care 
                        of such infants notify the child welfare 
                        services system of the occurrence of such 
                        condition in such infants, except that such 
                        notification shall not be construed to--
                                  ``(I) establish a definition under 
                                Federal law of what constitutes child 
                                abuse or neglect; or
                                  ``(II) require prosecution for any 
                                illegal action;
                          ``(ii) the development of a plan of safe care 
                        for the infant born and identified as being 
                        affected by substance use or withdrawal 
                        symptoms, or a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder 
                        to ensure the safety and well-being of such 
                        infant following release from the care of 
                        health care providers, including through--
                                  ``(I) addressing the health and 
                                substance use disorder treatment needs 
                                of the infant and affected family or 
                                caregiver; and
                                  ``(II) the development and 
                                implementation by the State of 
                                monitoring systems regarding the 
                                implementation of such plans to 
                                determine whether and in what manner 
                                local entities are providing, in 
                                accordance with State requirements, 
                                referrals to and delivery of 
                                appropriate services for the infant and 
                                affected family or caregiver;
                          ``(iii) policies and procedures to make 
                        available to the public on the State website 
                        the data, findings, and information about all 
                        cases of child abuse or neglect resulting in a 
                        child fatality or near fatality, including a 
                        description of--
                                  ``(I) how the State will not create 
                                an exception to such public disclosure, 
                                except in a case in which--
                                          ``(aa) the State would like 
                                        to delay public release of 
                                        case-specific findings or 
                                        information (including any 
                                        previous reports of domestic 
                                        violence and subsequent actions 
                                        taken to assess and address 
                                        such reports) while a criminal 
                                        investigation or prosecution of 
                                        such a fatality or near 
                                        fatality is pending;
                                          ``(bb) the State is 
                                        protecting the identity of a 
                                        reporter of child abuse or 
                                        neglect; or
                                          ``(cc) the State is 
                                        withholding identifying 
                                        information of members of the 
                                        victim's family who are not 
                                        perpetrators of the fatality or 
                                        near fatality; and
                                  ``(II) how the State will ensure that 
                                in providing the public disclosure 
                                required under this clause, the State 
                                will include--
                                          ``(aa) the cause and 
                                        circumstances of the fatality 
                                        or near fatality;
                                          ``(bb) the age and gender of 
                                        the child; and
                                          ``(cc) any previous reports 
                                        of child abuse or neglect 
                                        investigations that are 
                                        relevant to the child abuse or 
                                        neglect that led to the 
                                        fatality or near fatality;
                          ``(iv) how the State will use data collected 
                        on child abuse or neglect to prevent child 
                        fatalities and near fatalities;
                          ``(v) how the State will implement efforts to 
                        prevent child fatalities and near fatalities;
                          ``(vi) the cooperation of State law 
                        enforcement officials, court of competent 
                        jurisdiction, and appropriate State agencies 
                        providing human services in the investigation, 
                        assessment, prosecution, and treatment of child 
                        abuse and neglect;
                          ``(vii) the steps the State will take to 
                        improve the professional development, 
                        retention, and supervision of caseworkers and 
                        how the State will measure the effectiveness of 
                        such efforts;
                          ``(viii) the State's plan to ensure each 
                        child under the age of 3 who is involved in a 
                        substantiated case of child abuse or neglect 
                        will be referred to the State's child find 
                        system under section 635(a)(5) of the 
                        Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 
                        U.S.C. 1435(a)(5)) in order to determine if the 
                        child is an infant or toddler with a disability 
                        (as defined in section 632(5) of such Act (20 
                        U.S.C. 1432(5)));
                          ``(ix) the State's plan to improve, as part 
                        of a comprehensive State strategy led by law 
                        enforcement, professional development for child 
                        protective services workers and their 
                        appropriate role in identifying, assessing, and 
                        providing comprehensive services for children 
                        who are sex trafficking victims, in 
                        coordination with law enforcement, juvenile 
                        justice agencies, runaway and homeless youth 
                        shelters, and health, mental health, and other 
                        social service agencies and providers;
                          ``(x) the services to be provided under the 
                        grant to individuals, families, or communities, 
                        either directly or through referrals, aimed at 
                        preventing the occurrence of child abuse and 
                        neglect;
                          ``(xi) the State's efforts to ensure 
                        professionals who are required to report 
                        suspected cases of child abuse and neglect are 
                        aware of their responsibilities under 
                        subparagraph (A)(i) and receive professional 
                        development relating to performing such 
                        responsibilities that is specific to their 
                        profession and workplace;
                          ``(xii) policies and procedures encouraging 
                        the appropriate involvement of families in 
                        decisionmaking pertaining to children who 
                        experienced child abuse or neglect;
                          ``(xiii) the State's efforts to improve 
                        appropriate collaboration among child 
                        protective services agencies, domestic violence 
                        services agencies, substance use disorder 
                        treatment agencies, and other agencies in 
                        investigations, interventions, and the delivery 
                        of services and treatment provided to children 
                        and families affected by child abuse or 
                        neglect, including children exposed to domestic 
                        violence, where appropriate;
                          ``(xiv) policies and procedures regarding the 
                        use of differential response, as applicable, to 
                        improve outcomes for children; and
                          ``(xv) the State's efforts to reduce racial 
                        bias in its child protective services 
                        system.''.
          (3) Limitations.--Paragraph (3) of section 106(b) of the 
        Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a(b)) 
        is amended--
                  (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 
                ``Limitation'' and inserting ``Limitations'';
                  (B) by striking ``With regard to clauses (vi) and 
                (vii) of paragraph (2)(B),'' and inserting the 
                following:
                  ``(A) Disclosure of certain identifying 
                information.--With regard to subparagraphs (A)(iv) and 
                (D)(iii) of paragraph (2),'';
                  (C) by striking the period at the end and inserting 
                ``; and''; and
                  (D) by adding at the end the following:
                  ``(B) Public access to court proceedings.--Nothing in 
                paragraph (2) shall be construed to limit the State's 
                flexibility to determine State policies relating to 
                public access to court proceedings to determine child 
                abuse and neglect, except that such policies shall, at 
                a minimum, ensure the safety and well-being of the 
                child, parents, and families.''.
          (4) Definitions.--Paragraph (4) of section 106(b) of the 
        Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a(b)) 
        is amended--
                  (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 
                ``Definitions'' and inserting ``Definition'';
                  (B) by striking ``this subsection'' and all that 
                follows through ``means an act'' and inserting the 
                following: ``this subsection, the term `near fatality' 
                means an act'';
                  (C) by striking ``; and'' and inserting a period; and
                  (D) by striking subparagraph (B).
  (c) Citizen Review Panels.--Section 106(c) of the Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a(c)) is amended--
          (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ``Exceptions.'' and all 
        that follows through ``A State may'' and inserting 
        ``Exception.--A State may'';
          (2) in paragraph (4)(A)--
                  (A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking 
                ``and where appropriate, specific cases,''; and
                  (B) in clause (iii)(I), by striking ``foster care and 
                adoption programs'' and inserting ``foster care, 
                prevention, and permanency programs''; and
          (3) by amending the first sentence of paragraph (6) to read 
        as follows: ``Each panel established under paragraph (1) shall 
        prepare and make available to the State and the public, on an 
        annual basis, a report containing a summary of the activities 
        of the panel, the criteria used for determining which 
        activities the panel engaged in, and recommendations or 
        observations to improve the child protective services system at 
        the State and local levels, and the data upon which these 
        recommendations or observations are based.''.
  (d) Annual State Data Reports.--Section 106(d) of the Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a(d)) is amended--
          (1) by amending paragraph (13) to read as follows:
          ``(13) The annual report containing the summary of the 
        activities and recommendations of the citizen review panels of 
        the State required by subsection (c)(6), and the actions taken 
        by the State as a result of such recommendations.'';
          (2) in paragraph (15), by striking ``subsection 
        (b)(2)(B)(ii)'' and inserting ``subsection (b)(2)(D)(i)'';
          (3) in paragraph (16), by striking ``subsection 
        (b)(2)(B)(xxi)'' and inserting ``subsection (b)(2)(D)(viii)'';
          (4) in paragraph (17), by striking ``subsection 
        (b)(2)(B)(xxiv)'' and inserting ``subsection (b)(2)(A)(xv)''; 
        and
          (5) in paragraph (18)--
                  (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``subsection 
                (b)(2)(B)(ii)'' and inserting ``subsection 
                (b)(2)(D)(i)'';
                  (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``subsection 
                (b)(2)(B)(iii)'' and inserting ``subsection 
                (b)(2)(D)(ii)''; and
                  (C) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``subsection 
                (b)(2)(B)(iii)'' and inserting ``subsection 
                (b)(2)(D)(ii)''; and
          (6) by adding at the end the following:
          ``(19) The number of child fatalities and near fatalities 
        from maltreatment and related information in accordance with 
        the uniform standards established under section 103(d).''.
  (e) Allotments.--Section 106(f) of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a(f)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
          ``(6) Limitation.--For any fiscal year for which the amount 
        allotted to a State or territory under this subsection exceeds 
        the amount allotted to the State or territory under such 
        subsection for fiscal year 2019, the State or territory may use 
        not more than 2 percent of such excess amount for 
        administrative expenses.''.

SEC. 107. MISCELLANEOUS REQUIREMENTS.

  Section 108 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5106d) is amended--
          (1) in subsection (b), by inserting ``Indian tribes, and 
        tribal organizations,'' after ``States,'';
          (2) by redesignating subsections (c) through (e) as 
        subsections (d) through (f), respectively; and
          (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
  ``(c) Protecting Against Systemic Child Sexual Abuse.--
          ``(1) Reporting and task force.--Not later than 24 months 
        after the date of the enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse 
        Prevention and Treatment Act, each State task force established 
        under section 107(c) and expanded as described in paragraph (2) 
        shall study and make recommendations on the following, with a 
        focus on preventing systemic child sexual abuse:
                  ``(A) How to detect systemic child sexual abuse that 
                occurs in an organization.
                  ``(B) How to prevent child sexual abuse and systemic 
                child sexual abuse from occurring in organizations, 
                which shall include recommendations to improve--
                          ``(i) practices and policies for the 
                        education of parents, caregivers, and victims, 
                        and age appropriate education of children, 
                        about risk factors or signs of potential child 
                        sexual abuse; and
                          ``(ii) the efficacy of applicable State laws 
                        and the role such laws play in deterring or 
                        preventing incidences of child sexual abuse.
                  ``(C) The feasibility of making available the 
                disposition of a perpetrator within an organization 
                to--
                          ``(i) the child alleging sexual abuse or the 
                        child's family; or
                          ``(ii) an adult who was a child at the time 
                        of the sexual abuse claim in question or the 
                        adult's family.
          ``(2) Task force composition.--For purposes of this 
        subsection, a State task force shall include--
                  ``(A) the members of the State task force described 
                in section 107(c) for the State; and
                  ``(B) the following:
                          ``(i) Family court judges.
                          ``(ii) Individuals from religious 
                        organizations.
                          ``(iii) Individuals from youth-serving 
                        organizations, including youth athletics 
                        organizations.
          ``(3) Reporting on recommendations.--Not later than 6 months 
        after a State task force makes recommendations under paragraph 
        (1), the State maintaining such State task force shall--
                  ``(A) make public the recommendations of such report;
                  ``(B) report to the Secretary on the status of 
                adopting such recommendations; and
                  ``(C) in a case in which the State declines to adopt 
                a particular recommendation, make public the 
                explanation for such declination.
          ``(4) Definitions.--For purposes of this subsection--
                  ``(A) the terms `child sexual abuse' and `sexual 
                abuse' shall not be limited to an act or a failure to 
                act on the part of a parent or caretaker;
                  ``(B) the term `organization' means any entity that 
                serves children; and
                  ``(C) the term `systemic child sexual abuse' means--
                          ``(i) a pattern of informal or formal policy 
                        or de facto policy to not follow State and 
                        local requirements to report instances of child 
                        sexual abuse in violation of State and local 
                        mandatory reporting laws or policy; or
                          ``(ii) a pattern of assisting individual 
                        perpetrators in maintaining their careers 
                        despite substantiated evidence of child sexual 
                        abuse.''.

SEC. 108. REPORTS.

  (a) Scaling Evidence-based Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect.--
Section 110 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 
5106f) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 110. STUDY AND REPORT RELATING TO SCALING EVIDENCE-BASED 
                    TREATMENT OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT; STUDY AND 
                    REPORT ON MARITAL AGE OF CONSENT; STUDY AND REPORT 
                    ON STATE MANDATORY REPORTING LAWS.

  ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall conduct a study that examines 
challenges to, and best practices for, the scalability of treatments 
that reduce the trauma resulting from child abuse and neglect and 
reduce the risk of revictimization, such as those allowable under 
sections 105 and 106.
  ``(b) Content of Study.--The study described in subsection (a) shall 
be completed in a manner that considers the variability among treatment 
programs and among populations vulnerable to child abuse and neglect. 
The study shall include, at minimum:
          ``(1) A detailed synthesis of the existing research 
        literature examining barriers and challenges to, and best 
        practices for the scalability of child welfare programs and 
        services as well as programs and services for vulnerable 
        children and families in related fields, including healthcare 
        and education.
          ``(2) Data describing state and local providers' experiences 
        with scaling treatments that reduce the trauma resulting from 
        child abuse and neglect and reduce the risk of revictimization.
          ``(3) Consultation with experts in child welfare, healthcare, 
        and education.
  ``(c) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment 
of the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
Representatives a report that contains the results of the study 
conducted under subsection (a), including recommendations for best 
practices for scaling treatments that reduce the trauma resulting from 
child abuse and neglect and reduce the risk of revictimization.
  ``(d) Study and Report on Marital Age of Consent.--
          ``(1) Study.--The Secretary shall study, with respect to each 
        State--
                  ``(A) the State law regarding the minimum marriage 
                age; and
                  ``(B) the prevalence of marriage involving a child 
                who is under the age of such minimum marriage age.
          ``(2) Factors.--The study required under paragraph (1) shall 
        include an examination of--
                  ``(A) the extent to which any statutory exceptions to 
                the minimum marriage age in such laws contribute to the 
                prevalence of marriage involving a child described in 
                paragraph (1)(B);
                  ``(B) whether such exceptions allow such a child to 
                be married without the consent of such child; and
                  ``(C) the impact of such exceptions on the safety of 
                such children.
          ``(3) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 
        Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, 
        Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee 
        on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives a report 
        containing the findings of the study required by this 
        subsection, including any best practices.
  ``(e) Study and Report on State Mandatory Reporting Laws.--
          ``(1) Study.--The Secretary shall collect information on and 
        otherwise study State laws for mandatory reporting of incidents 
        of child abuse or neglect. Such study shall examine trends in 
        referrals and investigations of child abuse and neglect due to 
        differences in such State laws with respect to the inclusion, 
        as mandatory reporters, of the following individuals:
                  ``(A) Individuals licensed or certified to practice 
                in any health-related field licensed by the State, 
                employees of health care facilities or providers 
                licensed by the State, who are engaged in the 
                admission, examination, care or treatment of 
                individuals, including mental health and emergency 
                medical service providers.
                  ``(B) Individuals employed by a school who have 
                direct contact with children, including teachers, 
                administrators, and independent contractors.
                  ``(C) Peace officers and law enforcement personnel.
                  ``(D) Clergy, including Christian Science 
                practitioners, except where prohibited on account of 
                clergy-penitent privilege.
                  ``(E) Day care and child care operators and 
                employees.
                  ``(F) Employees of social services agencies who have 
                direct contact with children in the course of 
                employment.
                  ``(G) Foster parents.
                  ``(H) Court appointed special advocates (employees 
                and volunteers).
                  ``(I) Camp and after-school employees.
                  ``(J) An individual, paid or unpaid, who, on the 
                basis of the individual's role as an integral part of a 
                regularly scheduled program, activity, or service, 
                accepts responsibility for a child.
          ``(2) Report.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
        enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 
        Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, 
        Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee 
        on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives a report 
        containing the findings of the study required by this 
        subsection, including any best practices related to the 
        inclusion, as mandatory reporters, of individuals described in 
        paragraph (1).''.
  (b) Report on Child Abuse and Neglect in Indian Tribal Communities.--
          (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General, in consultation 
        with the Indian tribes from each of the 12 regions of the 
        Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall study child abuse and neglect 
        in Indian Tribal communities for the purpose of identifying 
        vital information and making recommendations concerning issues 
        relating to child abuse and neglect in such communities, and 
        submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
        Pensions and the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate and 
        the Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on 
        Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report on 
        such study, which shall include--
                  (A) the number of Indian tribes providing primary 
                child abuse and neglect prevention activities;
                  (B) the number of Indian tribes providing secondary 
                child abuse and neglect prevention activities;
                  (C) promising practices of Indian tribes with respect 
                to child abuse and neglect prevention that are 
                culturally-based or culturally-adapted;
                  (D) information and recommendations on how such 
                culturally-based or culturally-adapted child abuse and 
                neglect prevention activities could become evidence-
                based;
                  (E) the number of Indian tribes that have accessed 
                Federal child abuse and neglect prevention programs;
                  (F) child abuse and neglect prevention activities 
                that Indian tribes provide using State funds;
                  (G) child abuse and neglect prevention activities 
                that Indian tribes provide using Tribal funds;
                  (H) Tribal access to State children's trust fund 
                resources, as described in section 202 of the Child 
                Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116a);
                  (I) how a children's trust fund model could be used 
                to support prevention efforts regarding child abuse and 
                neglect of American Indian and Alaska Native children;
                  (J) Federal agency technical assistance efforts to 
                address child abuse and neglect prevention and 
                treatment of American Indian and Alaska Native 
                children;
                  (K) Federal agency cross-system collaboration to 
                address child abuse and neglect prevention and 
                treatment of American Indian and Alaska Native 
                children;
                  (L) Tribal access to child abuse and neglect 
                prevention research and demonstration grants under the 
                Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 
                5101 et seq.); and
                  (M) an examination of child abuse and neglect data 
                systems to identify what Tribal data is being 
                submitted, barriers to submitting data, and 
                recommendations on improving the collection of data 
                from Indian Tribes.
          (2) Definitions.--In this subsection--
                  (A) the term ``Alaska Native'' has the meaning given 
                the term in section 111 of the Child Abuse Prevention 
                and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106g); and
                  (B) the terms ``child abuse and neglect'' and 
                ``Indian tribe'' have the meaning given the terms in 
                section 3 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 note).

SEC. 109. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  Section 112(a) of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5106h(a)) is amended--
          (1) in paragraph (1)--
                  (A) by striking ``to carry out'' through ``fiscal 
                year 2010'' and inserting ``to carry out this title 
                $270,000,000 for fiscal year 2020''; and
                  (B) by striking ``2011 through 2015'' and inserting 
                ``2021 through 2025''; and
          (2) by striking paragraph (2)(A) and inserting the following:
                  ``(A) In general.--Of the amounts appropriated for a 
                fiscal year under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
                make available 30 percent of such amounts, or 
                $100,000,000, whichever is less, to fund discretionary 
                activities under this title.''.

SEC. 110. ELECTRONIC INTERSTATE DATA EXCHANGE SYSTEM.

  Title I of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 
5101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 115. ELECTRONIC INTERSTATE DATA EXCHANGE SYSTEM.

  ``(a) Interstate Data Exchange System.--
          ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        shall consider the recommendations included in the reports 
        required under paragraph (8)(A) and subsection (b)(2) in 
        developing an electronic interstate data exchange system that 
        allows State entities responsible under State law for 
        maintaining child abuse and neglect registries to communicate 
        information across State lines.
          ``(2) Standards.--In developing the electronic interstate 
        data exchange system under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall--
                  ``(A) use interoperable standards developed and 
                maintained by intergovernmental partnerships, such as 
                the National Information Exchange Model;
                  ``(B) develop policies and governance standards 
                that--
                          ``(i) ensure consistency in types of 
                        information shared and not shared; and
                          ``(ii) specify circumstances under which data 
                        should be shared through the interstate data 
                        exchange system; and
                  ``(C) ensure that all standards and policies adhere 
                to the privacy, security, and civil rights laws of each 
                State and Federal law.
          ``(3) Limitation on use of electronic interstate data 
        exchange system.--The electronic interstate data exchange 
        system may only be used for purposes relating to child safety.
          ``(4) Pilot program.--
                  ``(A) Implementation.--Not later than 6 months after 
                the date of the enactment of this section, the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services shall begin 
                implementation of a pilot program to generate 
                recommendations for the full integration of the 
                electronic interstate data exchange system. Such pilot 
                program shall include not less than 10 States and not 
                more than 15 States.
                  ``(B) Completion.--Not later than 30 months after the 
                date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of 
                Health and Human Services shall complete the pilot 
                program described in subparagraph (A).
          ``(5) Integration.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services may assist States in the integration of this system 
        into the infrastructure of each State using funds appropriated 
        under this subsection.
          ``(6) Participation.--As a condition on eligibility for 
        receipt of funds under section 106, each State shall--
                  ``(A) participate in the electronic interstate data 
                exchange system to the fullest extent possible in 
                accordance with State law (as determined by the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services) not later than 
                December 31, 2027; and
                  ``(B) prior to the participation described in 
                subparagraph (A), provide to the Secretary of Health 
                and Human Services an assurance that the child abuse 
                and neglect registry of such State provides procedural 
                due process protections with respect to including 
                individuals on such registry.
          ``(7) Prohibition.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services may not access or store data from the electronic 
        interstate data exchange system, unless the State to which such 
        data pertains voluntarily shares such data with the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services.
          ``(8) Reports.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        shall prepare and submit to Congress--
                  ``(A) not later than 3 years after the date of the 
                enactment of this section, a report on the 
                recommendations from the pilot program described in 
                paragraph (4); and
                  ``(B) not later than January 31, 2025, a report on 
                the progress made in implementing this subsection.
          ``(9) Authorization of appropriations.--Of the funds 
        appropriated under section 112 for a fiscal year--
                  ``(A) for each of fiscal years 2020 and 2021, 
                $2,000,000 shall be reserved to carry out this section; 
                and
                  ``(B) for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2025, 
                $1,000,000 shall be reserved to carry out this section.
  ``(b) Working Group.--
          ``(1) In general.-- Not later than 60 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Health and 
        Human Services shall convene a working group to study and make 
        recommendations on the following:
                  ``(A) The feasibility of making publicly available on 
                the website of each State definitions and standards of 
                substantiated child abuse and neglect for the State.
                  ``(B) Whether background check requirements under 
                this Act, the Child Care and Development Block Grant 
                Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.), and part E of 
                title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et 
                seq.) are complementary or if there are discrepancies 
                that need to be addressed.
                  ``(C) How to improve communication between and across 
                States, including through the use of technology and the 
                use of the electronic interstate data exchange system 
                established under subsection (a), to allow for more 
                accurate and efficient exchange of child abuse and 
                neglect records.
                  ``(D) How to reduce barriers and establish best 
                practices for the State to provide timely responses to 
                requests from other States for information contained in 
                the State's child abuse and neglect registry through 
                the electronic interstate data exchange system 
                established under subsection (a).
                  ``(E) How to ensure due process for any individual 
                included in a State's child abuse and neglect registry, 
                including the following:
                          ``(i) The level of evidence necessary for 
                        inclusion in the State's child abuse and 
                        neglect registry.
                          ``(ii) The process for notifying such 
                        individual of inclusion in the State's child 
                        abuse and neglect registry and the implications 
                        of such inclusion.
                          ``(iii) The process for providing such 
                        individual the opportunity to challenge such 
                        inclusion, and the procedures for resolving 
                        such challenge.
                          ``(iv) The length of time an individual's 
                        record is to remain in the State's child abuse 
                        and neglect registry, and the process for 
                        removing such individual's record.
                          ``(v) The criteria for when such individual's 
                        child abuse and neglect registry record may 
                        be--
                                  ``(I) made accessible to the general 
                                public;
                                  ``(II) made available for purposes of 
                                an employment check; and
                                  ``(III) be shared for the purposes of 
                                participation in the electronic 
                                interstate data exchange system 
                                described in subsection (a).
          ``(2) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
        enactment of this section, the working group convened under 
        paragraph (1) shall submit a report containing its 
        recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
        the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
        Senate, and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House 
        of Representatives.
          ``(3) Construction.--There shall be no requirement for any 
        State to adopt the recommendations of the working group, nor 
        shall the Secretary of Health and Human Services incentivize or 
        coerce any State to adopt any such recommendation.''.

SEC. 111. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

  (a) Technical Amendments.-- The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.), as amended by the preceding provisions of 
this Act, is further amended--
          (1) by striking ``Committee on Education and the Workforce'' 
        each place it appears and inserting ``Committee on Education 
        and Labor'';
          (2) in section 103(c)(1)(F), by striking ``abused and 
        neglected children'' and inserting ``victims of child abuse or 
        neglect''; and
          (3) in section 107(f), by striking ``(42 U.S.C. 10603a)'' and 
        inserting ``(34 U.S.C. 20104)''.
  (b) Conforming Amendments.--
          (1) Section 103.--Section 103(b)(5) (42 U.S.C. 5104(b)(5)) is 
        amended by striking ``section 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)'' and inserting 
        ``section 106(b)(2)(D)(ii)''.
          (2) Section 105.--Section 105(a)(11) (42 U.S.C. 5106(a)(11) 
        (as redesignated by section 105(1)(A) of this Act) is amended--
                  (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``section 
                106(b)(2)(B)(iii)'' and inserting ``section 
                106(b)(2)(D)(ii)'';
                  (B) in subparagraph (C)--
                          (i) in clause (i)(II), by striking ``section 
                        106(b)(2)(B)(iii)'' and inserting ``section 
                        106(b)(2)(D)(ii)'';
                          (ii) in clause (i)(IV), by striking ``section 
                        106(b)(2)(B)(iii)(II)'' and inserting ``section 
                        106(b)(2)(D)(ii)(II)''; and
                          (iii) in clause (ii), by striking ``clauses 
                        (ii) and (iii) of section 106(b)(2)(B)'' and 
                        inserting ``clauses (i) and (ii) of section 
                        106(b)(2)(D)'';
                  (C) in subparagraph (D)--
                          (i) in clause (i)(I), by striking ``section 
                        106(b)(2)(B)(iii)(I)'' and inserting ``section 
                        106(b)(2)(D)(ii)(I)'';
                          (ii) in clause (ii)(I), by striking ``section 
                        106(b)(2)(B)(ii)'' and inserting ``section 
                        106(b)(2)(D)(i)'';
                          (iii) in clause (ii)(II), by striking 
                        ``section 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)'' and inserting 
                        ``section 106(b)(2)(D)(ii)(I)'';
                          (iv) in clause (iii)(I), by striking 
                        ``section 106(b)(2)(B)(i)'' and inserting 
                        ``section 106(b)(2)(A)(i)'';
                          (v) in clause (iii)(IV), by striking 
                        ``section 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)'' and inserting 
                        ``section 106(b)(2)(D)(ii)''; and
                          (vi) in clause (v), by striking ``section 
                        106(b)(2)(B)(iii)'' and inserting ``section 
                        106(b)(2)(D)(ii)'';
                  (D) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``section 
                106(b)(2)(B)(ii)'' and inserting ``section 
                106(b)(2)(D)(i)''; and
                  (E) in subparagraph (G)(ii), by striking ``clauses 
                (ii) and (iii) of section 106(b)(2)(B)'' and inserting 
                ``clauses (i) and (ii) of section 106(b)(2)(D)''.
          (3) Section 114.--Section 114(1)(B) (42 U.S.C. 5108(1)(B)) is 
        amended by striking ``clauses (ii) and (iii) of section 
        106(b)(2)(B)'' and inserting ``clauses (i) and (ii) of section 
        106(b)(2)(D)''.
          (4) Table of contents.--The table of contents in section 1(b) 
        of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act is amended--
                  (A) by striking the items relating to sections 2 and 
                102;
                  (B) by inserting after the item relating to section 
                114 the following:

``Sec. 115. Electronic interstate data exchange system.''; and

                  (C) by striking the item relating to section 110, and 
                inserting the following:

``Sec. 110. Study and report relating to scaling evidence-based 
treatment of child abuse and neglect; study and report on marital age 
of consent; study and report on State mandatory reporting laws.''.

TITLE II--COMMUNITY-BASED GRANTS FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE AND 
                                NEGLECT

SEC. 201. PURPOSE AND AUTHORITY.

  Subsections (a) and (b) of section 201 of the Child Abuse Prevention 
and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116) are amended to read as follows:
  ``(a) Purpose.--The purposes of this title are--
          ``(1) to establish and maintain support for community-based 
        family strengthening services and statewide systems-building 
        approaches to the extent practicable, to ensure the 
        development, operation, expansion, coordination, and evaluation 
        of quality services, initiatives, programs, and activities to 
        prevent child abuse and neglect; and
          ``(2) to promote improved access for diverse populations with 
        demonstrated need, including low-income families, racial and 
        ethnic minorities, families with children or caregivers with 
        disabilities, underserved communities, and rural communities, 
        to family strengthening services in order to more effectively 
        prevent child abuse and neglect.
  ``(b) Authority.--The Secretary shall make grants under this title on 
a formula basis to the entity designated by the State as the lead 
entity (referred to in this title as the `lead entity') under section 
202(1) for the following purposes:
          ``(1) Providing programs, activities, and initiatives to help 
        families build protective factors linked to the prevention of 
        child abuse and neglect, such as knowledge of parenting and 
        child development, parental resilience, social connections, 
        time-limited and need-based concrete support, and social and 
        emotional development of children, that--
                  ``(A) are accessible to diverse populations, 
                effective, and culturally appropriate;
                  ``(B) build upon existing strengths;
                  ``(C) offer assistance to families;
                  ``(D) provide early, comprehensive support for 
                parents;
                  ``(E) promote the development of healthy familial 
                relationships and parenting skills, especially in young 
                parents and parents with very young children;
                  ``(F) increase family stability;
                  ``(G) improve family access to formal and informal 
                community-based resources, including health and mental 
                health services, time-limited and need-based concrete 
                supports, and services and supports to meet the needs 
                of families with children or caregivers with 
                disabilities; and
                  ``(H) support the additional needs of families with 
                children with disabilities, including through respite 
                care.
          ``(2) Fostering the development of a continuum of preventive 
        services to strengthen families through State- and community-
        based collaborations and both public and private partnerships.
          ``(3) Financing the start-up, maintenance, expansion, or 
        redesign of core services described in section 205, where 
        communities have identified gaps and decided to prioritize the 
        establishment of such services, to the extent practicable given 
        funding levels and community priorities.
          ``(4) Maximizing funding through leveraging Federal, State, 
        local, public, and private funds to carry out the purposes of 
        this title.
          ``(5) Developing or enhancing statewide and local networks to 
        operate, expand, or enhance community-based family 
        strengthening services, initiatives, and activities that 
        promote child, parent, family, and community health and well-
        being and prevent child abuse and neglect.
          ``(6) Promoting the development of, and coordination with, 
        existing community coalitions of networks of family 
        strengthening services that utilize culturally responsive 
        providers in order to enhance child, family, and community 
        well-being and prevent child abuse and neglect in all families.
          ``(7) Financing public information activities that focus on 
        parent and child development and child abuse and neglect 
        prevention.
          ``(8) To the extent practicable--
                  ``(A) promoting the development and implementation of 
                a statewide systems-building strategy to address the 
                unmet needs identified in the inventory described in 
                section 204(3), including the participation of public 
                and private stakeholders, community-based 
                organizations, legislators, parents and other relevant 
                stakeholders, and State agencies, including the child 
                welfare agency, the public health agency, housing 
                agency, and the State education agency, to scale 
                evidence-based, evidence-informed, and promising 
                programs that expand access to family strengthening 
                services and reduce the numbers of children entering 
                the foster care system;
                  ``(B) developing comprehensive outreach strategies to 
                engage families with various risk factors, including 
                families who have experienced trauma or domestic 
                violence, parents with substance use disorder, and 
                families with children or caregivers with disabilities; 
                and
                  ``(C) providing capacity-building supports to local 
                programs to improve desired outcomes for children and 
                families, such as--
                          ``(i) technical assistance, including support 
                        for local programs to collect outcome data that 
                        helps improve service delivery;
                          ``(ii) professional development; and
                          ``(iii) peer support networks, including 
                        through developing a problem-solving forum.''.

SEC. 202. ELIGIBILITY.

  Section 202 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5116a) is amended--
          (1) in paragraph (1)--
                  (A) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the 
                following:
          ``(A) the Governor of the State has designated a lead entity 
        to administer funds under this title for the purposes 
        identified under the authority of this title, including to 
        develop, implement, operate, enhance, or expand community-based 
        family strengthening services designed to prevent child abuse 
        and neglect;''; and
                  (B) by striking subparagraph (D) and inserting the 
                following:
          ``(D) the Governor of the State has given consideration to 
        the capacity and expertise of all entities requesting to be 
        designated under subparagraph (A);''; and
          (2) in paragraph (3)--
                  (A) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the 
                following:
                  ``(A) has demonstrated ongoing meaningful 
                partnerships with parents in the development, 
                operation, and oversight of State- and community-based 
                family strengthening services designed to prevent child 
                abuse and neglect;'';
                  (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``community-
                based and prevention-focused programs and activities 
                designed to strengthen and support families'' and 
                inserting ``community-based family strengthening 
                services designed'';
                  (C) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the 
                following:
                  ``(C) has the capacity to provide operational support 
                (both financial and programmatic), professional 
                development, technical assistance, and evaluation 
                assistance, to community-based organizations;''; and
                  (D) by striking subparagraph (D) and inserting the 
                following:
                  ``(D) will integrate efforts with individuals and 
                organizations experienced in working in partnership 
                with low-income families, racial and ethnic minorities, 
                families with children or caregivers with disabilities, 
                sexual and gender minority youth, victims of domestic 
                violence, and with the child abuse and neglect 
                prevention activities in the State, and demonstrate a 
                financial commitment to those activities; and
                  ``(E) will take into consideration access for diverse 
                populations and unmet need when distributing funds to 
                local programs under section 205.''.

SEC. 203. AMOUNT OF GRANT.

  Section 203 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5116b) is amended--
          (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following:
  ``(a) Reservation.--For the purpose of making allotments to Indian 
tribes and tribal organizations and migrant programs, the Secretary 
shall reserve 5 percent of the amount appropriated under section 210(a) 
for each fiscal year, except that, if making such reservation would 
cause the total amount allotted to States under this section for a 
fiscal year to be less than such total for fiscal year 2019, the 
Secretary shall reserve 1 percent of the amount appropriated under 
section 210(a) for the year for such purpose.''; and
          (2) by adding at the end the following:
  ``(d) Limitation.--For any fiscal year for which the amount allotted 
to a State under subsection (b) exceeds the amount allotted to the 
State under such subsection for fiscal year 2019, the State's lead 
entity may use not more than 10 percent of such excess amount for 
administrative expenses.''.

SEC. 204. APPLICATION.

  Section 204 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5116d) is amended--
          (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 
        ``specified by the Secretary as essential to carrying out the 
        provisions of section 202, including'' and inserting ``and 
        assurances required in paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 202 
        and types of information specified by the Secretary as 
        essential in carrying out the provisions of section 201(b), 
        including'';
          (2) in paragraphs (1), (2), and (4), by striking ``community-
        based and prevention-focused programs and activities designed 
        to strengthen and support families'' and inserting ``community-
        based family strengthening services designed'';
          (3) in paragraph (3) by striking ``community-based and 
        prevention-focused programs and activities'' and inserting 
        ``community-based family strengthening services designed'';
          (4) in paragraph (5), by striking ``and prevention-focused 
        programs and activities designed to strengthen and support 
        families to prevent child abuse and neglect;'' and inserting 
        ``services and statewide strategies designed to strengthen and 
        support families to promote child, family, and community well-
        being and prevent child abuse and neglect;'';
          (5) by striking paragraph (6) and inserting the following:
          ``(6) a description of the State's capacity and commitment to 
        ensure the meaningful involvement of parents who are or have 
        been consumers of preventative supports, including the 
        involvement of parents of diverse populations, such as low-
        income families, families with children or caregivers with 
        disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, and members of 
        other underrepresented or underserved groups, family advocates, 
        and adult victims of child abuse or neglect who can provide 
        leadership in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of 
        the programs and policy decisions of the applicant agency in 
        accomplishing the desired outcomes for such efforts;'';
          (6) by redesignating paragraph (12) as paragraph (15);
          (7) by redesignating paragraphs (7) through (11) as 
        paragraphs (8) through (12), respectively;
          (8) by inserting after paragraph (6) the following:
          ``(7) a description of the process and criteria the lead 
        entity will use to identify and select communities in which to 
        build a continuum of family strengthening services, including 
        an assurance that the process will ensure access for all 
        families, including families in communities with high rates of 
        child abuse and neglect relative to other communities in the 
        State;'';
          (9) by striking paragraph (9), as so redesignated, and 
        inserting the following:
          ``(9) a description of outreach activities that the lead 
        entity and local grantees will undertake to maximize the 
        participation of low-income families, racial and ethnic 
        minorities, families with children or caregivers with 
        disabilities, sexual and gender minority youth, victims of 
        domestic violence, homeless families and those at risk of 
        homelessness, and members of other underserved or 
        underrepresented groups;''.
          (10) by striking paragraph (10), as so redesignated, and 
        inserting the following:
          ``(10) a plan for providing operational support, professional 
        development, and technical assistance to grantees, other State 
        and local programs and providers, families, and other entities 
        involved in strengthening families and preventing child abuse 
        and neglect;'';
          (11) in paragraph (11), as so redesignated, by striking ``and 
        its members (where appropriate)'' and inserting ``of community-
        based family strengthening services and statewide 
        initiatives''; and
          (12) by striking paragraph (12), as so redesignated, and 
        inserting the following:
          ``(12) a description of the actions that the applicant entity 
        will take to inform systemic changes in State policies, 
        practices, procedures, and regulations to improve the delivery 
        of community-based family strengthening services designed to 
        promote child, family, and community well-being, and to prevent 
        child abuse and neglect;
          ``(13) a description of how the lead entity will incorporate 
        research evidence in its process for selecting community-based 
        family strengthening services;
          ``(14) an assurance that, in issuing regulations to improve 
        the delivery of community-based family strengthening services 
        designed to promote child, family, and community well-being, 
        and to prevent child abuse and neglect, the State will--
                  ``(A) take into account how such regulations will 
                impact activities funded under this Act; and
                  ``(B) where appropriate, attempt to avoid duplication 
                of efforts, minimize costs of compliance with such 
                regulations, and maximize local flexibility with 
                respect to such regulations; and''.

SEC. 205. LOCAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.

  Section 205 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5116e) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 205. LOCAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.

  ``(a) In General.--Grants from the lead entity made under this title 
shall be used to develop, implement, operate, expand, and enhance 
community-based family strengthening services designed to prevent child 
abuse and neglect that--
          ``(1) assess community assets and needs and develop a 
        strategy to create a comprehensive continuum of effective 
        services that strengthen and support families to prevent child 
        abuse and neglect, through a planning process involving 
        parents, local and public agencies, local nonprofit 
        organizations and service providers, and private sector 
        representatives in meaningful ways;
          ``(2) develop or enhance existing place-based family 
        strengthening services, other parenting support services, and 
        connections and coordination among key family services in the 
        community by reaching spaces familiar to such families; and
          ``(3) help families build protective factors that support 
        child and family well-being and help prevent child abuse and 
        neglect, including knowledge of parenting and child 
        development, parental resilience, social connections, time-
        limited and need-based concrete support, and social and 
        emotional development of children.
  ``(b) Local Consideration.--In awarding grants, the lead entity shall 
consider, consistent with the needs of the State and community, how the 
grantee--
          ``(1) demonstrates the ability to form collaborations across 
        a range of services or initiatives and the commitment to engage 
        in long-term planning and strategic development for community-
        based family strengthening services as well as provide on-going 
        problem solving support;
          ``(2) involves parents, including parents of children with 
        disabilities, diverse racial and ethnic groups, and members of 
        other underrepresented or underserved populations, in the 
        development, implementation, oversight, and evaluation of 
        services;
          ``(3) addresses the need for place-based services and the 
        need to reach families in hard-to-reach areas through 
        approaches that provide core family strengthening services;
          ``(4) promotes improved access to family strengthening 
        services for diverse populations and ensures that the services 
        address identified needs of all families; and
          ``(5) demonstrates an understanding of the sources of child 
        and family trauma and the strategies that mitigate the impact 
        of and prevent adverse childhood experiences.
  ``(c) Local Uses of Funds.--Grant funds from the lead entity shall be 
used for community-based family strengthening services designed to 
prevent child abuse and neglect, which may include the following:
          ``(1) Developing a strategy based on supporting a 
        comprehensive continuum of preventive, family-centered services 
        that strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and 
        neglect, especially to young parents, to parents with young 
        children, and to parents who are adult victims of domestic 
        violence or child abuse or neglect, through public-private 
        partnerships.
          ``(2) Addressing the needs of families in hard-to-reach areas 
        by creating access to place-based family strengthening 
        services.
          ``(3) Performing an assessment of community needs, including 
        by partnering, at the option of the grantee, with an 
        organization that already has performed a needs assessment 
        (such as a Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting 
        program under section 511 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
        711) or a Head Start program under the Head Start Act (42 
        U.S.C. 9831 et seq.).
          ``(4) Supporting outreach for services, including by 
        coordinating with existing family strengthening services such 
        as home visiting and other early intervention programs.
          ``(5) Providing, promoting the development or enhancement of, 
        or connecting families to, core services that include--
                  ``(A) parenting support and parent education 
                programs, including services that help parents and 
                other caregivers support children's development;
                  ``(B) parent leadership skills development programs 
                that support parents' personal growth as leaders in 
                their families and communities;
                  ``(C) mutual support groups for parents, children, 
                and parent partners;
                  ``(D) respite and crisis care; and
                  ``(E) referrals to optional community and social 
                services, including--
                          ``(i) domestic violence services;
                          ``(ii) screening and referrals to early 
                        intervention;
                          ``(iii) voluntary home visiting programs;
                          ``(iv) health and mental health services, 
                        including referrals for information on the 
                        State Medicaid plan under title XIX of the 
                        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.);
                          ``(v) early care and learning programs 
                        including child care and Head Start programs 
                        and Early Head Start programs under the Head 
                        Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.);
                          ``(vi) nutrition programs, including the 
                        special supplemental nutrition program for 
                        women, infants, and children established under 
                        section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 
                        (42 U.S.C. 1786) and the supplemental nutrition 
                        assistance program established under the Food 
                        and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 
                        seq.);
                          ``(vii) education and workforce development 
                        programs, including adult literacy, child 
                        development, wellness, and family socioeconomic 
                        mobility programs; and
                          ``(viii) services and supports to meet the 
                        needs of families with children or caregivers 
                        with disabilities, such as early intervention 
                        services for infants and toddlers with 
                        disabilities and their families, as early 
                        intervention services are defined in section 
                        632 of the Individuals with Disabilities 
                        Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1432).
          ``(6) Providing leadership in mobilizing local public and 
        private resources to support the provision of community-based 
        family strengthening services designed to prevent child abuse 
        and neglect.
          ``(7) Developing and maintaining meaningful partnerships with 
        parents relating to the development, operation, evaluation, and 
        oversight of the programs and services.
          ``(8) Coordinating with other community-based family 
        strengthening services designed to prevent child abuse and 
        neglect in the development, operation, and expansion of 
        networks where appropriate.
  ``(d) Priority.--When awarding grants, a lead entity shall give 
priority to effective community-based efforts that serve low-income 
communities and are focused on comprehensive approaches to serving 
young parents or parents with young children.''.

SEC. 206. PERFORMANCE MEASURES.

  Section 206 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5116f) is amended--
          (1) in paragraphs (1), (5), (6), and (8), by striking 
        ``community-based and prevention-focused programs and 
        activities designed to strengthen and support families'' and 
        inserting ``community-based family strengthening services 
        designed'';
          (2) in paragraph (1), by striking ``meets'' and inserting 
        ``meet'';
          (3) in paragraph (2), by striking ``including core and 
        optional services as described in section 202'';
          (4) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following:
          ``(3) shall demonstrate how they have addressed unmet needs 
        identified by the inventory required under section 204;''.
          (5) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following:
          ``(4) shall describe the number of families served, including 
        families with children or caregivers with disabilities, and the 
        involvement of a diverse representation of families in the 
        design, operation, and evaluation of both community-based 
        family strengthening services and networks of such services;'';
          (6) by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the following:
          ``(7) shall describe--
                  ``(A) the number of programs funded disaggregated by 
                urban, suburban, and rural community type;
                  ``(B) the number of children and families served 
                under each such program disaggregated by urban, 
                suburban, and rural community type; and
                  ``(C) the number of programs that partner with 
                outside entities and the services such outside entities 
                provide;'';
          (7) in paragraph (8)--
                  (A) by striking ``leadership of'' and insert 
                ``partnership with''; and
                  (B) by striking the period at the end and inserting 
                ``; and''; and
          (8) by adding at the end the following:
          ``(9) shall describe the extent to which there is evidence to 
        support the effectiveness of activities conducted under this 
        title for the program's intended purpose, or, in instances 
        where such evidence is not available, shall describe barriers 
        and challenges to developing evidence of effectiveness.''.

SEC. 207. NATIONAL NETWORK FOR COMMUNITY-BASED FAMILY RESOURCE 
                    PROGRAMS.

  Section 207 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5116g) is amended--
          (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ``such 
        sums as may be necessary'' and inserting ``not more than 5 
        percent''; and
          (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ``community-based and 
        prevention-focused programs and activities designed to 
        strengthen and support families'' and inserting ``community-
        based family strengthening services designed''.

SEC. 208. DEFINITIONS.

  Section 208 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5116h) is amended--
          (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as paragraphs (2) 
        and (1), respectively, and transferring paragraph (1) as 
        redesignated to appear before paragraph (2) as redesignated; 
        and
          (2) by striking paragraph (1) (as so redesignated) and 
        inserting the following:
          ``(1) Community-based family strengthening services.--The 
        term `community-based family strengthening services' includes 
        organizations such as family resource programs, family support 
        programs, voluntary home visiting programs, respite care 
        services, parenting education, mutual support groups for 
        parents, children, parent partner programs, and other community 
        programs or networks of such programs that provide activities 
        that are designed to prevent child abuse and neglect.''.

SEC. 209. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

  (a) In General.--Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5116 et seq.) is amended--
          (1) by redesignating section 209 as section 210; and
          (2) by inserting after section 208 the following:

``SEC. 209. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

  ``Nothing in this title shall be construed to prohibit grandparents, 
kinship care providers, foster parents, adoptive parents, or any other 
individual in a parenting role from receiving or participating in 
services and programs under this title.''.
  (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act is amended by striking the 
item relating to section 209 and inserting the following:

``Sec. 209. Rule of construction.
``Sec. 210. Authorization of appropriations.''.

SEC. 210. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  Section 210 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 
U.S.C. 5116 et seq.), as redesignated by section 209 of this Act, is 
amended--
          (1) by striking ``There are'' and inserting the following:
  ``(a) In General.--There are'';
          (2) by striking ``to carry out'' through ``fiscal year 2010'' 
        and inserting ``to carry out this title $270,000,000 for fiscal 
        year 2020'';
          (3) by striking ``2011 through 2015'' and inserting ``2021 
        through 2025''; and
          (4) by adding at the end the following:
  ``(b) Treatment of Non-Federal Funds in Certain Fiscal Years.--For 
any fiscal year for which the amount appropriated under subsection (a) 
exceeds the amount appropriated under such subsection for fiscal year 
2019, the Secretary shall consider non-Federal funds and in-kind 
contributions as part of the State contribution for the activities 
specified in section 204(4).''.

SEC. 211. STUDY AND REPORT.

  (a) Study Relating to New Prevention Programs.--
          (1) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
        shall complete a study, using data reported by States to the 
        Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 206 of the 
        Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116f), as 
        amended by this Act--
                  (A) to determine how many families and children in 
                the first 3 years after the date of the enactment of 
                this Act are served annually through programs funded 
                under title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
                Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116 et seq.); and
                  (B) to compare the number of such families and 
                children served annually in the first 3 years after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act to the number of such 
                families and children served in fiscal year 2019.
          (2) Contents.--The study required under paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following for each of the first 3 years after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act:
                  (A) An examination of how many families received 
                evidence-based programming under title II of the Child 
                Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5116 et 
                seq.).
                  (B) An examination of the extent to which local 
                programs conduct evaluations using funds provided under 
                such title and the findings of such evaluations.
                  (C) An examination of whether findings of 
                effectiveness in evaluation studies vary by urban, 
                suburban, or rural community type.
                  (D) An examination of whether programs partnering 
                with other entities are more effective than those that 
                do not partner with other entities.
                  (E) An examination of barriers to implement evidence-
                based programming or to conduct evaluations in 
                instances where such activities do not occur.
  (b) Report.--Not later than 4 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit 
to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
Representatives a report that contains the results of the study 
conducted under paragraph (1).

                   TITLE III--ADOPTION OPPORTUNITIES

SEC. 301. PURPOSE.

  Section 201 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption 
Reform Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 5111) is amended--
          (1) in the section heading, by striking ``congressional 
        findings and declaration of purpose'' and inserting 
        ``purpose'';
          (2) by striking subsection (a); and
          (3) in subsection (b)--
                  (A) by striking ``(b) Purpose.--'';
                  (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
                inserting ``sexual and gender minority youth'' after 
                ``particularly older children, minority children,''; 
                and
                  (C) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``services and,'' 
                after ``post-legal adoption''.

SEC. 302. REPORT AND GUIDANCE ON UNREGULATED CUSTODY TRANSFERS.

  The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 
1978 (42 U.S.C. 5111 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 201 
the following:

``SEC. 202. REPORT AND GUIDANCE ON UNREGULATED CUSTODY TRANSFERS.

  ``(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that:
          ``(1) Some adopted children may be at risk of experiencing an 
        unregulated custody transfer because the challenges associated 
        with adoptions (including the child's mental health needs and 
        the difficulties many families face in acquiring support 
        services) may lead families to seek out unregulated custody 
        transfers.
          ``(2) Some adopted children experience trauma, and the 
        disruption and placement in another home by unregulated custody 
        transfer creates additional trauma and instability for 
        children.
          ``(3) Children who experience an unregulated custody transfer 
        may be placed with families who have not completed required 
        child welfare or criminal background checks or clearances.
          ``(4) Social services agencies and courts are often unaware 
        of the placement of children through unregulated custody 
        transfer and therefore do not conduct assessments on the 
        child's safety and well-being in such placements.
          ``(5) Such lack of placement oversight places a child at risk 
        for future abuse and increases the chance that the child may 
        experience--
                  ``(A) abuse or neglect;
                  ``(B) contact with unsafe adults or youth; and
                  ``(C) exposure to unsafe or isolated environments.
          ``(6) The caregivers with whom a child is placed through 
        unregulated custody transfer often have no legal responsibility 
        with respect to such child, placing the child at risk for 
        additional unregulated custody transfers.
          ``(7) Such caregivers also may not have complete records with 
        respect to such child, including the child's birth, medical, or 
        immigration records.
          ``(8) A child adopted through intercountry adoption may be at 
        risk of not acquiring United States citizenship if an 
        unregulated custody transfer occurs before the adoptive parents 
        complete all necessary steps to finalize the adoption of such 
        child.
          ``(9) Engaging in, or offering to engage in, unregulated 
        custody transfer places children at risk of harm.
  ``(b) Report to Congress.--
          ``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Health and 
        Human Services shall provide to the Committee on Education and 
        Labor of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Ways 
        and Means of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 
        Finance of the Senate, and the Committee on Health, Education, 
        Labor and Pensions of the Senate a report on unregulated 
        custody transfers of children, including of adopted children.
          ``(2) Elements.--The report required under paragraph (1) 
        shall include--
                  ``(A) the causes, methods, and characteristics of 
                unregulated custody transfers, including the use of 
                social media and the internet;
                  ``(B) the effects of unregulated custody transfers on 
                children, including the lack of assessment of a child's 
                safety and well-being by social services agencies and 
                courts due to such unregulated custody transfer;
                  ``(C) the prevalence of unregulated custody transfers 
                within each State and across all States; and
                  ``(D) recommended policies for preventing, 
                identifying, and responding to unregulated custody 
                transfers, including of adopted children, that 
                include--
                          ``(i) amendments to Federal and State law to 
                        address unregulated custody transfers;
                          ``(ii) amendments to child protection 
                        practices to address unregulated custody 
                        transfers; and
                          ``(iii) methods of providing the public 
                        information regarding adoption and child 
                        protection.
  ``(c) Guidance to States.--
          ``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        specified in subsection (b)(1), the Secretary shall issue 
        guidance and technical assistance to States related to 
        preventing, identifying, and responding to unregulated custody 
        transfers, including of adopted children.
          ``(2) Elements.--The guidance required under paragraph (1) 
        shall include--
                  ``(A) education materials related to preventing, 
                identifying, and responding to unregulated custody 
                transfers for employees of State, local, and Tribal 
                agencies that provide child welfare services;
                  ``(B) guidance on appropriate pre-adoption education 
                and post-adoption services for domestic and 
                international adoptive families to promote child 
                permanency; and
                  ``(C) the assistance available through the National 
                Resource Center for Special Needs Adoption under 
                section 203(b)(9).
  ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
          ``(1) State.--The term `State' means each of the several 
        States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, 
        territory, or possession of the United States.
          ``(2) Unregulated custody transfer.--The term `unregulated 
        custody transfer' means the abandonment of a child, by the 
        child's parent, legal guardian, or a person or entity acting on 
        behalf, and with the consent, of such parent or guardian--
                  ``(A) by placing a child with a person who is not--
                          ``(i) the child's parent, step-parent, 
                        grandparent, adult sibling, legal guardian, or 
                        other adult relative;
                          ``(ii) a friend of the family who is an adult 
                        and with whom the child is familiar; or
                          ``(iii) a member of the Federally recognized 
                        Indian tribe of which the child is also a 
                        member;
                  ``(B) with the intent of severing the relationship 
                between the child and the parent or guardian of such 
                child; and
                  ``(C) without--
                          ``(i) reasonably ensuring the safety of the 
                        child and permanency of the placement of the 
                        child, including by conducting an official home 
                        study, background check, and supervision; and
                          ``(ii) transferring the legal rights and 
                        responsibilities of parenthood or guardianship 
                        under applicable Federal and State law to a 
                        person described in subparagraph (A).''.

SEC. 303. INFORMATION AND SERVICES.

  (a) National Resource Center for Special Needs Adoption.--Section 
203(b)(9) of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption 
Reform Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 5113(b)(9)) is amended by inserting ``not 
later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of the Stronger 
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, establish and'' before 
``maintain''.
  (b) Placement With Adoptive Families.--Section 203(b)(11)(C) of the 
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978 
(42 U.S.C. 5113(b)(11)(C)) is amended by striking ``such children'' and 
inserting ``the children and youth described in the matter preceding 
paragraph (1) of section 201''.
  (c) Pre-adoption Services.--Section 203(c)(1) of the Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 
5113(c)(1)) is amended by striking ``post'' and inserting ``pre- and 
post-''.
  (d) Services.--Section 203(c)(2) of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 5113(c)(2)) is 
amended by inserting ``and the development of such services,'' after 
``not supplant, services''.
  (e) Elimination of Barriers to Adoption Across Jurisdictional 
Boundaries.--Section 203(e)(1) of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 5113(e)(1)) is 
amended--
          (1) by striking ``with, States,'' and inserting ``with 
        States, Indian Tribes,''; and
          (2) by inserting ``, including through the use of web-based 
        tools such as the electronic interstate case-processing system 
        referred to in section 437(g) of the Social Security Act (42 
        U.S.C. 629g(g))'' before the period at the end.

SEC. 304. STUDY AND REPORT ON SUCCESSFUL ADOPTIONS.

  Section 204 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption 
Reform Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 5114) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 204. STUDY AND REPORT ON SUCCESSFUL ADOPTIONS.

  ``(a) Study.--The Secretary shall conduct a study (directly or by 
grant to, or contract with, public or private nonprofit research 
agencies or organizations) on adoption outcomes and the factors 
(including parental substance use disorder) affecting those outcomes.
  ``(b) Report.--Not later than the date that is 36 months after the 
date of the enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress that 
includes the results of the study required under subsection (a).''.

SEC. 305. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  Section 205(a) of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and 
Adoption Reform Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 5115(a)) is amended--
          (1) by striking ``fiscal year 2010'' and inserting ``fiscal 
        year 2020''; and
          (2) by striking ``fiscal years 2011 through 2015'' and 
        inserting ``fiscal years 2021 through 2025''.

                          Purpose and Summary

    The purpose of H.R. 2480 is to reauthorize and strengthen 
federal programs to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect. 
After three decades of steady declines in the rate of child 
abuse and neglect, the country has recently experienced a 
worrisome up-tick in the rate of children who are found to be 
victims of maltreatment. H.R. 2480 provides a bipartisan 
response to this emerging crisis by strengthening federal 
supports for the treatment of children affected by child abuse 
and neglect and authorizing expanded federal support for 
prevention.
    H.R. 2480 makes significant updates to the Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment Act, P.L. 93-247 (CAPTA), to ensure 
states have the tools and resources to adequately respond to 
the recent rise in the rate of child abuse and neglect. The 
legislation increases the authorization for treatment services 
to support states in meeting the growing need for such 
services. It also directs the Secretary to engage in research 
efforts and provide technical assistance that helps states 
effectively treat families who have experienced child abuse and 
neglect as a result of parental substance use disorder. The 
bill further addresses the unintended consequences of prior 
Congressional action to ensure that limited federal resources 
are directed to families best positioned to benefit from 
services. In addition, the legislation makes needed updates to 
the child abuse and neglect data infrastructure to both improve 
the integrity of available data and correct for shortcomings in 
current data sharing practices.
    This legislation also represents a major modernization to 
the federal support for services that aim to prevent child 
abuse and neglect. Consistent with a growing research consensus 
that prevention services are critically important to keeping 
children safe from harm, H.R. 2480 increases the authorization 
level for prevention services to match that of treatment 
services. Moreover, by directing states to approach prevention 
through a public health perspective, the bill encourages the 
development of strong partnerships among the various public 
agencies that serve vulnerable families with the goal that 
services address the causes of child abuse and neglect at their 
root. Finally, H.R. 2480 makes needed updates to adoption 
assistance provisions to ensure all children are served and to 
examine and make recommendations to help states prevent 
unregulated child custody transfers.

                            Committee Action


                             114TH CONGRESS

    On May 11, 2016, the House agreed by a vote of 421-0 to 
suspend the rules and pass H.R. 4843, the Infant Plan of Safe 
Care Improvement Act, introduced by Committee member Rep. Lou 
Barletta (R-PA). The bill amended CAPTA section 103(b) to 
require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) 
to maintain and disseminate best practices related to infant 
plans of safe care, amended section 106(b) to ensure that plans 
of safe care are not limited to infants exposed to illegal 
substances, and added a new section to CAPTA Title I requiring 
the Secretary to conduct additional monitoring and oversight of 
states receiving grants under CAPTA Title I. Provisions from 
H.R. 4843 were added to S. 524.

Other Legislative Action

    On July 8, 2016, the House agreed by a vote of 407-5 to the 
conference report on S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and 
Recovery Act of 2016, introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse 
(D-RI). The bill, which included multiple provisions addressing 
the opioid crisis generally, included the CAPTA amendments 
proposed in H.R. 4843. President Obama signed S. 524 into law 
on July 22, 2016.

                             115TH CONGRESS

    On November 8, 2017, the Subcommittees on Early Childhood, 
Elementary, and Secondary Education and Higher Education and 
Workforce Development held a joint hearing in Washington, DC 
titled ``Close to Home: How Opioids Are Impacting 
Communities.'' The purpose of the hearing was to understand the 
many ways the increasing prevalence of opioid abuse was 
affecting the lives of families and communities, including the 
impact of drug addiction on family life, child welfare and 
child maltreatment. Testifying before the Subcommittees were: 
Dr. Leana Wen, Commissioner, Baltimore City Health Department, 
Baltimore, MD; Mr. Tim Robinson, Founder And CEO, Addiction 
Recovery Care, Louisa, KY; Ms. Toni Miner, Family Support 
Partner, Jefferson County, CO; Dr. David Cox, Superintendent, 
Allegany County, MD.
    On May 21, 2018, the House agreed by a vote of 406-3 to 
suspend the rules and pass H.R. 5890, the Assisting States' 
Implementation of Plans of Safe Care Act, introduced by Rep. 
Tom Garrett (R-VA). The bill allowed for the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services to provide written guidance and, if 
appropriate, technical assistance to support states in 
complying with, and implementing CAPTA section 106. H.R. 5890 
was considered at the same time as two other bills in the 
jurisdiction of the Committee dealing with the protection of 
children in the wake of the opioid crisis that did not directly 
reference CAPTA, H.R. 5889, the Recognizing Early Childhood 
Trauma Related to Substance Abuse Act of 2018, introduced by 
Committee member Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA), and H.R. 5991, the 
Improving the Federal Response to Families Impacted by 
Substance Use Disorder Act, introduced by Committee member Rep. 
Glenn Grothman (R-WI). Provisions from all three of these bills 
were included in the text of H.R. 6 (see below).

Other Legislative Action

    On February 9, 2018 the House agreed to the Senate 
amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment of 
H.R. 1892, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. Introduced by 
Rep. John Larsen (D-CT), H.R. 1892 included provisions from 
H.R. 253, the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2017, 
requiring states to develop a statewide plan to prevent child 
abuse and neglect fatalities, and increased funding for 
prevention activities. President Trump signed the bill into law 
on March 23, 2018.
    On September 28, 2018, the House agreed to the Senate 
amendment to H.R. 6, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that 
Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and 
Communities Act (SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act). 
H.R. 6, introduced by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) which included 
multiple provisions addressing the opioid crisis generally, 
specifically amended CAPTA section 105(a) to create a new grant 
program for states to improve and coordinate their response to 
ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of infants 
affected by substance abuse. President Trump signed H.R. 6 into 
law on October 24, 2018.

                             116TH CONGRESS

    On March 26, 2019, the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and 
Human Services held a legislative hearing titled 
``Strengthening Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and 
Neglect,'' which was used to inform the development of H.R. 
2480. The Subcommittee heard testimony on the following issues: 
the prevalence of child abuse and neglect; effective prevention 
strategies to address child abuse and neglect before it occurs; 
and unmet need for treatment and prevention. The Subcommittee 
heard testimony from: Yo Jackson, Professor and Associate 
Director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network at Penn 
State University, State College, PA; Judy King, Director of 
Family Support Programs at the Washington State Department of 
Children, Youth and Families, Olympia, WA; Bradley Thomas, CEO 
of Triple P America, Columbia, SC; and LaCrisha Rose, parent, 
Miami, WV.
    On May 2, 2019, Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA) introduced H.R. 
2480, the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, 
with Reps. James Comer (R-KY), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Dusty 
Johnson (R-SD), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), 
Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx 
(R-NC) as original co-sponsors. On May 8, 2019, the Committee 
considered H.R. 2480 in a legislative session and reported it 
favorably, as amended, to the House of Representative by a 
voice vote. The Committee considered and adopted the following 
amendments to H.R. 2480:
    Rep. Bonamici offered an Amendment in the Nature of a 
Substitute (ANS) that made several improvements to H.R. 2480. 
The ANS narrowed the condition of receipt of funds in Section 
103(d) to grants received through Section 106. In Section 
106(a)(5)(A), housing agencies were added to the list of 
service providers participating in state and local networks 
supporting child and family well-being to establish connections 
between the child welfare system and agencies that support 
families in finding and securing stable housing.
    The ANS made two important changes to support prevention 
efforts in tribal communities. The amendment added Indian 
tribes and tribal organizations to the list of entities that 
receive equitable distribution of assistance in Section 107 and 
required the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine 
and make recommendations about issues relating to child abuse 
and neglect in Indian tribal communities.
    Several changes were made in Section 110 through the ANS to 
clarify the intent of and strengthen the electronic data 
exchange system. First, language was added to ensure that 
standards and policies governing the electronic interstate data 
exchange adhere to federal law in addition to state law. The 
ANS also clarified that the exchange can only be used for 
purposes of child safety and is not to be used for any other 
purpose. To this end, the ANS included a prohibition on the 
Secretary from accessing or storing data exchanged on the 
system. The ANS also required that each state provide the 
Secretary an assurance that its child abuse and neglect 
registry provides procedural due process for individuals placed 
on such a registry. Finally, the ANS modified the 
appropriations reservation for Section 110 such that out of 
annual funds appropriated in Title I, $2 million per year for 
fiscal years 2020 and 2021 and $1 million per year for fiscal 
years 2022 through 2025 are reserved for the development and 
implementation of the electronic data exchange system.
    The ANS also included a change in Title II to raise the 
administrative cap on funds received in excess of fiscal year 
2019 state allocations from four percent to ten percent to 
ensure lead entities are able to effectively monitor and 
provide oversight of prevention services. The ANS was adopted 
via voice vote.
    During the legislative session the Committee considered 
several amendments to the ANS:
     Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) offered, in 
coordination with Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), an amendment to 
the ANS ensuring that infants whose prenatal drug exposure is 
the result of maternal intake of drugs as prescribed by a 
physician are not reported to child protective services. The 
amendment was withdrawn with a commitment to work with 
Committee leadership to improve this language for inclusion in 
the bill.
     Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) offered, in coordination 
with Rep. Stefanik (R-NY), an amendment to the ANS allowing the 
Secretary to fund a national hotline for child abuse and 
neglect. The amendment was adopted via voice vote.
     Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-ID) offered an amendment to 
the amendment in the nature of the substitute requiring the 
working group established in Section 110 to generate best 
practices that ensure due process for individuals included in 
state child abuse and neglect registries. The amendment was 
adopted via voice vote.
     Rep. David Trone (D-MD) offered, in coordination 
with Rep. Ron Wright (R-TX), an amendment to the ANS allowing 
states to carry out programs or strategies that promote the 
recruitment, support, or retention of the child welfare 
workforce. The amendment was adopted via voice vote.
     Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) offered, in coordination 
with Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-PA), an amendment to the ANS 
ensuring the Secretary includes parent substance use disorder 
as a factor in the study examining adoption outcomes. The 
amendment was adopted via voice vote.
     Rep. Van Taylor (R-TX) offered, in coordination 
with Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY), an amendment to the ANS requiring 
the Secretary to conduct a study of exemptions to state laws 
pertaining to the minimum age of marriage and examine how such 
exemptions affect child safety. The amendment was adopted via 
voice vote.
     Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) offered, in coordination 
with Rep. Glenn ``GT'' Thompson (R-PA), an amendment to the ANS 
requiring the Secretary to conduct a study of mandatory 
reporter state laws and examine differences in rates of 
referrals related to such state laws. The amendment was adopted 
via voice vote.
     Rep. Steve Watkins (R-KS) offered, in coordination 
with Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV), an amendment to the ANS ensuring 
that no child protective services protocols or systems 
authorize the separation of a child from their family due 
solely to poverty. The amendment was adopted via voice vote.
     Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA) offered, in coordination 
with Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA), an amendment to the ANS allowing 
states to carry out activities that reduce child abuse and 
neglect due to the substance use disorder of a parent. The 
amendment was adopted via voice vote.

                            Committee Views


                              INTRODUCTION

    Child abuse and neglect is a public health issue that 
affects as many as one in seven children in the United 
States.\1\ Child abuse and neglect, as defined in federal law, 
is the ``act or failure to act on the part of a parent or 
caretaker that results in the death, serious physical or 
emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation of a child, or an 
act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious 
harm.''\2\ There are four common types of child abuse and 
neglect: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and 
neglect.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Centers for Disease Control. Violence prevention: Child abuse 
and neglect. Washington, DC: Author. https://www.cdc.gov/
violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/riskprotectivefactors.html.
    \2\Pub L. 93-247, 88 Stat. 4 (1974).
    \3\Centers for Disease Control. Violence prevention: Child abuse 
and neglect. Washington, DC: Author. https://www.cdc.gov/
violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/riskprotectivefactors.html.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Child abuse and neglect has both short- and long-term 
negative effects on children and their families. In the short-
term, children may suffer significant physical harm, such as 
cuts, bruises, or broken bones, as well as emotional and 
psychological harm that may disrupt normative development, 
causing anxiety and difficulty controlling emotions. In cases 
of neglect, children may suffer from malnutrition or 
deprivation from educational and cognitive stimulation.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\Ibid.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In the long-term, child abuse and neglect can alter the 
physical development of the brain itself.\5\ Adults who 
experienced abuse as children are almost three times more 
likely to experience depressive symptoms than adults who did 
not experience abuse.\6\ Child abuse and neglect can also be 
detrimental to academic performance--children who experience 
abuse or neglect are anywhere from 25 to 40 percent more likely 
to drop out of high school than their peers.\7\ They are also 
nine times more likely to become involved with the criminal 
justice system.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Long-term 
consequences of child abuse and neglect. Washington, DC: U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau. https://
www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/long_term_consequences.pdf.
    \6\Chapman, D.P., et al. (2004). Adverse childhood experiences and 
the risk of depressive disorders in adulthood. Journal of Affective 
Disorders, 82, 217-225. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c8f5/
4111f295a998ad4d39f6ad709785bbbca33a.pdf.
    \7\Diette, T.M., Goldsmith, A.H., Hamilton, D., & Darity, W.A. 
(2017). Child abuse, sexual assault, community violence and high school 
graduation. Review of Behavioral Economics, 4, 215-240.
    \8\Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Long-term 
consequences of child abuse and neglect. Washington, DC: U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau. https://
www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/long_term_consequences.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In addition to the trauma that child abuse and neglect 
inflicts on each individual child and family who experience 
maltreatment, child abuse and neglect carries a significant 
societal cost. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 
estimated that each confirmed case of child abuse and neglect 
has a lifetime cost of $830,928.\9\ Such costs are incurred due 
to increased health care needs, increased criminal justice 
costs, increased special education costs, and reduced 
productivity. Altogether, the CDC estimated that confirmed 
cases of child abuse and neglect have a total annual cost of 
$428 billion.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \9\Peterson, C., Florence, C., & Klevens, J. (2018). The economic 
burden of child maltreatment in the United States, 2015. Child Abuse 
and Neglect, 86, 178-183. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
PMC6289633/.
    \10\Ibid.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act,\11\ (CAPTA), 
is the primary federal law that supports treatment and 
prevention of child abuse and neglect prior to child entry into 
the child welfare system. CAPTA provides funding and 
requirements for state responses to child abuse and neglect as 
well as funding for research and technical assistance related 
to child abuse and neglect. CAPTA also represents the sole 
federal source of funding for primary prevention of child abuse 
and neglect. CAPTA funding authorizations, extended most 
recently in 2010, expired in 2015. A worrisome rise in the rate 
of child abuse and neglect since the expiration of CAPTA 
authorizations called for a comprehensive reauthorization of 
the law to ensure states are meeting increased need for both 
responses to and prevention of child abuse and neglect.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \11\Pub L. 93-247, 88 Stat. 4 (1974).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

   ADDRESSING THE RISE IN THE PREVALENCE OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT 
                   ASSOCIATED WITH THE OPIOID CRISIS

    Historically, the United States has generally experienced 
steady declines in the rate of child abuse and neglect. For the 
two decades between 1990 and 2009, rates of child abuse and 
neglect decreased continuously. However, starting at the turn 
of the decade, rates of abuse and neglect plateaued, and since 
2013, rates have risen.\12\ This rise has coincided with the 
emergence of the opioid crisis that has devasted communities 
across the country. Federal data show that the percentage of 
victims whose parents abuse drugs has increased rapidly since 
2012, from 20 percent to 31 percent.\13\ Moreover, data suggest 
that some of the states hit hardest by the opioid crisis, 
including New Mexico, Kentucky, and Oklahoma, have shown some 
of the greatest increases in rates of child abuse and 
neglect.\14\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \12\Child Help. (2017). Child maltreatment: The latest report. 
https://www.childhelp.org/blog/child-maltreatment-latest-report/.
    \13\U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's 
Bureau. (2013). Child maltreatment 2012. Washington, DC: Author. 
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/resource/child-maltreatment-2012; U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau. (2019). 
Child maltreatment 2017. Washington, DC: Author. https://
www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/cm2017.pdf.
    \14\Collins, L. (2017). What's behind the three-year rise in 
federal child abuse numbers? Deseret News. https://www.deseretnews.com/
article/865672546/Federal-child-abuse-figures-rose-for-third-year-in-a-
row-and-neglect-is-at-the-top-of-the-list.html.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The Committee has acted multiple times to address the 
effects of the opioid crisis on child safety through amendments 
to CAPTA in recent years.\15\ Although prior Committee actions 
have led to improvements in the federal response to the opioid 
crisis, more needs to be done to address the full extent of 
this devastating crisis on vulnerable young children. In 
response to the 10 percent increase in child abuse and neglect 
reports the country experienced over the last six years, H.R. 
2480 increases the authorization for treatment and response to 
$270 million annually. States may direct such funds towards, 
among other activities, enhancing treatment quality to better 
serve the multiple needs of families facing substance use 
disorder or enhancing caseworker professional development to 
ensure workers are well prepared and fully supported to face 
the emotionally taxing work of supporting families affected by 
substance use. Research shows that in some states, as much as 
40 percent of the child welfare workforce turns over each 
year.\16\ Such high turnover rates can lead to lower quality 
services and poor outcomes for families and children who are in 
most need of quality supports. Provisions throughout H.R. 2480 
promote caseworker education and professional development. When 
the Committee refers to professional development and education 
in Secs. 106(b)(2)(A)(v) and 106(b)(2)(D)(vii), the change from 
``training'' to ``education'' or ``professional development'' 
is not meant to change current practice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \15\See supra ``Committee Actio
    \16\Casey Family Programs. (2017). How does turnover affect 
outcomes and what can be done to address retention? Washington, DC: 
Author. https://www.casey.org/turnover-costs-and-retention-strategies/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Several other provisions throughout H.R. 2480 also address 
the need for further Congressional action related to the rise 
in child abuse and neglect related to the opioid epidemic. For 
example, H.R. 2480 directs the Secretary to conduct research 
and provide technical assistance focused on improving service 
delivery for families experiencing substance use disorder so 
that such families receive effective treatment that ensures 
children's safety and well-being. Moreover, H.R. 2480 provides 
the Secretary the discretion to award grants to states, Indian 
Tribes, or organizations to carry out strategies that reduce 
child abuse and neglect due to parental substance use and to 
establish a hotline where youth and adults seeking help can 
call for immediate support. H.R. 2480 also supports states in 
creating and expanding partnerships among public and private 
agencies that support families involved in the child welfare 
system, including substance use disorder treatment providers, 
so that families receive comprehensive supports to address 
their complex needs.
    The Committee is also committed to addressing the 
unintended consequences of prior Congressional action on the 
issue of parental substance use disorder. Congress amended 
CAPTA through the Comprehensive Addition and Recovery Act of 
2016,\17\ to ensure that plans of safe care were not limited to 
infants exposed to illegal substance abuse. Although this 
change was intended to support infants whose exposure to 
substance abuse resulted from legal opioid mediation, it has 
had unintendedly broad consequences. According to a report from 
the GAO, many states have interpreted this change in 
legislation to mean that any child exposed to any drug in utero 
should receive a plan of safe care and be reported to child 
protective services.\18\ Further, 17 states now initiate child 
protective services investigations for all drug-affected 
infants, regardless of the type of substance to which such 
infants were exposed. This represents an overly broad 
interpretation of the law and has led to the misallocation of 
scant resources to families who do not need to be investigated. 
Moreover, these policies likely create a disincentive for 
mothers from taking needed prescription medication during 
pregnancy and may even deter mothers seeking critically 
important prenatal care. As was discussed at the Committee 
markup, we continue to work to ensure that plans of safe care 
continue to support vulnerable infants but do not have negative 
consequences for mothers who are taking the necessary steps to 
maintain their and their baby's health intact during pregnancy.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \17\Pub. L. 114-198, 130 Stat. 695 (2016).
    \18\U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2018). Substance-
affected infants: Additional guidance would help states better 
implement protections for children. Washington, DC: U.S. Government 
Printing Office.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

      STRENGTHENING THE FOCUS ON PREVENTION FOR STRONGER FAMILIES

    In addition to supporting the treatment of children and 
families who have experienced child abuse or neglect, the 
federal government also plays a critical role in funding 
prevention efforts that protect vulnerable children from ever 
experiencing child abuse and neglect. Prevention efforts that 
focus on strengthening families have been shown to effectively 
reduce instances of child abuse and neglect, sparing children 
from the lifelong consequences of maltreatment.\19\ Research 
shows that home visiting programs, for example, reduce 
instances of child abuse and neglect by as much as 22 percent 
state-wide.\20\ Preliminary evidence also shows that peer-to-
peer support groups can effectively reduce child abuse and 
neglect and increase parent resiliency.\21\ Cost-benefit 
analyses demonstrate that investments in prevention yield 
significant savings as they reduce costs associated with 
increased health care and special education provisions, and 
criminal justice involvement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \19\Fortson, B.L., Klevens, J., Merrick, M.T., Gilbert, L.K., & 
Alexander, S.P. (2016). Preventing child abuse and neglect: A technical 
package for policy, norm, and programmatic activities. Atlanta, GA: 
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/CAN-
Prevention-Technical-Package.pdf.
    \20\Administration for Children and Families. (n.d.). Reductions in 
child maltreatment. https://homvee.acf.hhs.gov/Outcome/2/Reductions-in-
Child-Maltreatment/4/1; Fitzgerald, M. (2018). New evidence suggests 
home visiting can prevent child neglect. The Chronicle of Social 
Change. https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/child-welfare-2/new-
evidence-home-visiting-can-prevent-child-neglect.
    \21\The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse. (2018). Parents 
Anonymous. https://www.cebc4cw.org/program/parents-anonymous/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Evidence shows that prevention strategies are effective and 
can yield significant cost-savings.\22\ The Committee believes 
Congress should fund prevention at levels that can fully meet 
the need of families across the country. H.R. 2480 follows work 
from last Congress and represents the next step forward on this 
path toward better prevention. For example, the bill 
significantly strengthens the quality of prevention services by 
encouraging states to take a public health approach toward 
prevention of child abuse and neglect that builds strong 
connections between child welfare agencies and other public 
agencies that serve vulnerable populations. Comprehensively 
supporting the complex needs of vulnerable families is a vital 
component in tackling the root causes of child abuse and 
neglect.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \22\Ringel, J.S. et al (2017). Improving child welfare outcomes: 
Balancing investment in prevention and treatment. Washington, DC: RAND 
Corporation; Evans, A. & Shoemaker, J.A. (2016). Early childhood home 
visitation programs in Arizona: A benefit-cost analysis. Phoenix, AZ: 
Arizona Department of Health Services.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In order to support increased quality in and scope of 
prevention services, H.R. 2480 increases the authorization for 
prevention activities to match the authorization level provided 
for treatment, which signals the Committee's acknowledgement 
that prevention is key to improving children's lives. 
Appropriation at the authorized amount will allow for an 
expansion of both primary and targeted services that could 
reach as many as 3 million children and families a year and 
yield as much as $2.3 billion in savings annually.

IMPROVING DATA INFRASTRUCTURE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND AND RESPOND TO CHILD 
                           ABUSE AND NEGLECT

    Much of the data on which Congress and experts across the 
country rely to understand the scope of child abuse and neglect 
comes directly from states. Although CAPTA requires states to 
provide data on child abuse and neglect to the Secretary, the 
law does not set guidelines for how such data should be 
measured or collected. This system provides states with the 
autonomy to gather and report data as they see fit. Differences 
in state methodologies for collecting data, though supportive 
of state flexibility, can represent a significant limitation to 
our understanding of the true scope of child abuse and neglect. 
Recently, the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect 
Fatalities\23\ reported that due to the lack of uniform 
standards for data collection, many states undercount the 
number of child fatalities and near fatalities that result from 
child abuse and neglect.\24\ Estimates show that state data 
capture only half of all children who die following instances 
of abuse and neglect.\25\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \23\Established by the Protect Our Kids Act of 2012, Pub. L. No. 
112-275, 126 Stat. 2460 (2013).
    \24\Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities. 
(2016). Within our reach: A national strategy to eliminate child abuse 
and neglect fatalities. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
    \25\Ibid.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Without the appropriate tools to truly understand how many 
young lives are affected by this issue, Congress cannot 
adequately respond. H.R. 2480 addresses this limitation by 
requiring the Secretary to develop uniform standards for the 
tracking and counting of fatalities and near fatalities so that 
all children whose lives are tragically lost to abuse and 
neglect are properly identified and the full scope of the issue 
is understood.
    Another major limitation related to current child abuse and 
neglect data practices centers around the sharing of these 
data. States collect and store information related to child 
protective services cases on state-level child abuse and 
neglect registries. Such registries play a critical role in 
ensuring child safety by providing historical information that 
informs case workers' responses to new reports of abuse and 
neglect. Specifically, case workers can use the data on each 
family's history of child abuse and neglect to tailor their 
responses and better allocate scarce time and monetary 
resources to ensure the safety and well-being of all children.
    It is vital for states to have access to the information 
contained in these registries. When parents or caregivers who 
have abused children move across state lines, that family's 
prior history is not known to the new state. As such, case 
workers in the new state are not able to respond to reports of 
abuse and neglect with the proper and necessary measures to 
keep children safe. This limitation has resulted in several 
fatal cases of child abuse and neglect.\26\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \26\Edwards, J. (2018). Disabled 11-year-old girl was forced to 
stand for hours, beaten until she died, prosecutor says. The Virginian-
Pilot. https://pilotonline.com/news/local/crime/article_e07feb16-6431-
11e8-998f-9f1e365c3e53.html; Neuman, S. (2018). Family in SUV may have 
intentionally driven off cliff, police say. Washington, DC: NPR. 
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/02/598754781/family-in-
suv-may-have-intentionally-driven-off-cliff-police-say.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    H.R. 2480 provides a bold response to this calamitous 
problem. The legislation ensures states are able to address 
shortcomings of current data infrastructure so that no more 
children are lost due to the inability to share data between 
states. Specifically, H.R. 2480 builds on state-level child 
welfare system data improvement initiatives enacted through the 
Family First Prevention Services Act to put in place the 
technological infrastructure for states to easily, quickly, and 
securely share data about families who have come into contact 
with child protective services. This will mean that when a 
family comes to the attention of child protective services in 
one state, case workers will have the tools to immediately 
learn whether the family has a history of child abuse and 
neglect in their prior states of residence.
    The electronic data exchange system is meant to be limited 
solely to uses related to child safety. Only non-federal 
governmental entities will be allowed to access the electronic 
data exchange system and only in cases where doing so would 
contribute to the safety of a child. As outlined above, the 
intent of the electronic data exchange system will be for case 
workers to learn information about a family's prior history 
with child abuse and neglect in other states. Governmental 
agencies will also be allowed to use the electronic data 
exchange system for other activities as long as those 
activities are directly related to ensuring the safety of a 
child.
    During the initial two years of implementation, the 
Secretary will conduct a pilot of the electronic data exchange 
system within a limited set of states. The goal of this pilot 
phase will be to generate recommendations for the policies and 
governance standards that undergird the electronic data 
exchange system to ensure the success of the full 
implementation of the electronic data exchange system. Full 
implementation, as described in the legislation, refers to the 
implementation of the electronic data exchange system across 
all states.
    The Secretary will also convene a working group tasked with 
making recommendations on: (1) improving state-to-state 
communication through the electronic data exchange system; (2) 
reducing barriers to and establishing best practices for States 
to provide timely responses to requests made on the electronic 
data exchange system; (3) making publicly available on state 
websites the definitions and standards of substantiated child 
abuse and neglect in each state; (4) identifying similarities 
and discrepancies in background check requirements across 
CAPTA, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 
1990,\27\ and part E of title IV of the Social Security 
Act;\28\ and, (5) ensuring due process for individuals placed 
on state child abuse and neglect registries.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \27\42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq. (2012).
    \28\42 U.S.C. 670 et seq. (2012).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In drafting these provisions, the Committee was concerned 
that state child abuse and neglect registries may lack 
sufficient due process protections for individuals placed on 
such registries. In recognition of this fact, the Committee has 
taken steps to encourage improvements in due process in state 
child abuse and neglect registries prior to the full 
implementation of the electronic data exchange system. First, 
as described above, the working group will be tasked with 
providing recommendations on how to ensure due process in state 
child abuse and neglect registries. The working group will make 
recommendations concerning the level of evidence necessary for 
inclusion in the registry, the process for notifying 
individuals of inclusion in the registry, the process for 
individuals to challenge inclusion in the registry, and the 
length of time an individual's record should remain in the 
registry. The working group will be further tasked with 
providing recommendations for when records on the registry may 
be made accessible to: the public, those performing employment 
checks, and those accessing the electronic data exchange 
system. Following the provision of such recommendations and 
prior to states participating in the electronic data exchange 
system, each state will be required to provide to the Secretary 
an assurance that its child abuse and neglect registry provides 
procedural due process protections to individuals placed on the 
registry. The Committee envisions these provisions as strong 
safeguards for due process protections.
    The Secretary may rely on recommendations from the pilot 
and the working group to inform the full implementation of the 
electronic data exchange system nation-wide. States will have 
until December 31, 2027 to fully participate in the electronic 
data exchange system. In order to ensure a successful, 
thoughtful approach to the development and implementation of 
the electronic data exchange system, H.R. 2480 reserves $2 
million in appropriations per year for fiscal years 2020 and 
2021 for activities related to the electronic data exchange 
system, particularly the completion of the pilot. The 
legislation reserves $1 million in appropriations per year for 
fiscal years 2022 through 2025 for the full implementation of 
the electronic data exchange system.

         KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE FROM SYSTEMIC CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

    Since the last CAPTA reauthorization, information regarding 
the prevalence of systemic child sexual abuse in organizations 
that serve children has come to the attention of Congress and 
the public generally. These acts occur in the shadows of the 
organizations Americans everywhere entrust their children with. 
This is the time to act to prevent any more children from 
falling prey to these abuses.
    H.R. 2480 requires that each state task force established 
under current law examine and make recommendations focused on 
preventing systemic child sexual abuse. To do so, state task 
forces shall be expanded to include family court judges, 
individuals from religious organizations, and individuals from 
youth-serving organizations, such as those currently implicated 
in systemic sexual abuse cases across the nation. State task 
forces are also strengthened by the participation of 
representatives from Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs), the 
national experts supporting children when interacting with law 
enforcement. CACs help young victims successfully navigate 
cases related to sexual abuse without inflicting additional 
trauma on the victim.
    H.R. 2480 charges state task forces with the important 
responsibility to examine how to help prevent child sexual 
abuse from occurring in any organization serving children. The 
bill charges the task forces with making recommendations on how 
to detect systemic child sexual abuse and how to prevent such 
abuse, including through an examination of the efficacy of 
State laws related to systemic child sexual abuse that deter or 
prevent such abuse. The Committee expects that this examination 
of deterrence required in the legislation will include 
examining statutes that provide remedies for victims of child 
sexual abuse.

     SAFEGUARDING POPULATIONS VULNERABLE TO CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT

    The tragedy of child abuse and neglect is not restricted to 
any particular background or socioeconomic status; it impacts 
children and families from all walks of life. Yet, certain 
populations have historically been more vulnerable to abuse and 
neglect than others. Understanding which populations are truly 
vulnerable allows states and the federal government to target 
resources to those most at-risk, and determining which 
disparities are driven by bias will allow agencies to make 
systemic improvements to child welfare systems.
    Children below age four, and in particular infants below 
the age of one, are at highest risk of becoming victims of 
child abuse and neglect.\29\ Children under the age of four are 
three times more likely to be abused than older teenagers, and 
infants below age one are four times as likely.\30\ Supporting 
parents during the transition into parenthood is one of the 
most effective strategies in the fight against child abuse and 
neglect. As such, several provisions in H.R. 2480 encourage 
states to focus prevention efforts on the parents of young 
children. The bill also allows the Secretary to fund 
demonstration projects aimed at identifying and testing 
effective practices to improve the detection and management of 
sentinel injuries, the injuries indicative of potential abuse 
in infants.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \29\Centers for Disease Control. Violence prevention: Child abuse 
and neglect. Washington, DC: Author. https://www.cdc.gov/
violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/riskprotectivefactors.html.
    \30\Child Trends. (2018). Child maltreatment. Bethesda, MD: Author. 
https://www.childtrends.org/indicators/child-maltreatment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Research also demonstrates that Black and Native American 
children are disproportionally represented in the child 
protective services system.\31\ Although Black children only 
represent 14 percent of the child population, they represent 23 
percent of all child abuse and neglect victims. Native 
Americans represent 1.3 percent of all victims despite 
representing only 0.9 percent of the child population. Research 
shows that racial biases account for a large proportion of 
these disparities.\32\ H.R. 2480 directs states to address such 
inequities by engaging in efforts to reduce racial bias in 
child protective services, and tasks the Secretary with 
providing technical assistance on such efforts and with 
establishing methods that promote racial equity in the child 
welfare system. The legislation also ensures that prevention 
funding goes towards improving access to such services for 
diverse populations, including racial and ethnic minorities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \31\Ibid.
    \32\Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2016). Racial 
disproportionality and disparity in child welfare. https://
www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/racial_disproportionality.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Inequities by socioeconomic status also persist in child 
protective services.\33\ Due to the complex association between 
neglect and socioeconomic status, many families who struggle to 
provide for their children can become at risk of entering the 
child welfare system. Yet this does a disservice to young 
children and their families. Removing children unnecessarily 
from loving homes can inflict long-lasting trauma. Instead, 
families struggling with poverty should receive services and 
benefits that empower them to become financially stable so that 
they can stay ensure a safe and healthy childhood for their 
children. H.R. 2480 promotes this approach by directing the 
Secretary to provide grants to entities to carry out programs 
or strategies that reduce child neglect due to economic 
insecurity. Further, provisions in H.R. 2480 ensure that 
children are not removed from their families due solely to 
poverty.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \33\Eckenrode, J., Smith, E. G., McCarthy, M. E., & Dineen, M. 
(2014). Income inequality and child maltreatment in the United States. 
Pediatrics, 133, 454-461.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Although the youngest children are most vulnerable to child 
abuse and neglect, exemptions for the minimum age of marriage 
across almost every state in the nation place youth at risk of 
abuse at the hands of adult perpetrators. In 49 of the 50 
states in the country, statutory exceptions allow children 
under the age of 18 to enter into marriage.\34\ In seven 
states, the minimum age of marriage can be waived for girls who 
become pregnant.\35\ Allowing for such provisions can have 
dangerous consequences for many young Americans. In many states 
around the country, an act that would be considered child 
sexual abuse in any other context is sanctioned if that young 
child is forced into marriage. H.R. 2480 seeks to shed light 
onto the effect of child marriage on the safety of children 
across the nation. The legislation requires the Secretary to 
examine state laws relating to the minimum marriage age and how 
such laws affect child safety. Such study will include an 
examination of state exceptions to the minimum marriage age as 
well, and a thorough investigation into whether such exceptions 
allow children to be married without their consent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \34\Tahirih Justice Center. (2018). Understanding state statutes on 
minimum marriage age and exceptions. Falls Church, VA: Author. https://
www.tahirih.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2018-State-Marriage-Age-
Requirements-Statutory-Compilation.pdf.
    \35\Ibid.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    STRENGTHENING ADOPTIONS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF ADOPTED CHILDREN

    In September 2013, an investigative report uncovered the 
quiet and devastating phenomenon of unregulated child custody 
transfers.\36\ Also referred to as ``re-homing,'' unregulated 
child custody transfers occur when parents seek new homes for 
their children outside the purview of the courts or the child 
welfare system. A 2015 GAO report identified several social 
media sites in which parents across the country were looking to 
find new homes for their children outside legal mechanisms.\37\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \36\Twohey, N. (2013). Americans use the internet to abandon 
children adopted from overseas. London, UK: Reuters News.
    \37\U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2015). Child welfare: 
Steps have been taken to address unregulated custody transfers of 
adopted children. Washington, DC U.S. Government Printing Office.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The practice of placing children under the care of unvetted 
and oftentimes unknown adults can have grave consequences for 
already vulnerable children. The GAO found that many children 
who underwent unregulated custody transfers were 
internationally adopted children who suffered from serious 
behavioral and mental health conditions in need of specific and 
careful care to thrive.\38\ The GAO found that the burden of 
taking care of children with such high needs was in many cases 
the leading factor in prompting parents to seek new homes. 
Placing high-needs children in new homes without providing the 
new caregivers any of the supports available through legal 
adoptions places children at even higher risk of failing to 
thrive.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \38\Ibid.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    H.R. 2480 is the first federal law to address the issue of 
unregulated custody transfers. In response to the lack of 
comprehensive data on unregulated custody transfers, the 
legislation requires the Secretary to examine the prevalence as 
well as the causes and effects of such transfers. In addition, 
the legislation requires the Secretary to provide guidance and 
technical assistance to states on policies that prevent, 
identify, and respond to unregulated custody transfers. H.R. 
2480 also strengthens post-legal adoption services, which the 
GAO identified as important supports that may reduce instances 
of unregulated custody transfers. Moreover, the bill 
strengthens federal supports for adoptions of sexual and gender 
minority youth, who are disproportionately represented in the 
foster care system.

                               CONCLUSION

    Congress has charged this Committee with the legislative 
responsibility to assist in eradicating the child abuse and 
neglect crisis. As the opioid epidemic continues to devastate 
families all across the country, Congress must do more to help 
vulnerable children. H.R. 2480 represents a bold, bipartisan 
response to this crisis. This legislation, which has received 
support from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American 
Psychological Association, and the National Child Abuse 
Coalition,\39\ will improve the lives of millions of children 
by ensuring that those who have experienced abuse or neglect 
receive high-quality treatment services and those at-risk of 
abuse or neglect receive prevention services that prevent harm 
from ever occurring. The legislation will also improve the 
child abuse and neglect data infrastructure to ensure that 
states collect accurate and reliable data on child fatalities 
and that states are able to access information on previous 
incidents to support data-informed responses to reports of 
child abuse and neglect. At the same time, H.R. 2480 
strengthens due process protections and provides education for 
workers in the child protective services system about parent 
and family rights in order to ensure fair investigations and 
combat unfounded and false reports. The Committee recommends 
Congress adopt the amendments to H.R. 2480 passed at the 
Committee markup and pass this bill that will invest in 
families to improve the health and safety of our nation's 
children.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \39\https://edlabor.house.gov/download/american-academy-of-
pediatrics-supports-the-stronger-child-abuse-prevention-and-treatment-
act-capta; https://edlabor.house.gov/download/american-psychological-
association-supports-the-stronger-child-abuse-prevention-and-treatment-
act-capta; https://edlabor.house.gov/imo/media/doc/
Coalition%20Letter%20on%20Stronger%20CAPTA.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                      Section-by-Section Analysis


Section 1--Short title

    This Act is called ``The Stronger Child Abuse Prevention 
and Treatment Act.''

Section 2--Table of contents

    This section provides the table of contents of the bill.

                        TITLE I--GENERAL PROGRAM

Section 101--Repeal of findings

    This section repeals Section 2 (Congressional Findings) of 
the ``Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act'' (CAPTA).

Section 102--Repeal of Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect

    This section repeals Section 102 (Advisory Board on Child 
Abuse and Neglect) of CAPTA.

Section 103--National clearinghouse for information relating to child 
        abuse

    This section amends Section 103 of CAPTA to require the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and 
issue regulations establishing uniform national standards for 
tracking and reporting of child fatalities and near-fatalities 
resulting from child abuse and neglect through negotiated 
rulemaking. This provision would permit all states to maintain 
current definitions or descriptions of such fatalities for all 
purposes other than tracking and reporting.

Section 104--Research and assistance activities

    This section amends Section 104 of CAPTA to:
     Update and streamline allowed topics for research 
and technical assistance conducted by the Secretary of HHS to 
focus on issues that have been understudied and are relevant to 
current challenges faced by the child welfare workforce. These 
updated research topics include:
         Disseminating evidence-based treatments for 
        individuals and families experiencing trauma due to 
        child abuse or neglect;
         Improving outcomes for families experiencing 
        domestic violence or substance use disorders; and
         Determining methods for ensuring all families, 
        regardless of racial background, are served in the 
        child welfare system.
     Repeal demonstration grants, which will be funded 
through grants in Section 105.

Section 105--Grants to States, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, 
        and public or private agencies and organizations

    This section amends Section 105 of CAPTA to:
     Update and streamline the purposes of grants made 
under this section to focus on providing effective treatment 
and prevention services. Topics of focus for such grants 
include:
         Providing professional development for workers 
        in the prevention, identification, and treatment of 
        child abuse and neglect;
         Addressing traumatic stress in families who 
        experience high levels of adverse childhood 
        experiences;
         Improving coordination within the child 
        welfare system;
         Reducing findings of child neglect due to the 
        economic insecurity of a family;
         Reducing findings of child neglect due to the 
        substance use disorder of a parent or caregiver;
         Improving primary prevention programs at the 
        community level;
         Providing for a 24-hour, national hotline; and
         Developing education for mandatory reporters.
     Require that projects funded through grants under 
this section establish quantifiable goals and submit to the 
Secretary of HHS an evaluation of effectiveness.
     Require that the Secretary of HHS only award 
continuing grants to projects that demonstrate effectiveness.

Section 106--Grants to States for child abuse or neglect prevention and 
        treatment programs

    This section amends Section 106 of CAPTA to:
     Update and streamline the purposes of state grants 
meant to improve and support child protective service systems 
to focus on helping states provide effective services and 
develop an educated workforce.
     Update the requirements of state plans to ensure 
that states develop thorough, strategic plans to treat and 
prevent child abuse and neglect in consultation with families 
and professionals involved in child welfare systems.
     Require that states address reports concerning a 
child's living arrangements or subsistence needs through 
services or benefits and that children are not removed from 
their homes due to poverty.
     Require that all states establish three citizen 
review panels and require that reports from citizen review 
panels to the state and the public include certain information.

Section 107--Miscellaneous requirements

    This section amends Section 108 of CAPTA to require that 
state task forces established under Section 107 of current 
CAPTA law make recommendations to their state for how to detect 
and prevent systemic child sexual abuse. The recommendations 
will also:
     Highlight best practices for providing age 
appropriate education for children, and education for parents 
about risk factors or signs of potential child sexual abuse;
     Examine current state laws addressing child sexual 
abuse; and
     Examine the feasibility of making available the 
relationship of the perpetrator to the victim.
    The task force is required to submit such recommendations 
to the state and the state is required to report to the 
Secretary of HHS the status of adopting such recommendations.

Section 108--Reports

    This section amends Section 110 of CAPTA to repeal studies 
that have been previously completed and requires the Secretary 
of HHS to carry out four new studies. One study will examine 
the challenges to and best practices for the scalability of 
treatments that reduce the trauma resulting from child abuse 
and neglect and reduce revictimization. A second study will 
examine and make recommendations concerning child abuse and 
neglect in Indian Tribal communities. A third study will 
examine state laws related to mandatory reporting of child 
abuse and neglect and state differences in referrals and 
investigations of child abuse and neglect due to differences in 
such laws. A fourth study will examine state laws regarding the 
minimum marriage age, the prevalence of marriage involving a 
child under the minimum marriage age, and the extent to which 
exceptions to the minimum marriage age impact children's 
safety.

Section 109--Authorization of appropriations

    This section amends Section 112 of CAPTA to set the 
authorization level for Title I at $270 million for fiscal year 
2020 and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2021 
through 2025. The section also places a cap of $100 million on 
discretionary activities and requires states to use no more 
than two percent of appropriations exceeding fiscal year 2019 
levels on administrative expenses.

Section 110--National electronic interstate data exchange system

    This section requires the Secretary of HHS to establish an 
electronic interstate data exchange system that allows states 
to share information from their child abuse and neglect 
registries with other states for purposes of child safety. 
Prior to rolling out the data exchange system nationwide, the 
Secretary must convene a working group to provide 
recommendations on best practices for data sharing and due 
process on state registries and must conduct a pilot of the 
data exchange system. States that receive funds from grants 
outlined in Section 106 are required to participate in the 
electronic interstate data exchange system, to the fullest 
extent possible, by 2027 and must provide an assurance that 
their state child abuse and neglect registry provides due 
process for individuals placed on the registry. There are $2 
million reserved from funds appropriated in Section 109 to 
carry out the work of this section in each of fiscal years 2020 
and 2021, and $1 million in each of fiscal years 2022 through 
2025.

Section 111--Technical and conforming amendments

    This section makes technical and conforming amendments to 
CAPTA.

TITLE II--COMMUNITY-BASED GRANTS FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE AND 
                                NEGLECT

Section 201--Purpose and authority

    This section amends Section 201 of CAPTA to:
     Establish the purposes of Title II as: (1) 
establishing and maintaining support for community-based family 
strengthening services and statewide systems-building 
approaches that ensure the development, operation, expansion, 
coordination, and evaluation of services, initiatives, 
programs, and activities that prevent child abuse and neglect, 
and (2) promoting improved access for diverse populations.
     Update the purposes of Title II grants to focus on 
the development of statewide networks of family strengthening 
services that provide a continuum of preventive services.

Section 202--Eligibility

    This section amends Section 202 of CAPTA to ensure 
Governors consider all entities requesting to be designated as 
lead entities and to ensure that the lead entity has 
demonstrated ongoing meaningful partnerships with parents and 
will work in partnership with vulnerable and diverse 
populations.

Section 203--Amount of grant

    This section amends Section 203 of CAPTA to increase the 
reservation for Indian tribes and tribal organizations and 
migrant programs to five percent, except during years when 
increasing the reservation would cause the total amount 
allotted to states to be lower than the amount allotted in 
fiscal year 2019. This section also requires the lead entity to 
use no more than 10 percent of appropriations exceeding fiscal 
year 2019 levels on administrative expenses.

Section 204--Application

    This section amends Section 204 of CAPTA to:
     Update the term ``community-based and prevention-
focused programs and activities designed to strengthen and 
support families'' to ``community-based family strengthening 
services.''
     Require states to describe their capacity to 
involve parents in decision making and their plan for carrying 
out the requirements of this title.
     Require states to describe how they plan to 
incorporate evidence-based research in the process of selecting 
community-based programs.
     Require states to provide an assurance that when 
issuing regulations to improve community-based family 
strengthening services, states take into account how new 
regulations impact activities under this act in an effort to 
avoid duplication, minimize compliance costs, and maximize 
local flexibility, when appropriate.

Section 205--Local program requirements

    This section amends Section 205 of CAPTA to:
     Require that grants from the lead agency be used 
to develop, implement, operate, expand, and enhance community-
based family strengthening services designed to prevent child 
abuse and neglect.
     Require that, in awarding grants, the lead agency 
consider the grantee's capacity to address the identified needs 
of the community and to form collaborations with parents and 
other service providers.
     Require that funds from the lead agency be used 
for community-based family-strengthening services designed to 
prevent child abuse and neglect, which may include a variety of 
activities.

Section 206--Performance measures

    This section amends Section 206 of CAPTA to update the term 
``community-based and prevention-focused programs and 
activities designed to strengthen and support families'' to 
``community-based family strengthening services'' and to 
require that states report specific data on the number of 
programs funded and the number of families served to the 
Secretary of HHS.

Section 207--National network for community-based family resource 
        programs

    This section amends Section 207 of CAPTA to restrict funds 
for technical assistance to no more than 5 percent of 
appropriations for this title.

Section 208--Definitions

    This section amends Section 208 of CAPTA to update the term 
``community-based and prevention-focused programs and 
activities to prevent child abuse and neglect'' to ``community-
based family strengthening services.''

Section 209--Rule of construction

    This section creates a special rule so that no 
grandparents, kinship care providers, foster parents, adoptive 
parents, or persons acting in a parental role can be prohibited 
from receiving or participating in services funded under this 
title.

Section 210--Authorization of appropriations

    This section amends Section 209 of CAPTA to set the 
authorization level for Title II at $270 million for fiscal 
year 2020 and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 
2021 through 2025. This section also allows states to provide 
in-kind contributions towards the amount of the state match 
that exceeds the state match in fiscal year 2019.

Section 211--Study and report

    This section requires the Secretary of HHS to carry out a 
new study examining: (1) how many families and children are 
served annually in relation to appropriations levels over the 
three years following the enactment of the reauthorization and 
(2) program effectiveness. The Secretary of HHS is required to 
provide the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
Representatives a report summarizing the results of the study 
no later than four years after the enactment of this Act.

                   TITLE III--ADOPTION OPPORTUNITIES

Section 301--Purpose

    This section repeals Subsection 201(a) (Findings) of CAPTA 
and amends Section 201(b) to include sexual and gender minority 
youth in the list of children who would benefit from adoption 
and includes post-legal adoption services in the purpose of 
this title.

Section 302--Report and guidance on unregulated custody transfers

    This section requires the Secretary of HHS to draft a 
report examining unregulated custody transfers in the United 
States, including, among other information, recommendations for 
preventing, identifying, and responding to such transfers. The 
section further requires the Secretary of HHS to issue guidance 
and technical assistance to states based on the recommendations 
that arise from the report.

Section 303--Information and services

    This section amends Section 203 of CAPTA to enhance 
adoption services and to include Indian tribes as possible 
grantees for funding aimed at improving cross-jurisdictional 
adoptions.

Section 304--Study and report on successful adoptions

    This section amends Section 204 of CAPTA to repeal studies 
that have been previously completed and requires that the 
Secretary complete a study examining factors, one of which 
shall be parental substance use disorder, that affect adoption 
outcomes.

Section 305--Authorization of appropriations

    This section amends Section 205 of CAPTA to extend the 
authorization from fiscal year 2020 through fiscal year 2025.

                       Explanation of Amendments

    The ANS is explained in other descriptive portions of this 
report.

              Application of Law to the Legislative Branch

    H.R. 2480 does not apply to terms and conditions of 
employment or to access to public services or accommodations 
within the legislative branch.

                       Unfunded Mandate Statement

    Pursuant to Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and 
Impoundment Control Act (as amended by Section 101(a)(2) of the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, Pub. L. 104-4), the Committee 
adopts as its own the estimate of federal mandates regarding 
H.R. 2480, as amended, prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office.

                           Earmark Statement

    In accordance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, H.R. 2480 does not contain any 
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits as described in clauses 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of Rule 
XXI.

                            Roll Call Votes

    In compliance with clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that no 
roll call votes occurred during the Committee's consideration 
of H.R. 2480.

             Statement of Performance Goals and Objectives

    Pursuant to clause (3)(c) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the goals of H.R. 2480 are to 
reauthorize and strengthen federal programs to prevent and 
treat child abuse and neglect.

                    Duplication of Federal Programs

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee states that no 
provision of H.R. 2480 establishes or reauthorizes a program of 
the Federal Government known to be duplicative of another 
federal program, a program that was included in any report from 
the Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to 
section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program related to a 
program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance.

                                Hearings

    For the purposes of Section 103(i) of H. Res. 6 for the 
116th Congress--
    On March 26, 2019, the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and 
Human Services held a legislative hearing titled 
``Strengthening Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and 
Neglect,'' which was used to inform the development of H.R. 
2480. The Subcommittee heard testimony on the following topics: 
the prevalence of child abuse and neglect; effective prevention 
strategies to address child abuse and neglect before it occurs; 
and unmet need for treatment and prevention. The Subcommittee 
heard testimony from: Yo Jackson, Professor and Associate 
Director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network at Penn 
State University, State College, PA; Judy King, Director of 
Family Support Programs at the Washington State Department of 
Children, Youth and Families, Olympia, WA; Bradley Thomas, CEO 
of Triple P America, Columbia, SC; and LaCrisha Rose, parent, 
Miami, WV.

  Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee

    In compliance with Clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and Clause 
2(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, 
the Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are 
reflected in the descriptive portions of this report.

               New Budget Authority and CBO Cost Estimate

    Pursuant to Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives and Section 308(a) of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and pursuant to clause 
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and Section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act 
of 1974, the Committee has received the following estimate for 
H.R. 2480 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                      Washington, DC, May 14, 2019.
Hon. Bobby Scott,
Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 2480, the Stronger 
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Jennifer 
Gray.
            Sincerely,
                                                Keith Hall,
                                                          Director.
    Enclosure.

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
    

    H.R. 2480 would reauthorize and amend the Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) and title II of the Child 
Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978. 
The bill would specifically authorize the appropriation of $580 
million in 2020 and whatever amounts are necessary for each 
year from 2021 through 2025 for programs in those acts. The 
authorizations for those programs expired at the end of 2015, 
although the Department of Health and Human Services has 
continued to allocate funds for those programs. In 2019, that 
allocation was about $197 million. The bill would reauthorize 
and amend:
         CAPTA state grants and child abuse 
        discretionary activities (title I of the bill),
         Community-based child abuse prevention (title 
        II of the bill), and
         Adoption opportunities (title III of the 
        bill).
    For this estimate, CBO assumes that H.R. 2480 will be 
enacted before the beginning of fiscal year 2020 and that the 
amounts authorized for 2020 will be appropriated. For years 
2021 through 2025, CBO estimates the authorization amount by 
inflating the 2020 amount consistent with CBO's projections of 
inflation in the baseline. Estimated outlays are based on 
historical spending patterns for those or similar programs. On 
that basis, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost 
$2.1 billion over the 2020-2024 period and $1.6 billion after 
2024.
    The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall 
within budget function 500 (education, training, employment, 
and social services).

                                            TABLE 1--ESTIMATED INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
                                                      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        2019   2020   2021   2022   2023   2024   2025   2026   2027   2028   2029  2019-2024  2019-2029
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title I:
    Estimated Authorization..........................      0    270    276    281    287    293    299      0      0      0      0     1,407      1,706
    Estimated Outlays................................      0     28     82    152    221    280    286    260    205    133     59       763      1,706
Title II:
    Estimated Authorization..........................      0    270    276    281    287    293    299      0      0      0      0     1,407      1,706
    Estimated Outlays................................      0     81    218    263    276    287    294    208     59     15      5     1,125      1,706
Title III:
    Estimated Authorization..........................      0     40     41     42     43     43     44      0      0      0      0       209        253
    Estimated Outlays................................      0     12     32     39     41     43     43     31      9      2      1       167        253
    Total Changes:
        Estimated Authorization......................      0    580    593    604    617    629    642      0      0      0      0     3,023      3,665
        Estimated Outlays............................      0    121    332    454    538    610    623    499    273    150     65     2,055      3,665
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jennifer Gray. 
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

                        Committee Cost Estimate

    Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison of the 
costs that would be incurred in carrying out H.R. 2480. 
However, Clause 3(d)(2)(B) of that rule provides that this 
requirement does not apply when the committee has included in 
its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill 
prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 
under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

    In compliance with Clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, H.R. 2480, as reported, are shown as follows:

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
matter is printed in italic, and existing law in which no 
change is proposed is shown in roman):

                CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT ACT


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.

  (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment Act''.
  (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents is as follows:

                            TABLE OF CONTENTS

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
[Sec. 2. Findings.]
Sec. 3. General definitions.

                        TITLE I--GENERAL PROGRAM

Sec. 101. Office on Child Abuse and Neglect.
[Sec. 102. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect.]
     * * * * * * *
[Sec. 110. Reports.]
Sec. 110. Study and report relating to scaling evidence-based treatment 
          of child abuse and neglect; study and report on marital age of 
          consent; study and report on State mandatory reporting laws.
     * * * * * * *
Sec. 114. Monitoring and oversight.
Sec. 115. Electronic interstate data exchange system.

 TITLE II--COMMUNITY-BASED GRANTS FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE OR 
                                 NEGLECT

     * * * * * * *
[Sec. 209. Authorization of appropriations.]
Sec. 209. Rule of construction.
Sec. 210. Authorization of appropriations.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


[SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

   [Congress finds that--
          [(1) in fiscal year 2008, approximately 772,000 
        children were found by States to be victims of child 
        abuse and neglect;
          [(2)(A) more children suffer neglect than any other 
        form of maltreatment and close to \1/3\ of all child 
        maltreatment-related fatalities in fiscal year 2008 
        were attributed to neglect alone; and
          [(B) investigations have determined that 
        approximately 71 percent of children who were victims 
        of maltreatment in fiscal year 2008 suffered neglect, 
        16 percent suffered physical abuse, 9 percent suffered 
        sexual abuse,, 7 percent suffered psychological 
        maltreatment, 2 percent experienced medical neglect, 
        and 9 percent were victims of other forms of 
        maltreatment;
          [(3)(A) child abuse or neglect can result in the 
        death of a child;
          [(B) in fiscal year 2008, an estimated 1,740 children 
        were counted by child protection services to have died 
        as a result of abuse or neglect; and
          [(C) in fiscal year 2008, children younger than 1 
        year old comprised 45 percent of child maltreatment 
        fatalities and 72 percent of child maltreatment 
        fatalities were younger than 4 years of age;
          [(4)(A) many of these children and their families 
        fail to receive adequate protection and treatment; and
          [(B) approximately 37 percent of victims of child 
        abuse did not receive post-investigation services in 
        fiscal year 2008;
          [(5) African-American children, American Indian 
        children, Alaska Native children, and children of 
        multiple races and ethnicities experience the highest 
        rates of child abuse or neglect;
          [(6) the problem of child abuse and neglect requires 
        a comprehensive approach that--
                  [(A) integrates the work of social service, 
                legal, health, mental health, domestic violence 
                services, education, and substance abuse 
                agencies and community-based organizations;
                  [(B) strengthens coordination among all 
                levels of government, and with private 
                agencies, civic, religious, and professional 
                organizations, and individual volunteers;
                  [(C) emphasizes the need for abuse and 
                neglect prevention, assessment, investigation, 
                and treatment at the neighborhood level;
                  [(D) recognizes the need for properly trained 
                staff with the qualifications needed to carry 
                out their child protection duties; and
                  [(E) recognizes the diversity of ethnic, 
                cultural, and religious beliefs and traditions 
                that may impact child rearing patterns, while 
                not allowing the differences in those beliefs 
                and traditions to enable abuse or neglect;
          [(7) the failure to coordinate and comprehensively 
        prevent and treat child abuse and neglect threatens the 
        futures of thousands of children and results in a cost 
        to the Nation of billions of dollars in tangible 
        expenditures, as well as significant intangible costs;
          [(8) all elements of American society have a shared 
        responsibility in responding to child abuse and 
        neglect;
          [(9) substantial reductions in the prevalence and 
        incidence of child abuse and neglect and the 
        alleviation of its consequences are matters of the 
        highest national priority;
          [(10) national policy should strengthen families to 
        prevent child abuse and neglect, provide support for 
        needed services to prevent the unnecessary removal of 
        children from families, and promote the reunification 
        of families where appropriate;
          [(11) the child protection system should be 
        comprehensive, child-centered, family-focused, and 
        community-based, should incorporate all appropriate 
        measures to prevent the occurrence or recurrence of 
        child abuse and neglect, and should promote physical 
        and psychological recovery and social re-integration in 
        an environment that fosters the health, safety, self-
        respect, and dignity of the child;
          [(12) because both child maltreatment and domestic 
        violence occur in up to 60 percent of the families in 
        which either is present, States and communities should 
        adopt assessments and intervention procedures aimed at 
        enhancing the safety both of children and victims of 
        domestic violence;
          [(13) because of the limited resources available in 
        low-income communities, Federal aid for the child 
        protection system should be distributed with due regard 
        to the relative financial need of the communities;
          [(14) the Federal Government should assist States and 
        communities with the fiscal, human, and technical 
        resources necessary to develop and implement a 
        successful and comprehensive child and family 
        protection strategy; and
          [(15) the Federal Government should provide 
        leadership and assist communities in their child and 
        family protection efforts by--
                  [(A) promoting coordinated planning among all 
                levels of government;
                  [(B) generating and sharing knowledge 
                relevant to child and family protection, 
                including the development of models for service 
                delivery;
                  [(C) strengthening the capacity of States to 
                assist communities;
                  [(D) allocating financial resources to assist 
                States in implementing community plans;
                  [(E) helping communities to carry out their 
                child and family protection plans by promoting 
                the competence of professional, 
                paraprofessional, and volunteer resources; and
                  [(F) providing leadership to end the abuse 
                and neglect of the nation's children and 
                youth.]

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


TITLE I--GENERAL PROGRAM

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


[SEC. 102. ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT.

  [(a) Appointment.--The Secretary may appoint an advisory 
board to make recommendations to the Secretary and to the 
appropriate committees of Congress concerning specific issues 
relating to child abuse and neglect.
  [(b) Solicitation of Nominations.--The Secretary shall 
publish a notice in the Federal Register soliciting nominations 
for the appointment of members of the advisory board under 
subsection (a).
  [(c) Composition.--In establishing the board under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall appoint members from the general 
public who are individuals knowledgeable in child abuse and 
neglect prevention, intervention, treatment, or research, and 
with due consideration to representation of ethnic or racial 
minorities and diverse geographic areas, and who represent--
          [(1) law (including the judiciary);
          [(2) psychology (including child development);
          [(3) social services (including child protective 
        services);
          [(4) health care providers (including pediatricians);
          [(5) State and local government;
          [(6) organizations providing services to disabled 
        persons;
          [(7) organizations providing services to adolescents;
          [(8) teachers;
          [(9) parent self-help organizations;
          [(10) parents' groups;
          [(11) voluntary groups;
          [(12) family rights groups;
          [(13) children's rights advocates; and
          [(14) Indian tribes or tribal organizations.
  [(d) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the membership of the board 
shall be filled in the same manner in which the original 
appointment was made.
  [(e) Election of Officers.--The board shall elect a 
chairperson and vice-chairperson at its first meeting from 
among the members of the board.
  [(f) Duties.--Not later than 1 year after the establishment 
of the board under subsection (a), the board shall submit to 
the Secretary and the appropriate committees of Congress a 
report, or interim report, containing--
          [(1) recommendations on coordinating Federal, State, 
        tribal, and local child abuse and neglect activities 
        with similar activities at the Federal, State, tribal, 
        and local level pertaining to family violence 
        prevention;
          [(2) specific modifications needed in Federal, State, 
        and tribal laws and programs to reduce the number of 
        unfounded or unsubstantiated reports of child abuse or 
        neglect while enhancing the ability to identify and 
        substantiate legitimate cases of child abuse or neglect 
        which place a child in danger; and
          [(3) recommendations for modifications needed to 
        facilitate coordinated national data collection with 
        respect to child protection and child welfare.]

SEC. 103. NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE FOR INFORMATION RELATING TO CHILD 
                    ABUSE.

  (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall through the 
Department, or by one or more contracts of not less than 3 
years duration let through a competition, establish a national 
clearinghouse for information relating to child abuse and 
neglect.
  (b) Functions.--The Secretary shall, through the 
clearinghouse established by subsection (a)--
          (1) maintain, coordinate, and disseminate information 
        on effective programs, including early learning 
        programs and private and community-based programs, that 
        have demonstrated success with respect to the 
        prevention, assessment, identification, and treatment 
        of child abuse or neglect and hold the potential for 
        broad-scale implementation and replication;
          (2) maintain, coordinate, and disseminate information 
        on the medical diagnosis and treatment of child abuse 
        and neglect;
          (3) maintain and disseminate information on best 
        practices relating to differential response;
          (4) maintain and disseminate information about the 
        best practices used for achieving improvements in child 
        protective systems;
          (5) maintain and disseminate information about the 
        requirements of [section 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)] section 
        106(b)(2)(D)(ii) and best practices relating to the 
        development of plans of safe care as described in such 
        section for infants born and identified as being 
        affected by substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms, or 
        a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder;
          (6) maintain and disseminate information relating 
        to--
                  (A) the incidence of cases of child abuse and 
                neglect in the United States;
                  (B) the incidence of such cases in 
                populations determined by the Secretary under 
                section 105(a)(1) of the Child Abuse 
                Prevention, Adoption, and Family Services Act 
                of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 5105 note); and
                  (C) the incidence of any such cases related 
                to substance abuse;
          (7) provide technical assistance upon request that 
        may include an evaluation or identification of--
                  (A) various methods and procedures for the 
                investigation, assessment, and prosecution of 
                child physical and sexual abuse cases;
                  (B) ways to mitigate psychological trauma to 
                the child victim; and
                  (C) effective programs carried out by the 
                States under this Act;
          (8) collect and disseminate information relating to 
        various training resources available at the State and 
        local level to--
                  (A) individuals who are engaged, or who 
                intend to engage, in the prevention, 
                identification, and treatment of child abuse 
                and neglect; and
                  (B) appropriate State and local officials to 
                assist in training law enforcement, legal, 
                judicial, medical, mental health, education, 
                child welfare, substance abuse treatment 
                services, and domestic violence services 
                personnel; and
          (9) collect and disseminate information, in 
        conjunction with the National Resource Centers 
        authorized in section 310(b) of the Family Violence 
        Prevention and Services Act, on effective programs and 
        best practices for developing and carrying out 
        collaboration between entities providing child 
        protective services and entities providing domestic 
        violence services.
  (c) Coordination With Available Resources.--
          (1) In general.--In establishing a national 
        clearinghouse as required by subsection (a), the 
        Secretary shall--
                  (A) consult with other Federal agencies that 
                operate similar clearinghouses;
                  (B) consult with the head of each agency 
                involved with child abuse and neglect on the 
                development of the components for information 
                collection and management of such clearinghouse 
                and on the mechanisms for the sharing of such 
                information with other Federal agencies and 
                clearinghouses;
                  (C) develop a Federal data system involving 
                the elements under subsection (b) which, to the 
                extent practicable, coordinates existing 
                Federal, State, tribal, regional, and local 
                child welfare data systems which shall 
                include--
                          (i) standardized data on false, 
                        unfounded, unsubstantiated, and 
                        substantiated reports;
                          (ii) information on the number of 
                        deaths due to child abuse and neglect;
                          (iii) information about the incidence 
                        and characteristics of child abuse and 
                        neglect in circumstances in which 
                        domestic violence is present; [and]
                          (iv) information about the incidence 
                        and characteristics of child abuse and 
                        neglect in cases related to substance 
                        abuse; and
                          (v) the number of child fatalities 
                        and near fatalities due to 
                        maltreatment, as reported by States in 
                        accordance with the uniform standards 
                        established pursuant to subsection (d), 
                        and any other relevant information 
                        related to such fatalities;
                  (D) through a national data collection and 
                analysis program and in consultation with 
                appropriate State and local agencies and 
                experts in the field, collect, compile, and 
                make available State child abuse and neglect 
                reporting information which, to the extent 
                practical, shall be universal and case specific 
                and integrated with other case-based foster 
                care and adoption data collected by the 
                Secretary;
                  (E) compile, analyze, and publish a summary 
                of the research conducted under section 104(a);
                  (F) collect and disseminate information that 
                describes best practices being used throughout 
                the Nation for making appropriate referrals 
                related to, and addressing, the physical, 
                developmental, and mental health needs of 
                [abused and neglected children] victims of 
                child abuse or neglect; and
                  (G) solicit public comment on the components 
                of such clearinghouse.
          (2) Confidentiality requirement.--In carrying out 
        paragraph (1)(D), the Secretary shall ensure that 
        methods are established and implemented to preserve the 
        confidentiality of records relating to case specific 
        data.
  (d) Uniform Standards for Tracking and Reporting of Child 
Fatalities Resulting From Maltreatment.--
          (1) Regulations required.--Not later than 24 months 
        after the date of the enactment of the Stronger Child 
        Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the Secretary shall 
        develop and issue final regulations establishing 
        uniform standards for the tracking and reporting of 
        child fatalities and near-fatalities resulting from 
        maltreatment. As a condition on eligibility for receipt 
        of funds under section 106, the standards established 
        under this paragraph shall be used by States for the 
        tracking and reporting of such fatalities under 
        subsection (d) of such section.
          (2) Maintenance of state law.--Notwithstanding the 
        uniform standards developed under paragraph (1), a 
        State that defines or describes such fatalities for any 
        purpose other than tracking and reporting under this 
        subsection may continue to use that definition or 
        description for such purpose.
          (3) Negotiated rulemaking.--In developing regulations 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit such 
        regulations to a negotiated rulemaking process, which 
        shall include the participants described in paragraph 
        (4).
          (4) Participants described.--The participants 
        described in this paragraph are--
                  (A) State and county officials responsible 
                for administering the State plans under this 
                Act and parts B and E of title IV of the Social 
                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq., 670 et 
                seq.);
                  (B) child welfare professionals with field 
                experience;
                  (C) child welfare researchers;
                  (D) domestic violence researchers;
                  (E) domestic violence professionals;
                  (F) child development professionals;
                  (G) mental health professionals;
                  (H) pediatric emergency medicine physicians;
                  (I) child abuse pediatricians, as certified 
                by the American Board of Pediatrics, who 
                specialize in treating victims of child abuse;
                  (J) forensic pathologists;
                  (K) public health administrators;
                  (L) public health researchers;
                  (M) law enforcement;
                  (N) family court judges;
                  (O) prosecutors;
                  (P) medical examiners and coroners;
                  (Q) a representative from the National Center 
                for Fatality Review and Prevention; and
                  (R) such other individuals and entities as 
                the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

SEC. 104. RESEARCH AND ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES.

  (a) Research.--
          [(1) Topics.--The Secretary shall, in consultation 
        with other Federal agencies and recognized experts in 
        the field, carry out a continuing interdisciplinary 
        program of research, including longitudinal research, 
        that is designed to provide information needed to 
        better protect children from child abuse or neglect and 
        to improve the well-being of victims of child abuse or 
        neglect, with at least a portion of such research being 
        field initiated. Such research program may focus on--
                  [(A) the nature and scope of child abuse and 
                neglect;
                  [(B) causes, prevention, assessment, 
                identification, treatment, cultural and socio-
                economic distinctions, and the consequences of 
                child abuse and neglect, including the effects 
                of child abuse and neglect on a child's 
                development and the identification of 
                successful early intervention services or other 
                services that are needed;
                  [(C) effective approaches to improving the 
                relationship and attachment of infants and 
                toddlers who experience child abuse or neglect 
                with their parents or primary caregivers in 
                circumstances where reunification is 
                appropriate;
                  [(D) appropriate, effective and culturally 
                sensitive investigative, administrative, and 
                judicial systems, including multidisciplinary, 
                coordinated decisionmaking procedures with 
                respect to cases of child abuse and neglect;
                  [(E) the evaluation and dissemination of best 
                practices, including best practices to meet the 
                needs of special populations, consistent with 
                the goals of achieving improvements in the 
                child protective services systems of the States 
                in accordance with paragraphs (1) through (14) 
                of section 106(a);
                  [(F) effective approaches to interagency 
                collaboration between the child protection 
                system and the juvenile justice system that 
                improve the delivery of services and treatment, 
                including methods for continuity of treatment 
                plan and services as children transition 
                between systems;
                  [(G) effective practices and programs to 
                improve activities such as identification, 
                screening, medical diagnosis, forensic 
                diagnosis, health evaluations, and services, 
                including activities that promote collaboration 
                between--
                          [(i) the child protective service 
                        system; and
                          [(ii)(I) the medical community, 
                        including providers of mental health 
                        and developmental disability services; 
                        and
                          [(II) providers of early childhood 
                        intervention services and special 
                        education for children who have been 
                        victims of child abuse or neglect;
                  [(H) an evaluation of the redundancies and 
                gaps in the services in the field of child 
                abuse and neglect prevention in order to make 
                better use of resources;
                  [(I) effective collaborations, between the 
                child protective system and domestic violence 
                service providers, that provide for the safety 
                of children exposed to domestic violence and 
                their nonabusing parents and that improve the 
                investigations, interventions, delivery of 
                services, and treatments provided for such 
                children and families;
                  [(J) the nature, scope, and practice of 
                voluntary relinquishment for foster care or 
                State guardianship of low-income children who 
                need health services, including mental health 
                services;
                  [(K) the impact of child abuse and neglect on 
                the incidence and progression of disabilities;
                  [(L) the nature and scope of effective 
                practices relating to differential response, 
                including an analysis of best practices 
                conducted by the States;
                  [(M) child abuse and neglect issues facing 
                Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, 
                including providing recommendations for 
                improving the collection of child abuse and 
                neglect data from Indian tribes and Native 
                Hawaiian communities;
                  [(N) the information on the national 
                incidence of child abuse and neglect specified 
                in clauses (i) through (x) of subparagraph (O); 
                and
                  [(O) the national incidence of child abuse 
                and neglect, including--
                          [(i) the extent to which incidents of 
                        child abuse and neglect are increasing 
                        or decreasing in number and severity;
                          [(ii) the incidence of substantiated 
                        and unsubstantiated reported child 
                        abuse and neglect cases;
                          [(iii) the number of substantiated 
                        cases that result in a judicial finding 
                        of child abuse or neglect or related 
                        criminal court convictions;
                          [(iv) the extent to which the number 
                        of unsubstantiated, unfounded and false 
                        reported cases of child abuse or 
                        neglect have contributed to the 
                        inability of a State to respond 
                        effectively to serious cases of child 
                        abuse or neglect;
                          [(v) the extent to which the lack of 
                        adequate resources and the lack of 
                        adequate training of individuals 
                        required by law to report suspected 
                        cases of child abuse and neglect have 
                        contributed to the inability of a State 
                        to respond effectively to serious cases 
                        of child abuse and neglect;
                          [(vi) the number of unsubstantiated, 
                        false, or unfounded reports that have 
                        resulted in a child being placed in 
                        substitute care, and the duration of 
                        such placement;
                          [(vii) the extent to which 
                        unsubstantiated reports return as more 
                        serious cases of child abuse or 
                        neglect;
                          [(viii) the incidence and prevalence 
                        of physical, sexual, and emotional 
                        abuse and physical and emotional 
                        neglect in substitute care;
                          [(ix) the incidence and prevalence of 
                        child maltreatment by a wide array of 
                        demographic characteristics such as 
                        age, sex, race, family structure, 
                        household relationship (including the 
                        living arrangement of the resident 
                        parent and family size), school 
                        enrollment and education attainment, 
                        disability, grandparents as caregivers, 
                        labor force status, work status in 
                        previous year, and income in previous 
                        year;
                          [(x) the extent to which reports of 
                        suspected or known instances of child 
                        abuse or neglect involving a potential 
                        combination of jurisdictions, such as 
                        intrastate, interstate, Federal-State, 
                        and State-Tribal, are being screened 
                        out solely on the basis of the cross-
                        jurisdictional complications; and
                          [(xi) the incidence and outcomes of 
                        child abuse and neglect allegations 
                        reported within the context of divorce, 
                        custody, or other family court 
                        proceedings, and the interaction 
                        between this venue and the child 
                        protective services system.]
          (1) Topics.--The Secretary shall, in consultation 
        with other Federal agencies and recognized experts in 
        the field, carry out a continuing interdisciplinary 
        program of research, including longitudinal research, 
        that is designed to provide information needed to 
        improve primary prevention of child abuse and neglect, 
        better protect children from child abuse or neglect, 
        and improve the well-being of victims of child abuse or 
        neglect, with at least a portion of such research being 
        field initiated. Such research program may focus on--
                  (A) disseminating evidence-based treatment 
                directed to individuals and families 
                experiencing trauma due to child abuse and 
                neglect, including efforts to improve the 
                scalability of the treatments and programs 
                being researched;
                  (B) developing a set of evidence-based 
                approaches to support child and family well-
                being and developing ways to identify, relieve, 
                and mitigate stressors affecting families in 
                rural, urban, and suburban communities;
                  (C) establishing methods to promote racial 
                equity in the child welfare system, including a 
                focus on how neglect is defined, how services 
                are provided, and the unique impact on Native 
                American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian 
                communities;
                  (D) improving service delivery or outcomes 
                for child welfare service agencies engaged with 
                families experiencing domestic violence, 
                substance use disorder, or other complex needs;
                  (E) the extent to which the number of 
                unsubstantiated, unfounded, and false reported 
                cases of child abuse or neglect have 
                contributed to the inability of a State to 
                respond effectively to serious cases of child 
                abuse or neglect;
                  (F) the extent to which the lack of adequate 
                resources and the lack of adequate professional 
                development of individuals required by law to 
                report suspected cases of child abuse and 
                neglect have contributed to the inability of a 
                State to respond effectively to serious cases 
                of child abuse and neglect;
                  (G) the extent to which unsubstantiated 
                reports return as more serious cases of child 
                abuse or neglect;
                  (H) the incidence and outcomes of child abuse 
                and neglect allegations reported within the 
                context of divorce, custody, or other family 
                court proceedings, and the interaction between 
                family courts and the child protective services 
                system;
                  (I) the information on the national incidence 
                of child abuse and neglect specified in clauses 
                (i) through (xi) of subparagraph (J); and
                  (J) the national incidence of child abuse and 
                neglect, including--
                          (i) the extent to which incidents of 
                        child abuse and neglect are increasing 
                        or decreasing in number and severity;
                          (ii) the incidence of substantiated 
                        and unsubstantiated reported child 
                        abuse and neglect cases;
                          (iii) the number of substantiated 
                        cases that result in a judicial finding 
                        of child abuse or neglect or related 
                        criminal court convictions;
                          (iv) the extent to which the number 
                        of unsubstantiated, unfounded and false 
                        reported cases of child abuse or 
                        neglect have contributed to the 
                        inability of a State to respond 
                        effectively to serious cases of child 
                        abuse or neglect;
                          (v) the extent to which the lack of 
                        adequate resources and the lack of 
                        adequate education of individuals 
                        required by law to report suspected 
                        cases of child abuse and neglect have 
                        contributed to the inability of a State 
                        to respond effectively to serious cases 
                        of child abuse and neglect;
                          (vi) the number of unsubstantiated, 
                        false, or unfounded reports that have 
                        resulted in a child being placed in 
                        substitute care, and the duration of 
                        such placement;
                          (vii) the extent to which 
                        unsubstantiated reports return as more 
                        serious cases of child abuse or 
                        neglect;
                          (viii) the incidence and prevalence 
                        of physical, sexual, and emotional 
                        abuse and physical and emotional 
                        neglect in substitute care;
                          (ix) the incidence and prevalence of 
                        child maltreatment by a wide array of 
                        demographic characteristics such as 
                        age, sex, race, family structure, 
                        household relationship (including the 
                        living arrangement of the resident 
                        parent and family size), school 
                        enrollment and education attainment, 
                        disability, grandparents as caregivers, 
                        labor force status, work status in 
                        previous year, and income in previous 
                        year;
                          (x) the extent to which reports of 
                        suspected or known instances of child 
                        abuse or neglect involving a potential 
                        combination of jurisdictions, such as 
                        intrastate, interstate, Federal-State, 
                        and State-Tribal, are being screened 
                        out solely on the basis of the cross-
                        jurisdictional complications; and
                          (xi) the incidence and outcomes of 
                        child abuse and neglect allegations 
                        reported within the context of divorce, 
                        custody, or other family court 
                        proceedings, and the interaction 
                        between family courts and the child 
                        protective services system.
          (2) Research.--The Secretary shall conduct research 
        on the national incidence of child abuse and neglect, 
        including the information on the national incidence on 
        child abuse and neglect specified in clauses (i) 
        through (xi) of [paragraph (1)(O)] paragraph (1)(J).
          [(3) Report.--Not later than 4 years after the date 
        of the enactment of the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 
        2010, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the 
        Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House 
        of Representatives and the Committee on Health, 
        Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate a report 
        that contains the results of the research conducted 
        under paragraph (2).]
          (3) Reporting requirements.--
                  (A) In general.--Not later than 4 years after 
                the date of the enactment of the Stronger Child 
                Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the 
                Secretary shall prepare and submit to the 
                Committee on Education and Labor of the House 
                of Representatives and the Committee on Health, 
                Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate a 
                report that contains the results of the 
                research conducted under paragraph (2).
                  (B) National incidence.--The Secretary shall 
                ensure that research conducted, and data 
                collected, under paragraph (1)(J) are reported 
                in a way that will allow longitudinal 
                comparisons as well as comparisons to the 
                national incidence studies conducted under this 
                title.
          (4) Priorities.--
                  (A) In general.--The Secretary shall 
                establish research priorities for making grants 
                or contracts for purposes of carrying out 
                paragraph (1).
                  (B) Public comment.--Not later than 1 years 
                after the date of enactment of the CAPTA 
                Reauthorization Act of 2010, and every 2 years 
                thereafter, the Secretary shall provide an 
                opportunity for public comment concerning the 
                priorities proposed under subparagraph (A) and 
                maintain an official record of such public 
                comment.
          [(4) Study on shaken baby syndrome.--The Secretary 
        shall conduct a study that--
                  [(A) identifies data collected on shaken baby 
                syndrome;
                  [(B) determines the feasibility of collecting 
                uniform, accurate data from all States 
                regarding--
                          [(i) incidence rates of shaken baby 
                        syndrome;
                          [(ii) characteristics of perpetrators 
                        of shaken baby syndrome, including age, 
                        gender, relation to victim, access to 
                        prevention materials and resources, and 
                        history of substance abuse, domestic 
                        violence, and mental illness; and
                          [(iii) characteristics of victims of 
                        shaken baby syndrome, including gender, 
                        date of birth, date of injury, date of 
                        death (if applicable), and short- and 
                        long-term injuries sustained.]
  (b) Provision of Technical Assistance.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide 
        technical assistance to State and local public and 
        private agencies and community-based organizations, 
        including disability organizations and persons who work 
        with children with disabilities and providers of mental 
        health, substance abuse treatment, and domestic 
        violence prevention services, to assist such agencies 
        and organizations in planning, improving, developing, 
        and carrying out programs and activities, including 
        replicating successful program models, relating to the 
        prevention, assessment, identification, and treatment 
        of child abuse and neglect.
          [(2) Evaluation.--Such technical assistance may 
        include an evaluation or identification of--
                  [(A) various methods and procedures for the 
                investigation, assessment, and prosecution of 
                child physical and sexual abuse cases;
                  [(B) ways to mitigate psychological trauma to 
                the child victim;
                  [(C) effective programs carried out by the 
                States under titles I and II; and
                  [(D) effective approaches being utilized to 
                link child protective service agencies with 
                health care, mental health care, and 
                developmental services to improve forensic 
                diagnosis and health evaluations, and barriers 
                and shortages to such linkages.]
          (2) Areas of emphasis.--Such technical assistance--
                  (A) shall focus on--
                          (i) implementing strategies that can 
                        leverage existing community-based and 
                        State funded resources to prevent child 
                        abuse and neglect and providing 
                        education for individuals involved in 
                        prevention activities;
                          (ii) reducing racial bias in child 
                        welfare systems, including how such 
                        systems interact with health, law 
                        enforcement, and education systems;
                          (iii) promoting best practices for 
                        families experiencing domestic 
                        violence, substance use disorder, or 
                        other complex needs; and
                          (iv) providing professional 
                        development and other technical 
                        assistance to child welfare agencies to 
                        improve the understanding of and to 
                        help address the effects of trauma and 
                        adverse childhood experiences in 
                        parents and children in contact with 
                        the child welfare system; and
                  (B) may include the identification of--
                          (i) various methods and procedures 
                        for the investigation, assessment, and 
                        prosecution of child physical and 
                        sexual abuse cases;
                          (ii) ways to mitigate psychological 
                        trauma to the child victim;
                          (iii) effective programs carried out 
                        by the States under titles I and II; 
                        and
                          (iv) effective approaches being 
                        utilized to link child protective 
                        service agencies with health care, 
                        mental health care, and developmental 
                        services and early intervention to 
                        improve forensic diagnosis and health 
                        evaluations, and barriers and shortages 
                        to such linkages.
          (3) Dissemination.--The Secretary may provide for and 
        disseminate information relating to various training 
        resources available at the State and local level to--
                  (A) individuals who are engaged, or who 
                intend to engage, in the prevention, 
                identification, and treatment of child abuse 
                and neglect; and
                  (B) appropriate State and local officials to 
                assist in training law enforcement, legal, 
                judicial, medical, mental health, education, 
                child welfare, substance abuse, and domestic 
                violence services personnel in appropriate 
                methods of interacting during investigative, 
                administrative, and judicial proceedings with 
                children who have been subjected to, or whom 
                the personnel suspect have been subjected to, 
                child abuse or neglect.
  (c) Authority to Make Grants or Enter Into Contracts.--
          (1) In general.--The functions of the Secretary under 
        this section may be carried out either directly or 
        through grant or contract.
          (2) Duration.--Grants under this section shall be 
        made for periods of not more than 5 years.
          [(3) Preference for long-term studies.--In making 
        grants for purposes of conducting research under 
        subsection (a), the Secretary shall give special 
        consideration to applications for long-term projects.]
  (d) Peer Review for Grants.--
          (1) Establishment of peer review process.--
                  (A) In general.--To enhance the quality and 
                usefulness of research in the field of child 
                abuse and neglect, the Secretary shall, in 
                consultation with experts in the field and 
                other Federal agencies, establish a formal, 
                rigorous, and meritorious peer review process 
                for purposes of evaluating and reviewing 
                applications for assistance through a grant or 
                contract under this section and determining the 
                relative merits of the project for which such 
                assistance is requested.
                  (B) Members.--In establishing the process 
                required by subparagraph (A), the Secretary 
                shall only appoint to the peer review panels 
                members who--
                          (i) are experts in the field of child 
                        abuse and neglect or related 
                        disciplines, with appropriate expertise 
                        related to the applications to be 
                        reviewed; and
                          (ii) are not individuals who are 
                        officers or employees of the 
                        Administration for Children and 
                        Families.
                  (C) Meetings.--The peer review panels shall 
                meet as often as is necessary to facilitate the 
                expeditious review of applications for grants 
                and contracts under this section, but shall 
                meet not less often than once a year.
                  (D) Criteria and guidelines.--The Secretary 
                shall ensure that the peer review panel 
                utilizes scientifically valid review criteria 
                and scoring guidelines in the review of the 
                applications for grants and contracts.
          (2) Review of applications for assistance.--Each peer 
        review panel established under paragraph (1)(A) that 
        reviews any application for a grant shall--
                  (A) determine and evaluate the merit of each 
                project described in such application;
                  (B) rank such application with respect to all 
                other applications it reviews in the same 
                priority area for the fiscal year involved, 
                according to the relative merit of all of the 
                projects that are described in such application 
                and for which financial assistance is 
                requested; and
                  (C) make recommendations to the Secretary 
                concerning whether the application for the 
                project shall be approved.
        The Secretary shall award grants under this section on 
        the basis of competitive review.
          (3) Notice of approval.--
                  (A) Meritorious projects.--The Secretary 
                shall provide grants and contracts under this 
                section from among the projects which the peer 
                review panels established under paragraph 
                (1)(A) have determined to have merit.
                  (B) Explanation.--In the instance in which 
                the Secretary approves an application for a 
                program without having approved all 
                applications ranked above such application (as 
                determined under paragraph (2)(B)), the 
                Secretary shall append to the approved 
                application a detailed explanation of the 
                reasons relied on for approving the application 
                and for failing to approve each pending 
                application that is superior in merit, as 
                indicated on the list under paragraph (2)(B).
  [(e) Demonstration Programs and Projects.--The Secretary may 
award grants to, and enter into contracts with, entities that 
are States, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, or public or 
private agencies or organizations (or combinations of such 
entities) for time-limited, demonstration projects for the 
following:
          [(1) Promotion of safe, family-friendly physical 
        environments for visitation and exchange.--The 
        Secretary may award grants under this subsection to 
        entities to assist such entities in establishing and 
        operating safe, family-friendly physical environments--
                  [(A) for court-ordered, supervised visitation 
                between children and abusing parents; and
                  [(B) to facilitate the safe exchange of 
                children for visits with noncustodial parents 
                in cases of domestic violence.
          [(2) Education identification, prevention, and 
        treatment.--The Secretary may award grants under this 
        subsection to entities for projects that provide 
        educational identification, prevention, and treatment 
        services in cooperation with child care and early 
        childhood education and care providers, preschools, and 
        elementary and secondary schools.
          [(3) Risk and safety assessment tools.--The Secretary 
        may award grants under this subsection to entities for 
        projects that provide for the development of research-
        based strategies for risk and safety assessments 
        relating to child abuse and neglect.
          [(4) Training.--The Secretary may award grants under 
        this subsection to entities for projects that involve 
        research-based strategies for innovative training for 
        mandated child abuse and neglect reporters.]

SEC. 105. GRANTS TO STATES, INDIAN TRIBES OR TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND 
                    PUBLIC OR PRIVATE AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS.

  (a) Grants for Programs and Projects.--The Secretary may make 
grants to, and enter into contracts with, entities that are 
States, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, or public 
agencies or private agencies or organizations (or combinations 
of such entities) for programs and projects for the following 
purposes:
          [(1) Training programs.--The Secretary may award 
        grants to public or private organizations under this 
        subsection--
                  [(A) for the training of professional and 
                paraprofessional personnel in the fields of 
                health care, medicine, law enforcement, 
                judiciary, social work and child protection, 
                education, child care, and other relevant 
                fields, or individuals such as court appointed 
                special advocates (CASAs) and guardian ad 
                litem, who are engaged in, or intend to work 
                in, the field of prevention, identification, 
                and treatment of child abuse and neglect, 
                including the links between domestic violence 
                and child abuse and neglect;
                  [(B) to improve the recruitment, selection, 
                and training of volunteers serving in public 
                and private children, youth, and family service 
                organizations in order to prevent child abuse 
                and neglect;
                  [(C) for the establishment of resource 
                centers for the purpose of providing 
                information and training to professionals 
                working in the field of child abuse and 
                neglect;
                  [(D) for training to enhance linkages among 
                child protective service agencies and health 
                care agencies, entities providing physical and 
                mental health services, community resources, 
                and developmental disability agencies, to 
                improve screening, forensic diagnosis, and 
                health and developmental evaluations, and for 
                partnerships between child protective service 
                agencies and health care agencies that support 
                the coordinated use of existing Federal, State, 
                local, and private funding to meet the health 
                evaluation needs of children who have been 
                subjects of substantiated cases of child abuse 
                or neglect;
                  [(E) for the training of personnel in best 
                practices to meet the unique needs of children 
                with disabilities, including promoting 
                interagency collaboration;
                  [(F) for the training of personnel in best 
                practices to promote collaboration with the 
                families from the initial time of contact 
                during the investigation through treatment;
                  [(G) for the training of personnel regarding 
                the legal duties of such personnel and their 
                responsibilities to protect the legal rights of 
                children and families;
                  [(H) for the training of personnel in 
                childhood development including the unique 
                needs of children under age 3;
                  [(I) for improving the training of 
                supervisory and nonsupervisory child welfare 
                workers;
                  [(J) for enabling State child welfare 
                agencies to coordinate the provision of 
                services with State and local health care 
                agencies, alcohol and drug abuse prevention and 
                treatment agencies, mental health agencies, 
                other public and private welfare agencies, and 
                agencies that provide early intervention 
                services to promote child safety, permanence, 
                and family stability;
                  [(K) for cross training for child protective 
                service workers in research-based strategies 
                for recognizing situations of substance abuse, 
                domestic violence, and neglect;
                  [(L) for developing, implementing, or 
                operating information and education programs or 
                training programs designed to improve the 
                provision of services to infants or toddlers 
                with disabilities with life-threatening 
                conditions for--
                          [(i) professionals and 
                        paraprofessional personnel concerned 
                        with the welfare of infants or toddlers 
                        with disabilities with life-threatening 
                        conditions, including personnel 
                        employed in child protective services 
                        programs and health care facilities; 
                        and
                          [(ii) the parents of such infants; 
                        and
                  [(M) for the training of personnel in best 
                practices relating to the provision of 
                differential response.
          [(2) Triage procedures.--The Secretary may award 
        grants under this subsection to public and private 
        agencies that demonstrate innovation in responding to 
        reports of child abuse and neglect, including programs 
        of collaborative partnerships between the State child 
        protective services agency, community social service 
        agencies and family support programs, law enforcement 
        agencies, developmental disability agencies, substance 
        abuse treatment entities, health care entities, 
        domestic violence prevention entities, mental health 
        service entities, schools, churches and synagogues, and 
        other community agencies, to allow for the 
        establishment of a triage system that--
                  [(A) accepts, screens, and assesses reports 
                received to determine which such reports 
                require an intensive intervention and which 
                require voluntary referral to another agency, 
                program, or project;
                  [(B) provides, either directly or through 
                referral, a variety of community-linked 
                services to assist families in preventing child 
                abuse and neglect; and
                  [(C) provides further investigation and 
                intensive intervention when the child's safety 
                is in jeopardy.
          [(3) Mutual support programs.--The Secretary may 
        award grants to private organizations to establish or 
        maintain a national network of mutual support, 
        leadership, and self-help programs as a means of 
        strengthening families in partnership with their 
        communities.
          [(4) Kinship care.--The Secretary may award grants to 
        public and private entities to assist such entities in 
        developing or implementing procedures using adult 
        relatives as the preferred placement for children 
        removed from their home, where such relatives are 
        determined to be capable of providing a safe nurturing 
        environment for the child and where such relatives 
        comply with the State child protection standards.
          [(5) Linkages among child protective service agencies 
        and public health, mental health, substance abuse, 
        developmental disabilities, and domestic violence 
        service agencies.--The Secretary may award grants to 
        entities that provide linkages among State or local 
        child protective service agencies and public health, 
        mental health, substance abuse, developmental 
        disabilities, and domestic violence service agencies, 
        and entities that carry out community-based programs, 
        for the purpose of establishing linkages that are 
        designed to ensure that a greater number of 
        substantiated victims of child maltreatment have their 
        physical health, mental health, and developmental needs 
        appropriately diagnosed and treated, in accordance with 
        all applicable Federal and State privacy laws.
          [(6) Collaborations between child protective service 
        entities and domestic violence service entities.--The 
        Secretary may award grants to public or private 
        agencies and organizations under this section to 
        develop or expand effective collaborations between 
        child protective service entities and domestic violence 
        service entities to improve collaborative investigation 
        and intervention procedures, provision for the safety 
        of the nonabusing parent involved and children, and 
        provision of services to children exposed to domestic 
        violence that also support the caregiving role of the 
        non-abusing parent.]
          (1) Prevention services.--The Secretary may award 
        grants under this subsection to entities to establish 
        or expand prevention services that reduce incidences of 
        child maltreatment and strengthen families.
          (2) Traumatic stress.--The Secretary may award grants 
        under this subsection to entities to address instances 
        of traumatic stress in families due to child abuse and 
        neglect, especially for families with complex needs or 
        families that exhibit high levels of adverse childhood 
        experiences.
          (3) Promoting a high-quality workforce.--The 
        Secretary may award grants under this subsection to 
        entities to carry out programs or strategies that 
        promote a high-quality workforce in the child welfare 
        system through---
                  (A) improvements to recruitment, support, or 
                retention efforts; or
                  (B) education for professionals and 
                paraprofessionals in the prevention, 
                identification, and treatment of child abuse 
                and neglect.
          (4) Improving coordination.--The Secretary may award 
        grants under this subsection to entities to carry out 
        activities to improve intrastate coordination within 
        the child welfare system. Such activities may include--
                  (A) aligning information technology systems;
                  (B) improving information sharing regarding 
                child and family referrals; or
                  (C) creating collaborative voluntary 
                partnerships among public and private agencies, 
                the State's child protective services, local 
                social service agencies, community-based family 
                support programs, State and local legal 
                agencies, developmental disability agencies, 
                substance use disorder treatment providers, 
                health care providers and agencies, domestic 
                violence prevention programs, mental health 
                services, schools and early learning providers, 
                religious entities, and other community-based 
                programs.
          (5) Primary prevention.--The Secretary may award 
        grants under this subsection to entities to carry out 
        or expand primary prevention programs or strategies 
        that address family or community protective factors.
          (6) Neglect due to economic insecurity.--The 
        Secretary may award grants under this subsection to 
        entities to carry out programs or strategies that 
        reduce findings of child neglect due in full or in part 
        to family economic insecurity.
          (7) Education of mandatory reporters.--The Secretary 
        may award grants under this subsection to entities for 
        projects that involve research-based strategies for 
        innovative education of mandated child abuse and 
        neglect reporters, and for victims to understand 
        mandatory reporting.
          (8) Sentinel injuries.--The Secretary may award 
        grants under this subsection to entities to identify 
        and test effective practices to improve early detection 
        and management of injuries indicative of potential 
        abuse in infants to prevent future cases of child abuse 
        and related fatalities.
          (9) Innovative partnerships.--The Secretary may award 
        grants under this subsection to entities to carry out 
        innovative programs or strategies to coordinate the 
        delivery of services to help reduce child abuse and 
        neglect via partnerships among health, mental health, 
        education (including early learning and care programs 
        as appropriate), and child welfare agencies and 
        providers.
          (10) Reducing child abuse and neglect due to the 
        substance use disorder of a parent or caregiver.--The 
        Secretary may award grants under this subsection to 
        entities to carry out activities to reduce child abuse 
        and neglect due to the substance use disorder of a 
        parent or caregiver.
          [(7)] (11) Grants to states to improve and coordinate 
        their response to ensure the safety, permanency, and 
        well-being of infants affected by substance use.--
                  (A) Program authorized.--The Secretary is 
                authorized to make grants to States for the 
                purpose of assisting child welfare agencies, 
                social services agencies, substance use 
                disorder treatment agencies, hospitals with 
                labor and delivery units, medical staff, public 
                health and mental health agencies, and maternal 
                and child health agencies to facilitate 
                collaboration in developing, updating, 
                implementing, and monitoring plans of safe care 
                described in [section 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)] 
                section 106(b)(2)(D)(ii). Section 112(a)(2) 
                shall not apply to the program authorized under 
                this paragraph.
                  (B) Distribution of funds.--
                          (i) Reservations.--Of the amounts 
                        made available to carry out 
                        subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall 
                        reserve--
                                  (I) no more than 3 percent 
                                for the purposes described in 
                                subparagraph (G); and
                                  (II) up to 3 percent for 
                                grants to Indian Tribes and 
                                tribal organizations to address 
                                the needs of infants born with, 
                                and identified as being 
                                affected by, substance abuse or 
                                withdrawal symptoms resulting 
                                from prenatal drug exposure or 
                                a fetal alcohol spectrum 
                                disorder and their families or 
                                caregivers, which to the extent 
                                practicable, shall be 
                                consistent with the uses of 
                                funds described under 
                                subparagraph (D).
                          (ii) Allotments to states and 
                        territories.--The Secretary shall allot 
                        the amount made available to carry out 
                        subparagraph (A) that remains after 
                        application of clause (i) to each State 
                        that applies for such a grant, in an 
                        amount equal to the sum of--
                                  (I) $500,000; and
                                  (II) an amount that bears the 
                                same relationship to any funds 
                                made available to carry out 
                                subparagraph (A) and remaining 
                                after application of clause 
                                (i), as the number of live 
                                births in the State in the 
                                previous calendar year bears to 
                                the number of live births in 
                                all States in such year.
                          (iii) Ratable reduction.--If the 
                        amount made available to carry out 
                        subparagraph (A) is insufficient to 
                        satisfy the requirements of clause 
                        (ii), the Secretary shall ratably 
                        reduce each allotment to a State.
                  (C) Application.--A State desiring a grant 
                under this paragraph shall submit an 
                application to the Secretary at such time and 
                in such manner as the Secretary may require. 
                Such application shall include--
                          (i) a description of--
                                  (I) the impact of substance 
                                use disorder in such State, 
                                including with respect to the 
                                substance or class of 
                                substances with the highest 
                                incidence of abuse in the 
                                previous year in such State, 
                                including--
                                          (aa) the prevalence 
                                        of substance use 
                                        disorder in such State;
                                          (bb) the aggregate 
                                        rate of births in the 
                                        State of infants 
                                        affected by substance 
                                        abuse or withdrawal 
                                        symptoms or a fetal 
                                        alcohol spectrum 
                                        disorder (as determined 
                                        by hospitals, insurance 
                                        claims, claims 
                                        submitted to the State 
                                        Medicaid program, or 
                                        other records), if 
                                        available and to the 
                                        extent practicable; and
                                          (cc) the number of 
                                        infants identified, for 
                                        whom a plan of safe 
                                        care was developed, and 
                                        for whom a referral was 
                                        made for appropriate 
                                        services, as reported 
                                        under section 
                                        106(d)(18);
                                  (II) the challenges the State 
                                faces in developing, 
                                implementing, and monitoring 
                                plans of safe care in 
                                accordance with [section 
                                106(b)(2)(B)(iii)] section 
                                106(b)(2)(D)(ii);
                                  (III) the State's lead agency 
                                for the grant program and how 
                                that agency will coordinate 
                                with relevant State entities 
                                and programs, including the 
                                child welfare agency, the 
                                substance use disorder 
                                treatment agency, hospitals 
                                with labor and delivery units, 
                                health care providers, the 
                                public health and mental health 
                                agencies, programs funded by 
                                the Substance Abuse and Mental 
                                Health Services Administration 
                                that provide substance use 
                                disorder treatment for women, 
                                the State Medicaid program, the 
                                State agency administering the 
                                block grant program under title 
                                V of the Social Security Act 
                                (42 U.S.C. 701 et seq.), the 
                                State agency administering the 
                                programs funded under part C of 
                                the Individuals with 
                                Disabilities Education Act (20 
                                U.S.C. 1431 et seq.), the 
                                maternal, infant, and early 
                                childhood home visiting program 
                                under section 511 of the Social 
                                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 711), 
                                the State judicial system, and 
                                other agencies, as determined 
                                by the Secretary, and Indian 
                                Tribes and tribal 
                                organizations, as appropriate, 
                                to implement the activities 
                                under this paragraph;
                                  (IV) how the State will 
                                monitor local development and 
                                implementation of plans of safe 
                                care, in accordance with 
                                [section 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)(II)] 
                                section 106(b)(2)(D)(ii)(II), 
                                including how the State will 
                                monitor to ensure plans of safe 
                                care address differences 
                                between substance use disorder 
                                and medically supervised 
                                substance use, including for 
                                the treatment of a substance 
                                use disorder;
                                  (V) if applicable, how the 
                                State plans to utilize funding 
                                authorized under part E of 
                                title IV of the Social Security 
                                Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.) to 
                                assist in carrying out any plan 
                                of safe care, including such 
                                funding authorized under 
                                section 471(e) of such Act (as 
                                in effect on October 1, 2018) 
                                for mental health and substance 
                                abuse prevention and treatment 
                                services and in-home parent 
                                skill-based programs and 
                                funding authorized under such 
                                section 472(j) (as in effect on 
                                October 1, 2018) for children 
                                with a parent in a licensed 
                                residential family-based 
                                treatment facility for 
                                substance abuse; and
                                  (VI) an assessment of the 
                                treatment and other services 
                                and programs available in the 
                                State to effectively carry out 
                                any plan of safe care 
                                developed, including 
                                identification of needed 
                                treatment, and other services 
                                and programs to ensure the 
                                well-being of young children 
                                and their families affected by 
                                substance use disorder, such as 
                                programs carried out under part 
                                C of the Individuals with 
                                Disabilities Education Act (20 
                                U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) and 
                                comprehensive early childhood 
                                development services and 
                                programs such as Head Start 
                                programs;
                          (ii) a description of how the State 
                        plans to use funds for activities 
                        described in subparagraph (D) for the 
                        purposes of ensuring State compliance 
                        with requirements under [clauses (ii) 
                        and (iii) of section 106(b)(2)(B)] 
                        clauses (i) and (ii) of section 
                        106(b)(2)(D); and
                          (iii) an assurance that the State 
                        will comply with requirements to refer 
                        a child identified as substance-exposed 
                        to early intervention services as 
                        required pursuant to a grant under part 
                        C of the Individuals with Disabilities 
                        Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.).
                  (D) Uses of funds.--Funds awarded to a State 
                under this paragraph may be used for the 
                following activities, which may be carried out 
                by the State directly, or through grants or 
                subgrants, contracts, or cooperative 
                agreements:
                          (i) Improving State and local systems 
                        with respect to the development and 
                        implementation of plans of safe care, 
                        which--
                                  (I) shall include parent and 
                                caregiver engagement, as 
                                required under [section 
                                106(b)(2)(B)(iii)(I)] section 
                                106(b)(2)(D)(ii)(I), regarding 
                                available treatment and service 
                                options, which may include 
                                resources available for 
                                pregnant, perinatal, and 
                                postnatal women; and
                                  (II) may include activities 
                                such as--
                                          (aa) developing 
                                        policies, procedures, 
                                        or protocols for the 
                                        administration or 
                                        development of 
                                        evidence-based and 
                                        validated screening 
                                        tools for infants who 
                                        may be affected by 
                                        substance use 
                                        withdrawal symptoms or 
                                        a fetal alcohol 
                                        spectrum disorder and 
                                        pregnant, perinatal, 
                                        and postnatal women 
                                        whose infants may be 
                                        affected by substance 
                                        use withdrawal symptoms 
                                        or a fetal alcohol 
                                        spectrum disorder;
                                          (bb) improving 
                                        assessments used to 
                                        determine the needs of 
                                        the infant and family;
                                          (cc) improving 
                                        ongoing case management 
                                        services;
                                          (dd) improving access 
                                        to treatment services, 
                                        which may be prior to 
                                        the pregnant woman's 
                                        delivery date; and
                                          (ee) keeping families 
                                        safely together when it 
                                        is in the best interest 
                                        of the child.
                          (ii) Developing policies, procedures, 
                        or protocols in consultation and 
                        coordination with health professionals, 
                        public and private health facilities, 
                        and substance use disorder treatment 
                        agencies to ensure that--
                                  (I) appropriate notification 
                                to child protective services is 
                                made in a timely manner, as 
                                required under [section 
                                106(b)(2)(B)(ii)] section 
                                106(b)(2)(D)(i);
                                  (II) a plan of safe care is 
                                in place, in accordance with 
                                [section 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)] 
                                section 106(b)(2)(D)(ii)(I), 
                                before the infant is discharged 
                                from the birth or health care 
                                facility; and
                                  (III) such health and related 
                                agency professionals are 
                                trained on how to follow such 
                                protocols and are aware of the 
                                supports that may be provided 
                                under a plan of safe care.
                          (iii) Training health professionals 
                        and health system leaders, child 
                        welfare workers, substance use disorder 
                        treatment agencies, and other related 
                        professionals such as home visiting 
                        agency staff and law enforcement in 
                        relevant topics including--
                                  (I) State mandatory reporting 
                                laws established under [section 
                                106(b)(2)(B)(i)] section 
                                106(b)(2)(A)(i) and the 
                                referral and process 
                                requirements for notification 
                                to child protective services 
                                when child abuse or neglect 
                                reporting is not mandated;
                                  (II) the co-occurrence of 
                                pregnancy and substance use 
                                disorder, and implications of 
                                prenatal exposure;
                                  (III) the clinical guidance 
                                about treating substance use 
                                disorder in pregnant and 
                                postpartum women;
                                  (IV) appropriate screening 
                                and interventions for infants 
                                affected by substance use 
                                disorder, withdrawal symptoms, 
                                or a fetal alcohol spectrum 
                                disorder and the requirements 
                                under [section 
                                106(b)(2)(B)(iii)] section 
                                106(b)(2)(D)(ii); and
                                  (V) appropriate 
                                multigenerational strategies to 
                                address the mental health needs 
                                of the parent and child 
                                together.
                          (iv) Establishing partnerships, 
                        agreements, or memoranda of 
                        understanding between the lead agency 
                        and other entities (including health 
                        professionals, health facilities, child 
                        welfare professionals, juvenile and 
                        family court judges, substance use and 
                        mental disorder treatment programs, 
                        early childhood education programs, 
                        maternal and child health and early 
                        intervention professionals (including 
                        home visiting providers), peer-to-peer 
                        recovery programs such as parent 
                        mentoring programs, and housing 
                        agencies) to facilitate the 
                        implementation of, and compliance with, 
                        section 106(b)(2) and clause (ii) of 
                        this subparagraph, in areas which may 
                        include--
                                  (I) developing a 
                                comprehensive, multi-
                                disciplinary assessment and 
                                intervention process for 
                                infants, pregnant women, and 
                                their families who are affected 
                                by substance use disorder, 
                                withdrawal symptoms, or a fetal 
                                alcohol spectrum disorder, that 
                                includes meaningful engagement 
                                with and takes into account the 
                                unique needs of each family and 
                                addresses differences between 
                                medically supervised substance 
                                use, including for the 
                                treatment of substance use 
                                disorder, and substance use 
                                disorder;
                                  (II) ensuring that treatment 
                                approaches for serving infants, 
                                pregnant women, and perinatal 
                                and postnatal women whose 
                                infants may be affected by 
                                substance use, withdrawal 
                                symptoms, or a fetal alcohol 
                                spectrum disorder, are designed 
                                to, where appropriate, keep 
                                infants with their mothers 
                                during both inpatient and 
                                outpatient treatment; and
                                  (III) increasing access to 
                                all evidence-based medication-
                                assisted treatment approved by 
                                the Food and Drug 
                                Administration, behavioral 
                                therapy, and counseling 
                                services for the treatment of 
                                substance use disorders, as 
                                appropriate.
                          (v) Developing and updating systems 
                        of technology for improved data 
                        collection and monitoring under 
                        [section 106(b)(2)(B)(iii)] section 
                        106(b)(2)(D)(ii), including existing 
                        electronic medical records, to measure 
                        the outcomes achieved through the plans 
                        of safe care, including monitoring 
                        systems to meet the requirements of 
                        this Act and submission of performance 
                        measures.
                  (E) Reporting.--Each State that receives 
                funds under this paragraph, for each year such 
                funds are received, shall submit a report to 
                the Secretary, disaggregated by geographic 
                location, economic status, and major racial and 
                ethnic groups, except that such disaggregation 
                shall not be required if the results would 
                reveal personally identifiable information on, 
                with respect to infants identified under 
                [section 106(b)(2)(B)(ii)] section 
                106(b)(2)(D)(i)--
                          (i) the number who experienced 
                        removal associated with parental 
                        substance use;
                          (ii) the number who experienced 
                        removal and subsequently are reunified 
                        with parents, and the length of time 
                        between such removal and reunification;
                          (iii) the number who are referred to 
                        community providers without a child 
                        protection case;
                          (iv) the number who receive services 
                        while in the care of their birth 
                        parents;
                          (v) the number who receive post-
                        reunification services within 1 year 
                        after a reunification has occurred; and
                          (vi) the number who experienced a 
                        return to out-of-home care within 1 
                        year after reunification.
                  (F) Secretary's report to congress.--The 
                Secretary shall submit an annual report to the 
                Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
                Pensions and the Committee on Appropriations of 
                the Senate and the [Committee on Education and 
                the Workforce] Committee on Education and Labor 
                and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
                House of Representatives that includes the 
                information described in subparagraph (E) and 
                recommendations or observations on the 
                challenges, successes, and lessons derived from 
                implementation of the grant program.
                  (G) Assisting states' implementation.--The 
                Secretary shall use the amount reserved under 
                subparagraph (B)(i)(I) to provide written 
                guidance and technical assistance to support 
                States in complying with and implementing this 
                paragraph, which shall include--
                          (i) technical assistance, including 
                        programs of in-depth technical 
                        assistance, to additional States, 
                        territories, and Indian Tribes and 
                        tribal organizations in accordance with 
                        the substance-exposed infant initiative 
                        developed by the National Center on 
                        Substance Abuse and Child Welfare;
                          (ii) guidance on the requirements of 
                        this Act with respect to infants born 
                        with and identified as being affected 
                        by substance use or withdrawal symptoms 
                        or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, as 
                        described in [clauses (ii) and (iii) of 
                        section 106(b)(2)(B)] clauses (i) and 
                        (ii) of section 106(b)(2)(D), including 
                        by--
                                  (I) enhancing States' 
                                understanding of requirements 
                                and flexibilities under the 
                                law, including by clarifying 
                                key terms;
                                  (II) addressing state-
                                identified challenges with 
                                developing, implementing, and 
                                monitoring plans of safe care, 
                                including those reported under 
                                subparagraph (C)(i)(II);
                                  (III) disseminating best 
                                practices on implementation of 
                                plans of safe care, on such 
                                topics as differential 
                                response, collaboration and 
                                coordination, and 
                                identification and delivery of 
                                services for different 
                                populations, while recognizing 
                                needs of different populations 
                                and varying community 
                                approaches across States; and
                                  (IV) helping States improve 
                                the long-term safety and well-
                                being of young children and 
                                their families;
                          (iii) supporting State efforts to 
                        develop information technology systems 
                        to manage plans of safe care; and
                          (iv) preparing the Secretary's report 
                        to Congress described in subparagraph 
                        (F).
                  (H) Sunset.--The authority under this 
                paragraph shall sunset on September 30, 2023.
          (12) National child abuse hotline.--
                  (A) In general.--The Secretary may award a 
                grant under this subsection to a nonprofit 
                entity to provide for the ongoing operation of 
                a 24-hour, national, toll-free telephone 
                hotline to provide information and assistance 
                to youth victims of child abuse or neglect, 
                parents, caregivers, mandated reporters, and 
                other concerned community members, including 
                through alternative modalities for 
                communications (such as texting or chat 
                services) with such victims and other 
                information seekers.
                  (B) Priority.--In awarding grants described 
                in this paragraph, the Secretary shall give 
                priority to applicants with experience in 
                operating a hotline that provides assistance to 
                victims of child abuse, parents, caregivers, 
                and mandated reporters.
                  (C) Application.--To be eligible to receive a 
                grant described in this paragraph, a nonprofit 
                entity shall submit an application to the 
                Secretary that shall--
                          (i) contain such assurances and 
                        information, be in such form, and be 
                        submitted in such manner, as the 
                        Secretary shall prescribe;
                          (ii) include a complete description 
                        of the entity's plan for the operation 
                        of a national child abuse hotline, 
                        including descriptions of--
                                  (I) the professional 
                                development program for hotline 
                                personnel, including technology 
                                professional development to 
                                ensure that all persons 
                                affiliated with the hotline are 
                                able to effectively operate any 
                                technological systems used by 
                                the hotline;
                                  (II) the qualifications for 
                                hotline personnel;
                                  (III) the methods for the 
                                creation, maintenance, and 
                                updating of a comprehensive 
                                list of prevention and 
                                treatment service providers;
                                  (IV) a plan for publicizing 
                                the availability of the hotline 
                                throughout the United States;
                                  (V) a plan for providing 
                                service to non-English speaking 
                                callers, including service 
                                through hotline personnel who 
                                have non-English language 
                                capability;
                                  (VI) a plan for facilitating 
                                access to the hotline and 
                                alternative modality services 
                                by persons with hearing 
                                impairments and disabilities;
                                  (VII) a plan for providing 
                                crisis counseling, general 
                                assistance, and referrals to 
                                youth victims of child abuse; 
                                and
                                  (VIII) a plan to offer 
                                alternative services to 
                                calling, such as texting or 
                                live chat;
                          (iii) demonstrate that the entity has 
                        the capacity and the expertise to 
                        maintain a child abuse hotline and a 
                        comprehensive list of service 
                        providers;
                          (iv) demonstrate the ability to 
                        provide information and referrals for 
                        contacts, directly connect contacts to 
                        service providers, and employ crisis 
                        interventions;
                          (v) demonstrate that the entity has a 
                        commitment to providing services to 
                        individuals in need; and
                          (vi) demonstrate that the entity 
                        complies with State privacy laws and 
                        has established quality assurance 
                        practices.
  [(b) Discretionary Grants.--In addition to grants or 
contracts made under subsection (a), grants or contracts under 
this section may be used for the following:
          [(1) Respite and crisis nursery programs provided by 
        community-based organizations under the direction and 
        supervision of hospitals.
          [(2) Respite and crisis nursery programs provided by 
        community-based organizations.
          [(3) Programs based within children's hospitals or 
        other pediatric and adolescent care facilities, that 
        provide model approaches for improving medical 
        diagnosis of child abuse and neglect and for health 
        evaluations of children for whom a report of 
        maltreatment has been substantiated.
          [(4)(A) Providing hospital-based information and 
        referral services to--
                  [(i) parents of children with disabilities; 
                and
                  [(ii) children who have been victims of child 
                abuse or neglect and their parents.
          [(B) Except as provided in subparagraph (C)(iii), 
        services provided under a grant received under this 
        paragraph shall be provided at the hospital involved--
                  [(i) upon the birth or admission of a child 
                with disabilities; and
                  [(ii) upon the treatment of a child for child 
                abuse and neglect.
          [(C) Services, as determined as appropriate by the 
        grantee, provided under a grant received under this 
        paragraph shall be hospital-based and shall consist 
        of--
                  [(i) the provision of notice to parents that 
                information relating to community services is 
                available;
                  [(ii) the provision of appropriate 
                information to parents of a child with 
                disabilities regarding resources in the 
                community, particularly parent training 
                resources, that will assist such parents in 
                caring for their child;
                  [(iii) the provision of appropriate 
                information to parents of a child who has been 
                a victim of child abuse or neglect regarding 
                resources in the community, particularly parent 
                training resources, that will assist such 
                parents in caring for their child and reduce 
                the possibility of child abuse and neglect;
                  [(iv) the provision of appropriate follow-up 
                services to parents of a child described in 
                subparagraph (B) after the child has left the 
                hospital; and
                  [(v) where necessary, assistance in 
                coordination of community services available to 
                parents of children described in subparagraph 
                (B).
        The grantee shall assure that parental involvement 
        described in this subparagraph is voluntary.
          [(D) For purposes of this paragraph, a qualified 
        grantee is an acute care hospital that--
                  [(i) is in a combination with--
                          [(I) a health-care provider 
                        organization;
                          [(II) a child welfare organization;
                          [(III) a disability organization; and
                          [(IV) a State child protection 
                        agency;
                  [(ii) submits an application for a grant 
                under this paragraph that is approved by the 
                Secretary;
                  [(iii) maintains an office in the hospital 
                involved for purposes of providing services 
                under such grant;
                  [(iv) provides assurances to the Secretary 
                that in the conduct of the project the 
                confidentiality of medical, social, and 
                personal information concerning any person 
                described in subparagraph (A) or (B) shall be 
                maintained, and shall be disclosed only to 
                qualified persons providing required services 
                described in subparagraph (C) for purposes 
                relating to conduct of the project; and
                  [(v) assumes legal responsibility for 
                carrying out the terms and conditions of the 
                grant.
          [(E) In awarding grants under this paragraph, the 
        Secretary shall--
                  [(i) give priority under this section for two 
                grants under this paragraph, provided that one 
                grant shall be made to provide services in an 
                urban setting and one grant shall be made to 
                provide services in rural setting; and
                  [(ii) encourage qualified grantees to combine 
                the amounts received under the grant with other 
                funds available to such grantees.
          [(5) Such other innovative programs and projects that 
        show promise of preventing and treating cases of child 
        abuse and neglect as the Secretary may approve.
  [(c) Evaluation.--In making grants for projects under this 
section, the Secretary shall require all such projects to be 
evaluated for their effectiveness. Funding for such evaluations 
shall be provided either as a stated percentage of a 
demonstration grant or as a separate grant or contract entered 
into by the Secretary for the purpose of evaluating a 
particular demonstration project or group of projects. In the 
case of an evaluation performed by the recipient of a grant, 
the Secretary shall make available technical assistance for the 
evaluation, where needed, including the use of a rigorous 
application of scientific evaluation techniques.]
  (b) Goals and Performance.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
each entity receiving a grant under this section--
          (1) establishes quantifiable goals for the outcome of 
        the project funded with the grant; and
          (2) adequately measures the performance of the 
        project relative to such goals.
  (c) Performance Report Required.--
          (1) In general.--Each entity that receives a grant 
        under this section shall submit to the Secretary a 
        performance report that includes--
                  (A) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the 
                project funded with the grant relative to the 
                goals established for such project under 
                subsection (b)(1); and
                  (B) data supporting such evaluation.
          (2) Submission.--The report under paragraph (1) shall 
        be submitted to the Secretary at such time, in such 
        manner, and containing such information as the 
        Secretary may require.
  (d) Continuing Grants.--The Secretary may only award a 
continuing grant to an entity under this section if such entity 
submits a performance report required under subsection (c) that 
demonstrates effectiveness of the project funded.

SEC. 106. GRANTS TO STATES FOR CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT PREVENTION AND 
                    TREATMENT PROGRAMS.

  [(a) Development and Operation Grants.--The Secretary shall 
make grants to the States, from allotments made under 
subsection (f) for each State that applies for a grant under 
this section, for purposes of assisting the States in improving 
the child protective services system of each such State in--
          [(1) the intake, assessment, screening, and 
        investigation of reports of child abuse or neglect;
          [(2)(A) creating and improving the use of 
        multidisciplinary teams and interagency, intra-agency, 
        interstate, and intrastate protocols to enhance 
        investigations; and
          [(B) improving legal preparation and representation, 
        including--
                  [(i) procedures for appealing and responding 
                to appeals of substantiated reports of child 
                abuse or neglect; and
                  [(ii) provisions for the appointment of an 
                individual appointed to represent a child in 
                judicial proceedings;
          [(3) case management, including ongoing case 
        monitoring, and delivery of services and treatment 
        provided to children and their families;
          [(4) enhancing the general child protective system by 
        developing, improving, and implementing risk and safety 
        assessment tools and protocols, including the use of 
        differential response;
          [(5) developing and updating systems of technology 
        that support the program and track reports of child 
        abuse and neglect from intake through final disposition 
        and allow interstate and intrastate information 
        exchange;
          [(6) developing, strengthening, and facilitating 
        training including--
                  [(A) training regarding research-based 
                strategies, including the use of differential 
                response, to promote collaboration with the 
                families;
                  [(B) training regarding the legal duties of 
                such individuals;
                  [(C) personal safety training for case 
                workers; and
                  [(D) training in early childhood, child, and 
                adolescent development;
          [(7) improving the skills, qualifications, and 
        availability of individuals providing services to 
        children and families, and the supervisors of such 
        individuals, through the child protection system, 
        including improvements in the recruitment and retention 
        of caseworkers;
          [(8) developing, facilitating the use of, and 
        implementing research-based strategies and training 
        protocols for individuals mandated to report child 
        abuse and neglect;
          [(9) developing, implementing, or operating programs 
        to assist in obtaining or coordinating necessary 
        services for families of disabled infants with life-
        threatening conditions, including--
                  [(A) existing social and health services;
                  [(B) financial assistance;
                  [(C) services necessary to facilitate 
                adoptive placement of any such infants who have 
                been relinquished for adoption; and
                  [(D) the use of differential response in 
                preventing child abuse and neglect;
          [(10) developing and delivering information to 
        improve public education relating to the role and 
        responsibilities of the child protection system and the 
        nature and basis for reporting suspected incidents of 
        child abuse and neglect, including the use of 
        differential response;
          [(11) developing and enhancing the capacity of 
        community-based programs to integrate shared leadership 
        strategies between parents and professionals to prevent 
        and treat child abuse and neglect at the neighborhood 
        level;
          [(12) supporting and enhancing interagency 
        collaboration between the child protection system and 
        the juvenile justice system for improved delivery of 
        services and treatment, including methods for 
        continuity of treatment plan and services as children 
        transition between systems;
          [(13) supporting and enhancing interagency 
        collaboration among public health agencies, agencies in 
        the child protective service system, and agencies 
        carrying out private community-based programs--
                  [(A) to provide child abuse and neglect 
                prevention and treatment services (including 
                linkages with education systems), and the use 
                of differential response; and
                  [(B) to address the health needs, including 
                mental health needs, of children identified as 
                victims of child abuse or neglect;, including 
                supporting prompt, comprehensive health and 
                developmental evaluations for children who are 
                the subject of substantiated child maltreatment 
                reports; or
          [(14) developing and implementing procedures for 
        collaboration among child protective services, domestic 
        violence services, and other agencies in--
                  [(A) investigations, interventions, and the 
                delivery of services and treatment provided to 
                children and families, including the use of 
                differential response, where appropriate; and
                  [(B) the provision of services that assist 
                children exposed to domestic violence, and that 
                also support the caregiving role of their 
                nonabusing parents.]
  (a) Development and Operation Grants.--The Secretary shall 
make grants to the States, from allotments under subsection (f) 
for each State that applies for a grant under this section, for 
purposes of assisting the States in improving and implementing 
a child protective services system that is family-centered, 
integrates community services, and is capable of providing 
rapid response to high-risk cases, by carrying out the 
following:
          (1) Conducting the intake, assessment, screening, and 
        investigation of reports of child abuse or neglect.
          (2) Ensuring that reports concerning a child's living 
        arrangements or subsistence needs are addressed through 
        services or benefits and that no child is separated 
        from such child's parent for reasons of poverty.
          (3) Creating and improving the use of 
        multidisciplinary teams and interagency, intra-agency, 
        interstate, and intrastate protocols to enhance fair 
        investigations; and improving legal preparation and 
        representation.
          (4) Complying with the assurances in section 
        106(b)(2).
          (5) Establishing State and local networks of child 
        and family service providers that support child and 
        family well-being, which shall--
                  (A) include child protective services, as 
                well as agencies and service providers, that 
                address family-strengthening, parenting skills, 
                child development, early childhood care and 
                learning, child advocacy, public health, mental 
                health, substance use disorder treatment, 
                domestic violence, developmental disabilities, 
                housing, juvenile justice, elementary and 
                secondary education, and child placement; and
                  (B) address instances of child abuse and 
                neglect by incorporating evaluations that 
                assess the development of a child, including 
                language and communication, cognitive, 
                physical, and social and emotional development, 
                the need for mental health services, including 
                trauma-related services, trauma-informed care, 
                and parental needs.
          (6) Ensuring child protective services is addressing 
        the safety of children and responding to parent and 
        family needs, which shall include--
                  (A) family-oriented efforts that emphasize 
                case assessment and follow up casework focused 
                on child safety and child and parent well-
                being, which may include--
                          (i) ensuring parents and children 
                        undergo physical and mental health 
                        assessments, as appropriate, and 
                        ongoing developmental monitoring;
                          (ii) multidisciplinary approaches to 
                        assessing family needs and connecting 
                        the family with services, including 
                        prevention services under section 471 
                        of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        671);
                          (iii) organizing a treatment team 
                        with the goal of preventing child abuse 
                        and neglect, and improving parent and 
                        child well-being;
                          (iv) case monitoring that supports 
                        child well-being; and
                          (v) differential response efforts; 
                        and
                  (B) establishing and maintaining a rapid 
                response system that responds promptly to all 
                reports of child abuse or neglect, with special 
                attention to cases involving children under 3 
                years of age.
          (7) Educating caseworkers, community service 
        providers, attorneys, health care professionals, 
        parents, and others engaged in the prevention, 
        intervention, and treatment of child abuse and neglect, 
        which shall include education on--
                  (A) practices that help ensure child safety 
                and well-being;
                  (B) approaches to family-oriented prevention, 
                intervention, and treatment of child abuse and 
                neglect;
                  (C) early childhood, child, and adolescent 
                development, and the impact of adverse 
                childhood experiences on such development;
                  (D) the relationship between child abuse and 
                domestic violence, and support for non-abusing 
                parents;
                  (E) strategies to work with families impacted 
                by substance use disorder and mental health 
                issues (and, when appropriate, be coordinated 
                with prevention efforts funded under section 
                471 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
                671));
                  (F) effective use of multiple services to 
                address family and child needs, including needs 
                resulting from trauma;
                  (G) efforts to improve family and child well-
                being;
                  (H) support for child welfare workers 
                affected by secondary trauma; and
                  (I) supporting families and caregivers to 
                combat and prevent unsubstantiated, unfounded, 
                or false reports, including through education 
                on the rights of families and caregivers.
          (8) Creating or improving data systems that allow 
        for--
                  (A) the identification of cases requiring 
                prompt responses;
                  (B) real-time case monitoring that tracks 
                assessments, service referrals, follow-up, case 
                reviews, and progress toward parent and child 
                goals; and
                  (C) sharing basic identifying data with law 
                enforcement, as necessary.
          (9) Improving the general child protective system by 
        developing, improving, and implementing safety 
        assessment tools, providing that such tools, protocols, 
        and systems shall not authorize the separation of any 
        child from the legal parent or guardian of such child 
        solely on the basis of poverty, or without a judicial 
        order, except in the case of imminent harm.
  (b) Eligibility Requirements.--
          [(1) State plan.--
                  [(A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a 
                grant under this section, a State shall submit 
                to the Secretary a State plan that specifies 
                the areas of the child protective services 
                system described in subsection (a) that the 
                State will address with amounts received under 
                the grant.
                  [(B) Duration of plan.--Each State plan 
                shall--
                          [(i) remain in effect for the 
                        duration of the State's participation 
                        under this section; and
                          [(ii) be periodically reviewed and 
                        revised as necessary by the State to 
                        reflect changes in the State's 
                        strategies and programs under this 
                        section.
                  [(C) Additional information.--The State shall 
                provide notice to the Secretary--
                          [(i) of any substantive changes, 
                        including any change to State law or 
                        regulations, relating to the prevention 
                        of child abuse and neglect that may 
                        affect the eligibility of the State 
                        under this section; and
                          [(ii) of any significant changes in 
                        how funds provided under this section 
                        are used to support activities 
                        described in this section, which may 
                        differ from the activities described in 
                        the current State application.
          [(2) Contents.--A State plan submitted under 
        paragraph (1) shall contain a description of the 
        activities that the State will carry out using amounts 
        received under the grant to achieve the objectives of 
        this title, including--
                  [(A) an assurance that the State plan, to the 
                maximum extent practicable, is coordinated with 
                the State plan under part B of title IV of the 
                Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.) 
                relating to child welfare services and family 
                preservation and family support services;
                  [(B) an assurance in the form of a 
                certification by the Governor of the State that 
                the State has in effect and is enforcing a 
                State law, or has in effect and is operating a 
                statewide program, relating to child abuse and 
                neglect that includes--
                          [(i) provisions or procedures for an 
                        individual to report known and 
                        suspected instances of child abuse and 
                        neglect, including a State law for 
                        mandatory reporting by individuals 
                        required to report such instances;
                          [(ii) policies and procedures 
                        (including appropriate referrals to 
                        child protection service systems and 
                        for other appropriate services) to 
                        address the needs of infants born with 
                        and identified as being affected by 
                        substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms 
                        resulting from prenatal drug exposure, 
                        or a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, 
                        including a requirement that health 
                        care providers involved in the delivery 
                        or care of such infants notify the 
                        child protective services system of the 
                        occurrence of such condition in such 
                        infants, except that such notification 
                        shall not be construed to--
                                  [(I) establish a definition 
                                under Federal law of what 
                                constitutes child abuse or 
                                neglect; or
                                  [(II) require prosecution for 
                                any illegal action;
                          [(iii) the development of a plan of 
                        safe care for the infant born and 
                        identified as being affected by 
                        substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms, 
                        or a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder to 
                        ensure the safety and well-being of 
                        such infant following release from the 
                        care of health care providers, 
                        including through--
                          [(I) addressing the health and 
                        substance use disorder treatment needs 
                        of the infant and affected family or 
                        caregiver; and
                          [(II) the development and 
                        implementation by the State of 
                        monitoring systems regarding the 
                        implementation of such plans to 
                        determine whether and in what manner 
                        local entities are providing, in 
                        accordance with State requirements, 
                        referrals to and delivery of 
                        appropriate services for the infant and 
                        affected family or caregiver;
                          [(iv) procedures for the immediate 
                        screening, risk and safety assessment, 
                        and prompt investigation of such 
                        reports;
                          [(v) triage procedures, including the 
                        use of differential response, for the 
                        appropriate referral of a child not at 
                        risk of imminent harm to a community 
                        organization or voluntary preventive 
                        service;
                          [(vi) procedures for immediate steps 
                        to be taken to ensure and protect the 
                        safety of a victim of child abuse or 
                        neglect and of any other child under 
                        the same care who may also be in danger 
                        of child abuse or neglect and ensuring 
                        their placement in a safe environment;
                          [(vii) provisions for immunity from 
                        civil or criminal liability under State 
                        and local laws and regulations for 
                        individuals making good faith reports 
                        of suspected or known instances of 
                        child abuse or neglect, or who 
                        otherwise provide information or 
                        assistance, including medical 
                        evaluations or consultations, in 
                        connection with a report, 
                        investigation, or legal intervention 
                        pursuant to a good faith report of 
                        child abuse or neglect;
                          [(viii) methods to preserve the 
                        confidentiality of all records in order 
                        to protect the rights of the child and 
                        of the child's parents or guardians, 
                        including requirements ensuring that 
                        reports and records made and maintained 
                        pursuant to the purposes of this Act 
                        shall only be made available to--
                                  [(I) individuals who are the 
                                subject of the report;
                                  [(II) Federal, State, or 
                                local government entities, or 
                                any agent of such entities, as 
                                described in clause (ix);
                                  [(III) child abuse citizen 
                                review panels;
                                  [(IV) child fatality review 
                                panels;
                                  [(V) a grand jury or court, 
                                upon a finding that information 
                                in the record is necessary for 
                                the determination of an issue 
                                before the court or grand jury; 
                                and
                                  [(VI) other entities or 
                                classes of individuals 
                                statutorily authorized by the 
                                State to receive such 
                                information pursuant to a 
                                legitimate State purpose;
                          [(ix) provisions to require a State 
                        to disclose confidential information to 
                        any Federal, State, or local government 
                        entity, or any agent of such entity, 
                        that has a need for such information in 
                        order to carry out its responsibilities 
                        under law to protect children from 
                        child abuse and neglect;
                          [(x) provisions which allow for 
                        public disclosure of the findings or 
                        information about the case of child 
                        abuse or neglect which has resulted in 
                        a child fatality or near fatality;
                          [(xi) the cooperation of State law 
                        enforcement officials, court of 
                        competent jurisdiction, and appropriate 
                        State agencies providing human services 
                        in the investigation, assessment, 
                        prosecution, and treatment of child 
                        abuse and neglect;
                          [(xii) provisions requiring, and 
                        procedures in place that facilitate the 
                        prompt expungement of any records that 
                        are accessible to the general public or 
                        are used for purposes of employment or 
                        other background checks in cases 
                        determined to be unsubstantiated or 
                        false, except that nothing in this 
                        section shall prevent State child 
                        protective services agencies from 
                        keeping information on unsubstantiated 
                        reports in their casework files to 
                        assist in future risk and safety 
                        assessment;
                          [(xiii) provisions and procedures 
                        requiring that in every case involving 
                        a victim of child abuse or neglect 
                        which results in a judicial proceeding, 
                        a guardian ad litem, who has received 
                        training appropriate to the role, 
                        including training in early childhood, 
                        child, and adolescent development, and 
                        who may be an attorney or a court 
                        appointed special advocate who has 
                        received training appropriate to that 
                        role (or both), shall be appointed to 
                        represent the child in such 
                        proceedings--
                                  [(I) to obtain first-hand, a 
                                clear understanding of the 
                                situation and needs of the 
                                child; and
                                  [(II) to make recommendations 
                                to the court concerning the 
                                best interests of the child;
                          [(xiv) the establishment of citizen 
                        review panels in accordance with 
                        subsection (c);
                          [(xv) provisions, procedures, and 
                        mechanisms--
                                  [(I) for the expedited 
                                termination of parental rights 
                                in the case of any infant 
                                determined to be abandoned 
                                under State law; and
                                  [(II) by which individuals 
                                who disagree with an official 
                                finding of child abuse or 
                                neglect can appeal such 
                                finding;
                          [(xvi) provisions, procedures, and 
                        mechanisms that assure that the State 
                        does not require reunification of a 
                        surviving child with a parent who has 
                        been found by a court of competent 
                        jurisdiction--
                                  [(I) to have committed murder 
                                (which would have been an 
                                offense under section 1111(a) 
                                of title 18, United States 
                                Code, if the offense had 
                                occurred in the special 
                                maritime or territorial 
                                jurisdiction of the United 
                                States) of another child of 
                                such parent;
                                  [(II) to have committed 
                                voluntary manslaughter (which 
                                would have been an offense 
                                under section 1112(a) of title 
                                18, United States Code, if the 
                                offense had occurred in the 
                                special maritime or territorial 
                                jurisdiction of the United 
                                States) of another child of 
                                such parent;
                                  [(III) to have aided or 
                                abetted, attempted, conspired, 
                                or solicited to commit such 
                                murder or voluntary 
                                manslaughter;
                                  [(IV) to have committed a 
                                felony assault that results in 
                                the serious bodily injury to 
                                the surviving child or another 
                                child of such parent;
                                  [(V) to have committed sexual 
                                abuse against the surviving 
                                child or another child of such 
                                parent; or
                                  [(VI) to be required to 
                                register with a sex offender 
                                registry under section 113(a) 
                                of the Adam Walsh Child 
                                Protection and Safety Act of 
                                2006 (42 U.S.C. 16913(a));
                          [(xvii) an assurance that, upon the 
                        implementation by the State of the 
                        provisions, procedures, and mechanisms 
                        under clause (xvi), conviction of any 
                        one of the felonies listed in clause 
                        (xvi) constitute grounds under State 
                        law for the termination of parental 
                        rights of the convicted parent as to 
                        the surviving children (although case-
                        by-case determinations of whether or 
                        not to seek termination of parental 
                        rights shall be within the sole 
                        discretion of the State);
                          [(xviii) provisions and procedures to 
                        require that a representative of the 
                        child protective services agency shall, 
                        at the initial time of contact with the 
                        individual subject to a child abuse or 
                        neglect investigation, advise the 
                        individual of the complaints or 
                        allegations made against the 
                        individual, in a manner that is 
                        consistent with laws protecting the 
                        rights of the informant;
                          [(xix) provisions addressing the 
                        training of representatives of the 
                        child protective services system 
                        regarding the legal duties of the 
                        representatives, which may consist of 
                        various methods of informing such 
                        representatives of such duties, in 
                        order to protect the legal rights and 
                        safety of children and families from 
                        the initial time of contact during 
                        investigation through treatment;
                          [(xx) provisions and procedures for 
                        improving the training, retention, and 
                        supervision of caseworkers;
                          [(xxi) provisions and procedures for 
                        referral of a child under the age of 3 
                        who is involved in a substantiated case 
                        of child abuse or neglect to early 
                        intervention services funded under part 
                        C of the Individuals with Disabilities 
                        Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.);
                          [(xxii) provisions and procedures for 
                        requiring criminal background record 
                        checks that meet the requirements of 
                        section 471(a)(20) of the Social 
                        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)(20)) for 
                        prospective foster and adoptive parents 
                        and other adult relatives and non-
                        relatives residing in the household;
                          [(xxiii) provisions for systems of 
                        technology that support the State child 
                        protective service system described in 
                        subsection (a) and track reports of 
                        child abuse and neglect from intake 
                        through final disposition;
                          [(xxiv) provisions and procedures 
                        requiring identification and assessment 
                        of all reports involving children known 
                        or suspected to be victims of sex 
                        trafficking (as defined in section 
                        103(10) of the Trafficking Victims 
                        Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102 
                        (10)); and
                          [(xxv) provisions and procedures for 
                        training child protective services 
                        workers about identifying, assessing, 
                        and providing comprehensive services 
                        for children who are sex trafficking 
                        victims, including efforts to 
                        coordinate with State law enforcement, 
                        juvenile justice, and social service 
                        agencies such as runaway and homeless 
                        youth shelters to serve this 
                        population;
                  [(C) an assurance that the State has in place 
                procedures for responding to the reporting of 
                medical neglect (including instances of 
                withholding of medically indicated treatment 
                from infants with disabilities who have life-
                threatening conditions), procedures or 
                programs, or both (within the State child 
                protective services system), to provide for--
                          [(i) coordination and consultation 
                        with individuals designated by and 
                        within appropriate health-care 
                        facilities;
                          [(ii) prompt notification by 
                        individuals designated by and within 
                        appropriate health-care facilities of 
                        cases of suspected medical neglect 
                        (including instances of withholding of 
                        medically indicated treatment from 
                        infants with disabilities who have 
                        life-threatening conditions); and
                          [(iii) authority, under State law, 
                        for the State child protective services 
                        system to pursue any legal remedies, 
                        including the authority to initiate 
                        legal proceedings in a court of 
                        competent jurisdiction, as may be 
                        necessary to prevent the withholding of 
                        medically indicated treatment from 
                        infants with disabilities who have 
                        life-threatening conditions;
                  [(D) a description of--
                          [(i) the services to be provided 
                        under the grant to individuals, 
                        families, or communities, either 
                        directly or through referrals aimed at 
                        preventing the occurrence of child 
                        abuse and neglect;
                          [(ii) the training to be provided 
                        under the grant to support direct line 
                        and supervisory personnel in report 
                        taking, screening, assessment, decision 
                        making, and referral for investigating 
                        suspected instances of child abuse and 
                        neglect;
                          [(iii) the training to be provided 
                        under the grant for individuals who are 
                        required to report suspected cases of 
                        child abuse and neglect;
                          [(iv) policies and procedures 
                        encouraging the appropriate involvement 
                        of families in decisionmaking 
                        pertaining to children who experienced 
                        child abuse or neglect;
                          [(v) policies and procedures that 
                        promote and enhance appropriate 
                        collaboration among child protective 
                        service agencies, domestic violence 
                        service agencies, substance abuse 
                        treatment agencies, and other agencies 
                        in investigations, interventions, and 
                        the delivery of services and treatment 
                        provided to children and families 
                        affected by child abuse or neglect, 
                        including children exposed to domestic 
                        violence, where appropriate; and
                          [(vi) policies and procedures 
                        regarding the use of differential 
                        response, as applicable;
                  [(E) an assurance or certification that the 
                programs or projects relating to child abuse 
                and neglect carried out under part B of title 
                IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et 
                seq.) comply with the requirements set forth in 
                paragraph (1) and this paragraph;
                  [(F) an assurance or certification that 
                programs and training conducted under this 
                title address the unique needs of unaccompanied 
                homeless youth, including access to enrollment 
                and support services and that such youth are 
                eligible for under parts B and E of title IV of 
                the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq., 
                670 et seq.) and meet the requirements of the 
                McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 
                U.S.C. 11301 et seq.); and
                  [(G) an assurance that the State, in 
                developing the State plan described in 
                paragraph (1), has collaborated with community-
                based prevention agencies and with families 
                affected by child abuse or neglect.
        Nothing in subparagraph (B) shall be construed to limit 
        the State's flexibility to determine State policies 
        relating to public access to court proceedings to 
        determine child abuse and neglect, except that such 
        policies shall, at a minimum, ensure the safety and 
        well-being of the child, parents, and families.]
          (1) State plan.--
                  (A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a 
                grant under this section, a State shall submit 
                to the Secretary a State plan that--
                          (i) specifies how the grant will be 
                        used, and the State's strategic plan, 
                        to treat child abuse and neglect and 
                        enhance community-based, prevention-
                        centered approaches that attempt to 
                        prevent child abuse and neglect while 
                        strengthening and supporting families 
                        whenever possible; and
                          (ii) meets the requirements of this 
                        subsection.
                  (B) Coordination and consultation.--
                          (i) Coordination.--Each State, to the 
                        maximum extent practicable, shall 
                        coordinate its State plan under this 
                        subsection with its State plan under 
                        part B of title IV of the Social 
                        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.) 
                        relating to child and family services 
                        and, in States electing to provide 
                        services under part E of title IV of 
                        the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670 
                        et seq.) relating to foster care 
                        prevention services, its State plan 
                        under such part E.
                          (ii) Consultation.--In developing a 
                        State plan under this subsection, a 
                        State shall consult with community-
                        based prevention and service agencies, 
                        parents and families affected by child 
                        abuse or neglect in the State, law 
                        enforcement, family court judges, 
                        prosecutors who handle criminal child 
                        abuse cases, and medical professionals 
                        engaged in the treatment of child abuse 
                        and neglect.
                  (C) Duration and submission of plan.--Each 
                State plan shall--
                          (i) be submitted not less than every 
                        5 years; and
                          (ii) if necessary, revised by the 
                        State to inform the Secretary of any 
                        substantive changes, including--
                                  (I) any changes to State law 
                                or regulations, relating to the 
                                prevention of child abuse and 
                                neglect that may affect the 
                                eligibility of the State under 
                                this section; or
                                  (II) any changes in the 
                                State's activities, strategies, 
                                or programs under this section.
          (2) Contents.--A State plan submitted under paragraph 
        (1) shall contain a description of the activities that 
        the State will carry out using amounts received under 
        the grant to achieve the objectives of this title, 
        including--
                  (A) an assurance in the form of a 
                certification by the Governor of the State that 
                the State has in effect and is enforcing a 
                State law, or has in effect and is operating a 
                statewide program, relating to child abuse and 
                neglect that includes--
                          (i) provisions or procedures for an 
                        individual to report known and 
                        suspected instances of child abuse and 
                        neglect, including a State law for 
                        mandatory reporting by individuals 
                        required to report such instances;
                          (ii) procedures for the immediate 
                        screening, risk and safety assessment, 
                        and prompt investigation of such 
                        reports of alleged abuse and neglect in 
                        order to ensure the well-being and 
                        safety of children;
                          (iii) procedures for immediate steps 
                        to be taken to ensure and protect the 
                        safety of a victim of child abuse or 
                        neglect and of any other child under 
                        the same care who may also be in danger 
                        of child abuse or neglect and ensuring 
                        their placement in a safe environment;
                          (iv) methods to preserve the 
                        confidentiality of all records in order 
                        to protect the rights of the child and 
                        of the child's parents or guardians, 
                        including requirements ensuring that 
                        reports and records made and maintained 
                        pursuant to the purposes of this Act 
                        shall only be made available to--
                                  (I) individuals who are the 
                                subject of the report;
                                  (II) Federal, State, or local 
                                government entities, or any 
                                agent of such entities, as 
                                described in clause (xi) of 
                                this subparagraph;
                                  (III) child abuse citizen 
                                review panels;
                                  (IV) child fatality review 
                                panels;
                                  (V) a grand jury or court, 
                                upon a finding that information 
                                in the record is necessary for 
                                the determination of an issue 
                                before the court or grand jury; 
                                and
                                  (VI) other entities or 
                                classes of individuals 
                                statutorily authorized by the 
                                State to receive such 
                                information pursuant to a 
                                legitimate State purpose;
                          (v) provisions and procedures 
                        requiring that in every case involving 
                        a victim of child abuse or neglect 
                        which results in a judicial proceeding, 
                        a guardian ad litem, who has received 
                        education appropriate to the role, 
                        including education in early childhood, 
                        child, and adolescent development, and 
                        domestic violence, and who may be an 
                        attorney or a court appointed special 
                        advocate who has received education 
                        appropriate to that role (or both), 
                        shall be appointed to represent the 
                        child (who, for purposes of this 
                        section, shall have any age limit 
                        elected by the State pursuant to 
                        section 475(8)(B)(iii) of the Social 
                        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 675(8)(B)(iii)) 
                        in such proceedings--
                                  (I) to obtain first-hand, a 
                                clear understanding of the 
                                situation and needs of such 
                                child; and
                                  (II) to make recommendations 
                                to the court concerning the 
                                best interests of such child;
                          (vi) the establishment of citizen 
                        review panels in accordance with 
                        subsection (c);
                          (vii) provisions and procedures to 
                        require that a representative of the 
                        child protective services agency shall, 
                        at the initial time of contact with the 
                        individual subject to a child abuse or 
                        neglect investigation, advise the 
                        individual of the complaints or 
                        allegations made against the 
                        individual, in a manner that is 
                        consistent with laws protecting the 
                        rights of the informant;
                          (viii) provisions, procedures, and 
                        mechanisms--
                                  (I) for the expedited 
                                termination of parental rights 
                                in the case of any infant 
                                determined to be abandoned 
                                under State law; and
                                  (II) by which individuals who 
                                disagree with an official 
                                finding of child abuse or 
                                neglect can appeal such 
                                finding;
                          (ix) provisions addressing the 
                        professional development of 
                        representatives of the child protective 
                        services system regarding the legal 
                        duties of the representatives, which 
                        may consist of various methods of 
                        informing such representatives of such 
                        duties (including providing such 
                        education in different languages if 
                        necessary), in order to protect the 
                        legal rights and safety of children and 
                        their parents and caregivers from the 
                        initial time of contact during 
                        investigation through treatment;
                          (x) provisions for immunity from 
                        civil or criminal liability under State 
                        and local laws and regulations for 
                        individuals making good faith reports 
                        of suspected or known instances of 
                        child abuse or neglect, or who 
                        otherwise provide information or 
                        assistance, including medical 
                        evaluations or consultations, in 
                        connection with a report, 
                        investigation, or legal intervention 
                        pursuant to a good faith report of 
                        child abuse or neglect;
                          (xi) provisions to require the State 
                        to disclose confidential information to 
                        any Federal, State, or local government 
                        entity, or any agent of such entity, 
                        that has a need for such information in 
                        order to carry out its responsibilities 
                        under law to protect children from 
                        child abuse and neglect;
                          (xii) provisions requiring, and 
                        procedures in place that facilitate the 
                        prompt expungement of any records that 
                        are accessible to the general public or 
                        are used for purposes of employment or 
                        other background checks in cases 
                        determined to be unsubstantiated or 
                        false, except that nothing in this 
                        section shall prevent State child 
                        protective services agencies from 
                        keeping information on unsubstantiated 
                        reports in their casework files to 
                        assist in future risk and safety 
                        assessment;
                          (xiii) provisions and procedures for 
                        requiring criminal background record 
                        checks that meet the requirements of 
                        section 471(a)(20) of the Social 
                        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)(20)) for 
                        prospective foster and adoptive parents 
                        and other adult relatives and non- 
                        relatives residing in the household;
                          (xiv) provisions for systems of 
                        technology that support the State child 
                        protective services system and track 
                        reports of child abuse and neglect from 
                        intake through final disposition;
                          (xv) provisions and procedures 
                        requiring identification and assessment 
                        of all reports involving children known 
                        or suspected to be victims of sex 
                        trafficking (as defined in section 
                        103(12) of the Trafficking Victims 
                        Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102 
                        (12));
                          (xvi) provisions, procedures, and 
                        mechanisms that assure that the State 
                        does not require reunification of a 
                        surviving child with a parent who has 
                        been found by a court of competent 
                        jurisdiction--
                                  (I) to have committed murder 
                                (which would have been an 
                                offense under section 1111(a) 
                                of title 18, United States 
                                Code, if the offense had 
                                occurred in the special 
                                maritime or territorial 
                                jurisdiction of the United 
                                States) of another child of 
                                such parent;
                                  (II) to have committed 
                                voluntary manslaughter (which 
                                would have been an offense 
                                under section 1112(a) of title 
                                18, United States Code, if the 
                                offense had occurred in the 
                                special maritime or territorial 
                                jurisdiction of the United 
                                States) of another child of 
                                such parent;
                                  (III) to have aided or 
                                abetted, attempted, conspired, 
                                or solicited to commit such 
                                murder or voluntary 
                                manslaughter;
                                  (IV) to have committed a 
                                felony assault that results in 
                                the serious bodily injury to 
                                the surviving child or another 
                                child of such parent;
                                  (V) to have committed sexual 
                                abuse against the surviving 
                                child or another child of such 
                                parent; or
                                  (VI) to be required to 
                                register with a sex offender 
                                registry under section 113(a) 
                                of the Adam Walsh Child 
                                Protection and Safety Act of 
                                2006 (42 U.S.C. 16913(a)); and
                          (xvii) an assurance that, upon the 
                        implementation by the State of the 
                        provisions, procedures, and mechanisms 
                        under clause (xvi), conviction of any 
                        one of the felonies listed in clause 
                        (xvi) constitute grounds under State 
                        law for the termination of parental 
                        rights of the convicted parent as to 
                        the surviving children (although case-
                        by-case determinations of whether or 
                        not to seek termination of parental 
                        rights shall be within the sole 
                        discretion of the State);
                  (B) an assurance that the State has in place 
                procedures for responding to the reporting of 
                medical neglect (including instances of 
                withholding of medically indicated treatment 
                from infants with disabilities who have life-
                threatening conditions), procedures or 
                programs, or both (within the State child 
                protective services system), to provide for--
                          (i) coordination and consultation 
                        with individuals designated by and 
                        within appropriate health-care 
                        facilities;
                          (ii) prompt notification by 
                        individuals designated by and within 
                        appropriate health-care facilities of 
                        cases of suspected medical neglect 
                        (including instances of withholding of 
                        medically indicated treatment from 
                        infants with disabilities who have 
                        life-threatening conditions); and
                          (iii) authority, under State law, for 
                        the State child protective services 
                        system to pursue any legal remedies, 
                        including the authority to initiate 
                        legal proceedings in a court of 
                        competent jurisdiction, as may be 
                        necessary to prevent the withholding of 
                        medically indicated treatment from 
                        infants with disabilities who have 
                        life-threatening conditions;
                  (C) an assurance or certification that 
                programs and education conducted under this 
                title address the unique needs of unaccompanied 
                homeless youth, including access to enrollment 
                and support services and that such youth are 
                eligible for under parts B and E of title IV of 
                the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq., 
                670 et seq.) and meet the requirements of the 
                McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 
                U.S.C. 11301 et seq.);
                  (D) a description of--
                          (i) policies and procedures 
                        (including appropriate referrals to 
                        child welfare service systems and for 
                        other appropriate services (including 
                        home visiting services and mutual 
                        support and parent partner programs)) 
                        to address the needs of infants born 
                        with and identified as being affected 
                        by substance use or withdrawal symptoms 
                        resulting from prenatal drug exposure, 
                        or a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, 
                        including a requirement that health 
                        care providers involved in the delivery 
                        or care of such infants notify the 
                        child welfare services system of the 
                        occurrence of such condition in such 
                        infants, except that such notification 
                        shall not be construed to--
                                  (I) establish a definition 
                                under Federal law of what 
                                constitutes child abuse or 
                                neglect; or
                                  (II) require prosecution for 
                                any illegal action;
                          (ii) the development of a plan of 
                        safe care for the infant born and 
                        identified as being affected by 
                        substance use or withdrawal symptoms, 
                        or a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder to 
                        ensure the safety and well-being of 
                        such infant following release from the 
                        care of health care providers, 
                        including through--
                                  (I) addressing the health and 
                                substance use disorder 
                                treatment needs of the infant 
                                and affected family or 
                                caregiver; and
                                  (II) the development and 
                                implementation by the State of 
                                monitoring systems regarding 
                                the implementation of such 
                                plans to determine whether and 
                                in what manner local entities 
                                are providing, in accordance 
                                with State requirements, 
                                referrals to and delivery of 
                                appropriate services for the 
                                infant and affected family or 
                                caregiver;
                          (iii) policies and procedures to make 
                        available to the public on the State 
                        website the data, findings, and 
                        information about all cases of child 
                        abuse or neglect resulting in a child 
                        fatality or near fatality, including a 
                        description of--
                                  (I) how the State will not 
                                create an exception to such 
                                public disclosure, except in a 
                                case in which--
                                          (aa) the State would 
                                        like to delay public 
                                        release of case-
                                        specific findings or 
                                        information (including 
                                        any previous reports of 
                                        domestic violence and 
                                        subsequent actions 
                                        taken to assess and 
                                        address such reports) 
                                        while a criminal 
                                        investigation or 
                                        prosecution of such a 
                                        fatality or near 
                                        fatality is pending;
                                          (bb) the State is 
                                        protecting the identity 
                                        of a reporter of child 
                                        abuse or neglect; or
                                          (cc) the State is 
                                        withholding identifying 
                                        information of members 
                                        of the victim's family 
                                        who are not 
                                        perpetrators of the 
                                        fatality or near 
                                        fatality; and
                                  (II) how the State will 
                                ensure that in providing the 
                                public disclosure required 
                                under this clause, the State 
                                will include--
                                          (aa) the cause and 
                                        circumstances of the 
                                        fatality or near 
                                        fatality;
                                          (bb) the age and 
                                        gender of the child; 
                                        and
                                          (cc) any previous 
                                        reports of child abuse 
                                        or neglect 
                                        investigations that are 
                                        relevant to the child 
                                        abuse or neglect that 
                                        led to the fatality or 
                                        near fatality;
                          (iv) how the State will use data 
                        collected on child abuse or neglect to 
                        prevent child fatalities and near 
                        fatalities;
                          (v) how the State will implement 
                        efforts to prevent child fatalities and 
                        near fatalities;
                          (vi) the cooperation of State law 
                        enforcement officials, court of 
                        competent jurisdiction, and appropriate 
                        State agencies providing human services 
                        in the investigation, assessment, 
                        prosecution, and treatment of child 
                        abuse and neglect;
                          (vii) the steps the State will take 
                        to improve the professional 
                        development, retention, and supervision 
                        of caseworkers and how the State will 
                        measure the effectiveness of such 
                        efforts;
                          (viii) the State's plan to ensure 
                        each child under the age of 3 who is 
                        involved in a substantiated case of 
                        child abuse or neglect will be referred 
                        to the State's child find system under 
                        section 635(a)(5) of the Individuals 
                        with Disabilities Education Act (20 
                        U.S.C. 1435(a)(5)) in order to 
                        determine if the child is an infant or 
                        toddler with a disability (as defined 
                        in section 632(5) of such Act (20 
                        U.S.C. 1432(5)));
                          (ix) the State's plan to improve, as 
                        part of a comprehensive State strategy 
                        led by law enforcement, professional 
                        development for child protective 
                        services workers and their appropriate 
                        role in identifying, assessing, and 
                        providing comprehensive services for 
                        children who are sex trafficking 
                        victims, in coordination with law 
                        enforcement, juvenile justice agencies, 
                        runaway and homeless youth shelters, 
                        and health, mental health, and other 
                        social service agencies and providers;
                          (x) the services to be provided under 
                        the grant to individuals, families, or 
                        communities, either directly or through 
                        referrals, aimed at preventing the 
                        occurrence of child abuse and neglect;
                          (xi) the State's efforts to ensure 
                        professionals who are required to 
                        report suspected cases of child abuse 
                        and neglect are aware of their 
                        responsibilities under subparagraph 
                        (A)(i) and receive professional 
                        development relating to performing such 
                        responsibilities that is specific to 
                        their profession and workplace;
                          (xii) policies and procedures 
                        encouraging the appropriate involvement 
                        of families in decisionmaking 
                        pertaining to children who experienced 
                        child abuse or neglect;
                          (xiii) the State's efforts to improve 
                        appropriate collaboration among child 
                        protective services agencies, domestic 
                        violence services agencies, substance 
                        use disorder treatment agencies, and 
                        other agencies in investigations, 
                        interventions, and the delivery of 
                        services and treatment provided to 
                        children and families affected by child 
                        abuse or neglect, including children 
                        exposed to domestic violence, where 
                        appropriate;
                          (xiv) policies and procedures 
                        regarding the use of differential 
                        response, as applicable, to improve 
                        outcomes for children; and
                          (xv) the State's efforts to reduce 
                        racial bias in its child protective 
                        services system.
          (3)  [Limitation] Limitations.--[With regard to 
        clauses (vi) and (vii) of paragraph (2)(B),]
                  (A) Disclosure of certain identifying 
                information._With regard to subparagraphs 
                (A)(iv) and (D)(iii) of paragraph (2),  nothing 
                in this section shall be construed as 
                restricting the ability of a State to refuse to 
                disclose identifying information concerning the 
                individual initiating a report or complaint 
                alleging suspected instances of child abuse or 
                neglect, except that the State may not refuse 
                such a disclosure where a court orders such 
                disclosure after such court has reviewed, in 
                camera, the record of the State related to the 
                report or complaint and has found it has reason 
                to believe that the reporter knowingly made a 
                false report[.]; and
                  (B) Public access to court proceedings.--
                Nothing in paragraph (2) shall be construed to 
                limit the State's flexibility to determine 
                State policies relating to public access to 
                court proceedings to determine child abuse and 
                neglect, except that such policies shall, at a 
                minimum, ensure the safety and well-being of 
                the child, parents, and families.
          (4)  [Definitions] Definition.--For purposes of [this 
        subsection--]
                  [(A) the term ``near fatality'' means an act] 
                this subsection, the term ``near fatality'' 
                means an act that, as certified by a physician, 
                places the child in serious or critical 
                condition[; and].
                  [(B) the term ``serious bodily injury'' means 
                bodily injury which involves substantial risk 
                of death, extreme physical pain, protracted and 
                obvious disfigurement, or protracted loss or 
                impairment of the function of a bodily member, 
                organ, or mental faculty.]
  (c) Citizen Review Panels.--
          (1) Establishment.--
                  (A) In general.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraph (B), each State to which a grant 
                is made under this section shall establish not 
                less than 3 citizen review panels.
                  (B)  [Exceptions.-- 
                          [(i) Establishment of panels by 
                        states receiving minimum allotment.--A 
                        State that receives the minimum 
                        allotment of $175,000 under section 
                        203(b)(1)(A) for a fiscal year shall 
                        establish not less than 1 citizen 
                        review panel.]
                          [(ii) Designation of existing 
                        entities.--A State may] Exception._A 
                        State may  designate as panels for 
                        purposes of this subsection one or more 
                        existing entities established under 
                        State or Federal law, such as child 
                        fatality panels or foster care review 
                        panels, if such entities have the 
                        capacity to satisfy the requirements of 
                        paragraph (4) and the State ensures 
                        that such entities will satisfy such 
                        requirements.
          (2) Membership.--Each panel established pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall be composed of volunteer members 
        who are broadly representative of the community in 
        which such panel is established, including members who 
        have expertise in the prevention and treatment of child 
        abuse and neglect, and may include adult former victims 
        of child abuse or neglect.
          (3) Meetings.--Each panel established pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall meet not less than once every 3 
        months.
          (4) Functions.--
                  (A) In general.--Each panel established 
                pursuant to paragraph (1) shall, by examining 
                the policies, procedures, and practices of 
                State and local agencies [and where 
                appropriate, specific cases,] evaluate the 
                extent to which State and local child 
                protection system agencies are effectively 
                discharging their child protection 
                responsibilities in accordance with--
                          (i) the State plan under subsection 
                        (b);
                          (ii) the child protection standards 
                        set forth in subsection (b); and
                          (iii) any other criteria that the 
                        panel considers important to ensure the 
                        protection of children, including--
                                  (I) a review of the extent to 
                                which the State and local child 
                                protective services system is 
                                coordinated with the [foster 
                                care and adoption programs] 
                                foster care, prevention, and 
                                permanency programs established 
                                under part E of title IV of the 
                                Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
                                670 et seq.); and
                                  (II) a review of child 
                                fatalities and near fatalities 
                                (as defined in subsection 
                                (b)(4)).
                  (B) Confidentiality.--
                          (i) In general.--The members and 
                        staff of a panel established under 
                        paragraph (1)--
                                  (I) shall not disclose to any 
                                person or government official 
                                any identifying information 
                                about any specific child 
                                protection case with respect to 
                                which the panel is provided 
                                information; and
                                  (II) shall not make public 
                                other information unless 
                                authorized by State statute.
                          (ii) Civil sanctions.--Each State 
                        that establishes a panel pursuant to 
                        paragraph (1) shall establish civil 
                        sanctions for a violation of clause 
                        (i).
                  (C) Public outreach.--Each panel shall 
                provide for public outreach and comment in 
                order to assess the impact of current 
                procedures and practices upon children and 
                families in the community and in order to meet 
                its obligations under subparagraph (A).
          (5) State assistance.--Each State that establishes a 
        panel pursuant to paragraph (1)--
                  (A) shall provide the panel access to 
                information on cases that the panel desires to 
                review if such information is necessary for the 
                panel to carry out its functions under 
                paragraph (4); and
                  (B) shall provide the panel, upon its 
                request, staff assistance for the performance 
                of the duties of the panel.
          (6) Reports.--[Each panel established under paragraph 
        (1) shall prepare and make available to the State and 
        the public, on an annual basis, a report containing a 
        summary of the activities of the panel and 
        recommendations to improve the child protection 
        services system at the State and local levels.] Each 
        panel established under paragraph (1) shall prepare and 
        make available to the State and the public, on an 
        annual basis, a report containing a summary of the 
        activities of the panel, the criteria used for 
        determining which activities the panel engaged in, and 
        recommendations or observations to improve the child 
        protective services system at the State and local 
        levels, and the data upon which these recommendations 
        or observations are based. Not later than 6 months 
        after the date on which a report is submitted by the 
        panel to the State, the appropriate State agency shall 
        submit a written response to State and local child 
        protection systems and the citizen review panel that 
        describes whether or how the State will incorporate the 
        recommendations of such panel (where appropriate) to 
        make measurable progress in improving the State and 
        local child protective system.
  (d) Annual State Data Reports.--Each State to which a grant 
is made under this section shall annually work with the 
Secretary to provide, to the maximum extent practicable, a 
report that includes the following:
          (1) The number of children who were reported to the 
        State during the year as victims of child abuse or 
        neglect.
          (2) Of the number of children described in paragraph 
        (1), the number with respect to whom such reports 
        were--
                  (A) substantiated;
                  (B) unsubstantiated; or
                  (C) determined to be false.
          (3) Of the number of children described in paragraph 
        (2)--
                  (A) the number that did not receive services 
                during the year under the State program funded 
                under this section or an equivalent State 
                program;
                  (B) the number that received services during 
                the year under the State program funded under 
                this section or an equivalent State program; 
                and
                  (C) the number that were removed from their 
                families during the year by disposition of the 
                case.
          (4) The number of families that received preventive 
        services, including use of differential response, from 
        the State during the year.
          (5) The number of deaths in the State during the year 
        resulting from child abuse or neglect.
          (6) Of the number of children described in paragraph 
        (5), the number of such children who were in foster 
        care.
          (7)(A) The number of child protective service 
        personnel responsible for the--
                  (i) intake of reports filed in the previous 
                year;
                  (ii) screening of such reports;
                  (iii) assessment of such reports; and
                  (iv) investigation of such reports.
          (B) The average caseload for the workers described in 
        subparagraph (A).
          (8) The agency response time with respect to each 
        such report with respect to initial investigation of 
        reports of child abuse or neglect.
          (9) The response time with respect to the provision 
        of services to families and children where an 
        allegation of child abuse or neglect has been made.
          (10) For child protective service personnel 
        responsible for intake, screening, assessment, and 
        investigation of child abuse and neglect reports in the 
        State--
                  (A) information on the education, 
                qualifications, and training requirements 
                established by the State for child protective 
                service professionals, including for entry and 
                advancement in the profession, including 
                advancement to supervisory positions;
                  (B) data on the education, qualifications, 
                and training of such personnel;
                  (C) demographic information of the child 
                protective service personnel; and
                  (D) information on caseload or workload 
                requirements for such personnel, including 
                requirements for average number and maximum 
                number of cases per child protective service 
                worker and supervisor.
          (11) The number of children reunited with their 
        families or receiving family preservation services 
        that, within five years, result in subsequent 
        substantiated reports of child abuse or neglect, 
        including the death of the child.
          (12) The number of children for whom individuals were 
        appointed by the court to represent the best interests 
        of such children and the average number of out of court 
        contacts between such individuals and children.
          [(13) The annual report containing the summary of the 
        activities of the citizen review panels of the State 
        required by subsection (c)(6).]
          (13) The annual report containing the summary of the 
        activities and recommendations of the citizen review 
        panels of the State required by subsection (c)(6), and 
        the actions taken by the State as a result of such 
        recommendations.
          (14) The number of children under the care of the 
        State child protection system who are transferred into 
        the custody of the State juvenile justice system.
          (15) The number of children referred to a child 
        protective services system under [subsection 
        (b)(2)(B)(ii)] subsection (b)(2)(D)(i).
          (16) The number of children determined to be eligible 
        for referral, and the number of children referred, 
        under [subsection (b)(2)(B)(xxi)] subsection 
        (b)(2)(D)(viii), to agencies providing early 
        intervention services under part C of the Individuals 
        with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et 
        seq.).
          (17) The number of children determined to be victims 
        described in [subsection (b)(2)(B)(xxiv)] subsection 
        (b)(2)(A)(xv).
          (18) The number of infants--
                  (A) identified under [subsection 
                (b)(2)(B)(ii)] subsection (b)(2)(D)(i);
                  (B) for whom a plan of safe care was 
                developed under [subsection (b)(2)(B)(iii)] 
                subsection (b)(2)(D)(ii); and
                  (C) for whom a referral was made for 
                appropriate services, including services for 
                the affected family or caregiver, under 
                [subsection (b)(2)(B)(iii)] subsection 
                (b)(2)(D)(ii).
          (19) The number of child fatalities and near 
        fatalities from maltreatment and related information in 
        accordance with the uniform standards established under 
        section 103(d).
  (e) Annual Report by the Secretary.--Within 6 months after 
receiving the State reports under subsection (d), the Secretary 
shall prepare a report based on information provided by the 
States for the fiscal year under such subsection and shall make 
the report and such information available to the Congress and 
the national clearinghouse for information relating to child 
abuse and neglect.
  (f) Allotments.--
          (1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                  (A) Fiscal year 2009 grant funds.--The term 
                ``fiscal year 2009 grant funds'' means the 
                amount appropriated under section 112 for 
                fiscal year 2009, and not reserved under 
                section 112(a)(2).
                  (B) Grant funds.--The term ``grant funds'' 
                means the amount appropriated under section 112 
                for a fiscal year and not reserved under 
                section 112(a)(2).
                  (C) State.--The term ``State'' means each of 
                the several States, the District of Columbia, 
                and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
                  (D) Territory.--The term ``territory'' means 
                Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin 
                Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern 
                Mariana Islands.
          (2) In general.--Except as otherwise provided in this 
        section, the Secretary shall make allotments to each 
        State and territory that applies for a grant under this 
        section in an amount equal to the sum of--
                  (A) $50,000; and
                  (B) an amount that bears the same 
                relationship to any grant funds remaining after 
                all such States and territories have received 
                $50,000, as the number of children under the 
                age of 18 in the State or territory bears to 
                the number of such children in all States and 
                territories that apply for such a grant.
          (3) Allotments for decreased appropriation years.--In 
        the case where the grant funds for a fiscal year are 
        less than the fiscal year 2009 grant funds, the 
        Secretary shall ratably reduce each of the allotments 
        under paragraph (2) for such fiscal year.
          (4) Allotments for increased appropriation years.--
                  (A) Minimum allotments to states for 
                increased appropriations years.--In any fiscal 
                year for which the grant funds exceed the 
                fiscal year 2009 grant funds by more than 
                $1,000,000, the Secretary shall adjust the 
                allotments under paragraph (2), as necessary, 
                such that no State that applies for a grant 
                under this section receives an allotment in an 
                amount that is less than--
                          (i) $100,000, for a fiscal year in 
                        which the grant funds exceed the fiscal 
                        year 2009 grant funds by more than 
                        $1,000,000 but less than $2,000,000;
                          (ii) $125,000, for a fiscal year in 
                        which the grant funds exceed the fiscal 
                        year 2009 grant funds by at least 
                        $2,000,000 but less than $3,000,000; 
                        and
                          (iii) $150,000, for a fiscal year in 
                        which the grant funds exceed the fiscal 
                        year 2009 grant funds by at least 
                        $3,000,000.
                  (B) Allotment adjustment.--In the case of a 
                fiscal year for which subparagraph (A) applies 
                and the grant funds are insufficient to satisfy 
                the requirements of such subparagraph (A), 
                paragraph (2), and paragraph (5), the Secretary 
                shall, subject to paragraph (5), ratably reduce 
                the allotment of each State for which the 
                allotment under paragraph (2) is an amount that 
                exceeds the applicable minimum under 
                subparagraph (A), as necessary to ensure that 
                each State receives the applicable minimum 
                allotment under subparagraph (A).
          (5) Hold harmless.--Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) 
        and (4), except as provided in paragraph (3), no State 
        or territory shall receive a grant under this section 
        in an amount that is less than the amount such State or 
        territory received under this section for fiscal year 
        2009.
          (6) Limitation.--For any fiscal year for which the 
        amount allotted to a State or territory under this 
        subsection exceeds the amount allotted to the State or 
        territory under such subsection for fiscal year 2019, 
        the State or territory may use not more than 2 percent 
        of such excess amount for administrative expenses.

SEC. 107. GRANTS TO STATES FOR PROGRAMS RELATING TO THE INVESTIGATION 
                    AND PROSECUTION OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES.

  (a) Grants to States.--The Secretary, in consultation with 
the Attorney General, is authorized to make grants to the 
States for the purpose of assisting States in developing, 
establishing, and operating programs designed to improve--
          (1) the assessment and investigation of suspected 
        child abuse and neglect cases, including cases of 
        suspected child sexual abuse and exploitation, in a 
        manner that limits additional trauma to the child and 
        the child's family;
          (2) the assessment and investigation of cases of 
        suspected child abuse-related fatalities and suspected 
        child neglect-related fatalities;
          (3) the investigation and prosecution of cases of 
        child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse 
        and exploitation; and
          (4) the assessment and investigation of cases 
        involving children with disabilities or serious health-
        related problems who are suspected victims of child 
        abuse or neglect.
  (b) Eligibility Requirements.--In order for a State to 
qualify for assistance under this section, such State shall--
          (1) fulfill the requirements of section 106(b);
          (2) establish a task force as provided in subsection 
        (c);
          (3) fulfill the requirements of subsection (d);
          (4) submit annually an application to the Secretary 
        at such time and containing such information and 
        assurances as the Secretary considers necessary, 
        including an assurance that the State will--
                  (A) make such reports to the Secretary as may 
                reasonably be required; and
                  (B) maintain and provide access to records 
                relating to activities under subsections (a) 
                and (b); and
          (5) submit annually to the Secretary a report on the 
        manner in which assistance received under this program 
        was expended throughout the State, with particular 
        attention focused on the areas described in paragraphs 
        (1) through (3) of subsection (a).
  (c) State Task Forces.--
          (1) General rule.--Except as provided in paragraph 
        (2), a State requesting assistance under this section 
        shall establish or designate, and maintain, a State 
        multidisciplinary task force on children's justice 
        (hereinafter referred to as ``State task force'') 
        composed of professionals with knowledge and experience 
        relating to the criminal justice system and issues of 
        child physical abuse, child neglect, child sexual abuse 
        and exploitation, and child maltreatment related 
        fatalities. The State task force shall include--
                  (A) individuals representing the law 
                enforcement community;
                  (B) judges and attorneys involved in both 
                civil and criminal court proceedings related to 
                child abuse and neglect (including individuals 
                involved with the defense as well as the 
                prosecution of such cases);
                  (C) child advocates, including both attorneys 
                for children and, where such programs are in 
                operation, court appointed special advocates;
                  (D) health and mental health professionals;
                  (E) individuals representing child protective 
                service agencies;
                  (F) individuals experienced in working with 
                children with disabilities;
                  (G) parents;
                  (H) representatives of parents' groups;
                  (I) adult former victims of child abuse or 
                neglect; and
                  (J) individuals experienced in working with 
                homeless children and youths (as defined in 
                section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless 
                Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a)).
          (2) Existing task force.--As determined by the 
        Secretary, a State commission or task force established 
        after January 1, 1983, with substantially comparable 
        membership and functions, may be considered the State 
        task force for purposes of this subsection.
  (d) State Task Force Study.--Before a State receives 
assistance under this section, and at three year intervals 
thereafter, the State task force shall comprehensively--
          (1) review and evaluate State investigative, 
        administrative and both civil and criminal judicial 
        handling of cases of child abuse and neglect, including 
        child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as cases 
        involving suspected child maltreatment related 
        fatalities and cases involving a potential combination 
        of jurisdictions, such as intrastate, interstate, 
        Federal-State, and State-Tribal; and
          (2) make policy and training recommendations in each 
        of the categories described in subsection (e).
The task force may make such other comments and recommendations 
as are considered relevant and useful.
  (e) Adoption of State Task Force Recommendations.--
          (1) General rule.--Subject to the provisions of 
        paragraph (2), before a State receives assistance under 
        this section, a State shall adopt recommendations of 
        the State task force in each of the following 
        categories--
                  (A) investigative, administrative, and 
                judicial handling of cases of child abuse and 
                neglect, including child sexual abuse and 
                exploitation, as well as cases involving 
                suspected child maltreatment related fatalities 
                and cases involving a potential combination of 
                jurisdictions, such as intrastate, interstate, 
                Federal-State, and State-Tribal, in a manner 
                which reduces the additional trauma to the 
                child victim and the victim's family and which 
                also ensures procedural fairness to the 
                accused;
                  (B) experimental, model, and demonstration 
                programs for testing innovative approaches and 
                techniques which may improve the prompt and 
                successful resolution of civil and criminal 
                court proceedings or enhance the effectiveness 
                of judicial and administrative action in child 
                abuse and neglect cases, particularly child 
                sexual abuse and exploitation cases, including 
                the enhancement of performance of court-
                appointed attorneys and guardians ad litem for 
                children, and which also ensure procedural 
                fairness to the accused; and
                  (C) reform of State laws, ordinances, 
                regulations, protocols, and procedures to 
                provide comprehensive protection for children, 
                which may include those children involved in 
                reports of child abuse or neglect with a 
                potential combination of jurisdictions, such as 
                intrastate, interstate, Federal-State, and 
                State-Tribal, from child abuse and neglect, 
                including child sexual abuse and exploitation, 
                while ensuring fairness to all affected 
                persons.
          (2) Exemption.--As determined by the Secretary, a 
        State shall be considered to be in fulfillment of the 
        requirements of this subsection if--
                  (A) the State adopts an alternative to the 
                recommendations of the State task force, which 
                carries out the purpose of this section, in 
                each of the categories under paragraph (1) for 
                which the State task force's recommendations 
                are not adopted; or
                  (B) the State is making substantial progress 
                toward adopting recommendations of the State 
                task force or a comparable alternative to such 
                recommendations.
  (f) Funds Available.--For grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall use the amount authorized by section 1404A of 
the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 [(42 U.S.C. 10603a)] (34 
U.S.C. 20104).

SEC. 108. MISCELLANEOUS REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO ASSISTANCE.

  (a) Construction of Facilities.--
          (1) Restriction on use of funds.--Assistance provided 
        under this Act may not be used for construction of 
        facilities.
          (2) Lease, rental, or repair.--The Secretary may 
        authorize the use of funds received under this Act--
                  (A) where adequate facilities are not 
                otherwise available, for the lease or rental of 
                facilities; or
                  (B) for the repair or minor remodeling or 
                alteration of existing facilities.
  (b) Geographical Distribution.--The Secretary shall establish 
criteria designed to achieve equitable distribution of 
assistance under this Act among the States, Indian tribes, and 
tribal organizations, among geographic areas of the Nation, and 
among rural and urban areas of the Nation. To the extent 
possible, the Secretary shall ensure that the citizens of each 
State receive assistance from at least one project under this 
Act.
  (c) Protecting Against Systemic Child Sexual Abuse.--
          (1) Reporting and task force.--Not later than 24 
        months after the date of the enactment of the Stronger 
        Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, each State 
        task force established under section 107(c) and 
        expanded as described in paragraph (2) shall study and 
        make recommendations on the following, with a focus on 
        preventing systemic child sexual abuse:
                  (A) How to detect systemic child sexual abuse 
                that occurs in an organization.
                  (B) How to prevent child sexual abuse and 
                systemic child sexual abuse from occurring in 
                organizations, which shall include 
                recommendations to improve--
                          (i) practices and policies for the 
                        education of parents, caregivers, and 
                        victims, and age appropriate education 
                        of children, about risk factors or 
                        signs of potential child sexual abuse; 
                        and
                          (ii) the efficacy of applicable State 
                        laws and the role such laws play in 
                        deterring or preventing incidences of 
                        child sexual abuse.
                  (C) The feasibility of making available the 
                disposition of a perpetrator within an 
                organization to--
                          (i) the child alleging sexual abuse 
                        or the child's family; or
                          (ii) an adult who was a child at the 
                        time of the sexual abuse claim in 
                        question or the adult's family.
          (2) Task force composition.--For purposes of this 
        subsection, a State task force shall include--
                  (A) the members of the State task force 
                described in section 107(c) for the State; and
                  (B) the following:
                          (i) Family court judges.
                          (ii) Individuals from religious 
                        organizations.
                          (iii) Individuals from youth-serving 
                        organizations, including youth 
                        athletics organizations.
          (3) Reporting on recommendations.--Not later than 6 
        months after a State task force makes recommendations 
        under paragraph (1), the State maintaining such State 
        task force shall--
                  (A) make public the recommendations of such 
                report;
                  (B) report to the Secretary on the status of 
                adopting such recommendations; and
                  (C) in a case in which the State declines to 
                adopt a particular recommendation, make public 
                the explanation for such declination.
          (4) Definitions.--For purposes of this subsection--
                  (A) the terms ``child sexual abuse'' and 
                ``sexual abuse'' shall not be limited to an act 
                or a failure to act on the part of a parent or 
                caretaker;
                  (B) the term ``organization'' means any 
                entity that serves children; and
                  (C) the term ``systemic child sexual abuse'' 
                means--
                          (i) a pattern of informal or formal 
                        policy or de facto policy to not follow 
                        State and local requirements to report 
                        instances of child sexual abuse in 
                        violation of State and local mandatory 
                        reporting laws or policy; or
                          (ii) a pattern of assisting 
                        individual perpetrators in maintaining 
                        their careers despite substantiated 
                        evidence of child sexual abuse.
  [(c)] (d) Limitation.--No funds appropriated for any grant or 
contract pursuant to authorizations made in this Act may be 
used for any purpose other than that for which such funds were 
authorized to be appropriated.
  [(d)] (e) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress 
that the Secretary should encourage all States and public and 
private entities that receive assistance under this title to--
          (1) ensure that children and families with limited 
        English proficiency who participate in programs under 
        this title are provided with materials and services 
        through such programs in an appropriate language other 
        than English; and
          (2) ensure that individuals with disabilities who 
        participate in programs under this title are provided 
        with materials and services through such programs that 
        are appropriate to their disabilities.
  [(e)] (f) Annual Report.--A State that receives funds under 
section 106(a) shall annually prepare and submit to the 
Secretary a report describing the manner in which funds 
provided under this Act, alone or in combination with other 
Federal funds, were used to address the purposes and achieve 
the objectives of section 106.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


[SEC. 110. REPORTS.

  [(a) Coordination Efforts.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Education and Labor 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report on 
efforts to coordinate the objectives and activities of agencies 
and organizations that are responsible for programs and 
activities related to child abuse and neglect. Not later than 3 
years after that date of enactment, the Secretary shall submit 
to those committees a second report on such efforts during the 
3-year period following that date of enactment. Not later than 
5 years after that date of enactment, the Secretary shall 
submit to those committees a third report on such efforts 
during the 5-year period following that date of enactment.
  [(b) Effectiveness of State Programs and Technical 
Assistance.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
of the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010 and every 2 years 
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Education and Labor of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
Senate a report evaluating the effectiveness of programs 
receiving assistance under section 106 in achieving the 
objectives of section 106.
  [(c) Study and Report Relating to Citizen Review Panels.--
          [(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct a study 
        to determine the effectiveness of citizen review 
        panels, established under section 106(c), in achieving 
        the stated function of such panels under section 
        106(c)(4)(A) of--
                  [(A) examining the policies, procedures, and 
                practices of State and local child protection 
                agencies; and
                  [(B) evaluating the extent to which such 
                State and local child protection agencies are 
                fulfilling their child protection 
                responsibilities, as described in clauses (i) 
                through (iii) of section 106(c)(4)(A).
          [(2) Content of study.--The study described in 
        paragraph (1) shall be completed in a manner suited to 
        the unique design of citizen review panels, including 
        consideration of the variability among the panels 
        within and between States. The study shall include the 
        following:
                  [(A) Data describing the membership, 
                organizational structure, operation, and 
                administration of all citizen review panels and 
                the total number of such panels in each State.
                  [(B) A detailed summary of the extent to 
                which collaboration and information-sharing 
                occurs between citizen review panels and State 
                child protective services agencies or any other 
                entities or State agencies. The summary shall 
                include a description of the outcomes that 
                result from collaboration and information 
                sharing.
                  [(C) Evidence of the adherence and 
                responsiveness to the reporting requirements 
                under section 106(c)(6) by citizen review 
                panels and States.
          [(3) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date 
        of enactment of the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010, 
        the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, 
        Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the 
        Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
        Representatives a report that contains the results of 
        the study conducted under paragraph (1).
  [(d) Study and Report Relating to Immunity From Prosecution 
for Professional Consultation in Suspected and Known Instances 
of Child Abuse and Neglect.--
          [(1) Study.--The Secretary shall complete a study, in 
        consultation with experts in the provision of 
        healthcare, law enforcement, education, and local child 
        welfare administration, that examines how provisions 
        for immunity from prosecution under State and local 
        laws and regulations facilitate and inhibit individuals 
        cooperating, consulting, or assisting in making good 
        faith reports, including mandatory reports, of 
        suspected or known instances of child abuse or neglect.
          [(2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010, 
        the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, 
        Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the 
        Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
        Representatives a report that contains the results of 
        the study conducted under paragraph (1) and any 
        recommendations for statutory or regulatory changes the 
        Secretary determines appropriate. Such report may be 
        submitted electronically.]

SEC. 110. STUDY AND REPORT RELATING TO SCALING EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT 
                    OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT; STUDY AND REPORT ON 
                    MARITAL AGE OF CONSENT; STUDY AND REPORT ON STATE 
                    MANDATORY REPORTING LAWS.

  (a) In General.--The Secretary shall conduct a study that 
examines challenges to, and best practices for, the scalability 
of treatments that reduce the trauma resulting from child abuse 
and neglect and reduce the risk of revictimization, such as 
those allowable under sections 105 and 106.
  (b) Content of Study.--The study described in subsection (a) 
shall be completed in a manner that considers the variability 
among treatment programs and among populations vulnerable to 
child abuse and neglect. The study shall include, at minimum:
          (1) A detailed synthesis of the existing research 
        literature examining barriers and challenges to, and 
        best practices for the scalability of child welfare 
        programs and services as well as programs and services 
        for vulnerable children and families in related fields, 
        including healthcare and education.
          (2) Data describing state and local providers' 
        experiences with scaling treatments that reduce the 
        trauma resulting from child abuse and neglect and 
        reduce the risk of revictimization.
          (3) Consultation with experts in child welfare, 
        healthcare, and education.
  (c) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of the 
enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 
Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee 
on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives a report 
that contains the results of the study conducted under 
subsection (a), including recommendations for best practices 
for scaling treatments that reduce the trauma resulting from 
child abuse and neglect and reduce the risk of revictimization.
  (d) Study and Report on Marital Age of Consent.--
          (1) Study.--The Secretary shall study, with respect 
        to each State--
                  (A) the State law regarding the minimum 
                marriage age; and
                  (B) the prevalence of marriage involving a 
                child who is under the age of such minimum 
                marriage age.
          (2) Factors.--The study required under paragraph (1) 
        shall include an examination of--
                  (A) the extent to which any statutory 
                exceptions to the minimum marriage age in such 
                laws contribute to the prevalence of marriage 
                involving a child described in paragraph 
                (1)(B);
                  (B) whether such exceptions allow such a 
                child to be married without the consent of such 
                child; and
                  (C) the impact of such exceptions on the 
                safety of such children.
          (3) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and 
        Treatment Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
        Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
        the Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor of 
        the House of Representatives a report containing the 
        findings of the study required by this subsection, 
        including any best practices.
  (e) Study and Report on State Mandatory Reporting Laws.--
          (1) Study.--The Secretary shall collect information 
        on and otherwise study State laws for mandatory 
        reporting of incidents of child abuse or neglect. Such 
        study shall examine trends in referrals and 
        investigations of child abuse and neglect due to 
        differences in such State laws with respect to the 
        inclusion, as mandatory reporters, of the following 
        individuals:
                  (A) Individuals licensed or certified to 
                practice in any health-related field licensed 
                by the State, employees of health care 
                facilities or providers licensed by the State, 
                who are engaged in the admission, examination, 
                care or treatment of individuals, including 
                mental health and emergency medical service 
                providers.
                  (B) Individuals employed by a school who have 
                direct contact with children, including 
                teachers, administrators, and independent 
                contractors.
                  (C) Peace officers and law enforcement 
                personnel.
                  (D) Clergy, including Christian Science 
                practitioners, except where prohibited on 
                account of clergy-penitent privilege.
                  (E) Day care and child care operators and 
                employees.
                  (F) Employees of social services agencies who 
                have direct contact with children in the course 
                of employment.
                  (G) Foster parents.
                  (H) Court appointed special advocates 
                (employees and volunteers).
                  (I) Camp and after-school employees.
                  (J) An individual, paid or unpaid, who, on 
                the basis of the individual's role as an 
                integral part of a regularly scheduled program, 
                activity, or service, accepts responsibility 
                for a child.
          (2) Report.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
        enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and 
        Treatment Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
        Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
        the Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor of 
        the House of Representatives a report containing the 
        findings of the study required by this subsection, 
        including any best practices related to the inclusion, 
        as mandatory reporters, of individuals described in 
        paragraph (1).

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 112. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  (a) In General.--
          (1) General authorization.--There are authorized to 
        be appropriated [to carry out this title $120,000,000 
        for fiscal year 2010] to carry out this title 
        $270,000,000 for fiscal year 2020 and such sums as may 
        be necessary for each of the fiscal years [2011 through 
        2015] 2021 through 2025.
          (2) Discretionary activities.--
                  [(A) In general.--Of the amounts appropriated 
                for a fiscal year under paragraph (1), the 
                Secretary shall make available 30 percent of 
                such amounts to fund discretionary activities 
                under this title.]
                  (A) In general.--Of the amounts appropriated 
                for a fiscal year under paragraph (1), the 
                Secretary shall make available 30 percent of 
                such amounts, or $100,000,000, whichever is 
                less, to fund discretionary activities under 
                this title.
                  (B) Demonstration projects.--Of the amounts 
                made available for a fiscal year under 
                subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall make 
                available not more than 40 percent of such 
                amounts to carry out section 104.
  (b) Availability of Funds Without Fiscal Year Limitation.--
The Secretary shall ensure that funds appropriated pursuant to 
authorizations in this title shall remain available until 
expended for the purposes for which they were appropriated.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 114. MONITORING AND OVERSIGHT.

  The Secretary shall conduct monitoring to ensure that each 
State that receives a grant under section 106 is in compliance 
with the requirements of section 106(b), which--
          (1) shall--
                  (A) be in addition to the review of the State 
                plan upon its submission under section 
                106(b)(1)(A); and
                  (B) include monitoring of State policies and 
                procedures required under [clauses (ii) and 
                (iii) of section 106(b)(2)(B)] clauses (i) and 
                (ii) of section 106(b)(2)(D); and
          (2) may include--
                  (A) a comparison of activities carried out by 
                the State to comply with the requirements of 
                section 106(b) with the State plan most 
                recently approved under section 432 of the 
                Social Security Act;
                  (B) a review of information available on the 
                website of the State relating to its compliance 
                with the requirements of section 106(b);
                  (C) site visits, as may be necessary to carry 
                out such monitoring; and
                  (D) a review of information available in the 
                State's Annual Progress and Services Report 
                most recently submitted under section 1357.16 
                of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (or 
                successor regulations).

SEC. 115. ELECTRONIC INTERSTATE DATA EXCHANGE SYSTEM.

  (a) Interstate Data Exchange System.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services shall consider the recommendations included in 
        the reports required under paragraph (8)(A) and 
        subsection (b)(2) in developing an electronic 
        interstate data exchange system that allows State 
        entities responsible under State law for maintaining 
        child abuse and neglect registries to communicate 
        information across State lines.
          (2) Standards.--In developing the electronic 
        interstate data exchange system under paragraph (1), 
        the Secretary shall--
                  (A) use interoperable standards developed and 
                maintained by intergovernmental partnerships, 
                such as the National Information Exchange 
                Model;
                  (B) develop policies and governance standards 
                that--
                          (i) ensure consistency in types of 
                        information shared and not shared; and
                          (ii) specify circumstances under 
                        which data should be shared through the 
                        interstate data exchange system; and
                  (C) ensure that all standards and policies 
                adhere to the privacy, security, and civil 
                rights laws of each State and Federal law.
          (3) Limitation on use of electronic interstate data 
        exchange system.--The electronic interstate data 
        exchange system may only be used for purposes relating 
        to child safety.
          (4) Pilot program.--
                  (A) Implementation.--Not later than 6 months 
                after the date of the enactment of this 
                section, the Secretary of Health and Human 
                Services shall begin implementation of a pilot 
                program to generate recommendations for the 
                full integration of the electronic interstate 
                data exchange system. Such pilot program shall 
                include not less than 10 States and not more 
                than 15 States.
                  (B) Completion.--Not later than 30 months 
                after the date of the enactment of this 
                section, the Secretary of Health and Human 
                Services shall complete the pilot program 
                described in subparagraph (A).
          (5) Integration.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services may assist States in the integration of this 
        system into the infrastructure of each State using 
        funds appropriated under this subsection.
          (6) Participation.--As a condition on eligibility for 
        receipt of funds under section 106, each State shall--
                  (A) participate in the electronic interstate 
                data exchange system to the fullest extent 
                possible in accordance with State law (as 
                determined by the Secretary of Health and Human 
                Services) not later than December 31, 2027; and
                  (B) prior to the participation described in 
                subparagraph (A), provide to the Secretary of 
                Health and Human Services an assurance that the 
                child abuse and neglect registry of such State 
                provides procedural due process protections 
                with respect to including individuals on such 
                registry.
          (7) Prohibition.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services may not access or store data from the 
        electronic interstate data exchange system, unless the 
        State to which such data pertains voluntarily shares 
        such data with the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services.
          (8) Reports.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services shall prepare and submit to Congress--
                  (A) not later than 3 years after the date of 
                the enactment of this section, a report on the 
                recommendations from the pilot program 
                described in paragraph (4); and
                  (B) not later than January 31, 2025, a report 
                on the progress made in implementing this 
                subsection.
          (9) Authorization of appropriations.--Of the funds 
        appropriated under section 112 for a fiscal year--
                  (A) for each of fiscal years 2020 and 2021, 
                $2,000,000 shall be reserved to carry out this 
                section; and
                  (B) for each of fiscal years 2022 through 
                2025, $1,000,000 shall be reserved to carry out 
                this section.
  (b) Working Group.--
          (1) In general.-- Not later than 60 days after the 
        date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services shall convene a working group 
        to study and make recommendations on the following:
                  (A) The feasibility of making publicly 
                available on the website of each State 
                definitions and standards of substantiated 
                child abuse and neglect for the State.
                  (B) Whether background check requirements 
                under this Act, the Child Care and Development 
                Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et 
                seq.), and part E of title IV of the Social 
                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.) are 
                complementary or if there are discrepancies 
                that need to be addressed.
                  (C) How to improve communication between and 
                across States, including through the use of 
                technology and the use of the electronic 
                interstate data exchange system established 
                under subsection (a), to allow for more 
                accurate and efficient exchange of child abuse 
                and neglect records.
                  (D) How to reduce barriers and establish best 
                practices for the State to provide timely 
                responses to requests from other States for 
                information contained in the State's child 
                abuse and neglect registry through the 
                electronic interstate data exchange system 
                established under subsection (a).
                  (E) How to ensure due process for any 
                individual included in a State's child abuse 
                and neglect registry, including the following:
                          (i) The level of evidence necessary 
                        for inclusion in the State's child 
                        abuse and neglect registry.
                          (ii) The process for notifying such 
                        individual of inclusion in the State's 
                        child abuse and neglect registry and 
                        the implications of such inclusion.
                          (iii) The process for providing such 
                        individual the opportunity to challenge 
                        such inclusion, and the procedures for 
                        resolving such challenge.
                          (iv) The length of time an 
                        individual's record is to remain in the 
                        State's child abuse and neglect 
                        registry, and the process for removing 
                        such individual's record.
                          (v) The criteria for when such 
                        individual's child abuse and neglect 
                        registry record may be--
                                  (I) made accessible to the 
                                general public;
                                  (II) made available for 
                                purposes of an employment 
                                check; and
                                  (III) be shared for the 
                                purposes of participation in 
                                the electronic interstate data 
                                exchange system described in 
                                subsection (a).
          (2) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date 
        of the enactment of this section, the working group 
        convened under paragraph (1) shall submit a report 
        containing its recommendations to the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services, the Committee on Health, 
        Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the 
        Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
        Representatives.
          (3) Construction.--There shall be no requirement for 
        any State to adopt the recommendations of the working 
        group, nor shall the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services incentivize or coerce any State to adopt any 
        such recommendation.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


TITLE II--COMMUNITY-BASED GRANTS FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE AND 
                                NEGLECT

SEC. 201. PURPOSE AND AUTHORITY.

  [(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this title--
          [(1) to support community-based efforts to develop, 
        operate, expand, enhance, and coordinate initiatives, 
        programs, and activities to prevent child abuse and 
        neglect and to support the coordination of resources 
        and activities, to better strengthen and support 
        families to reduce the likelihood of child abuse and 
        neglect; and
          [(2) to foster an understanding, appreciation, and 
        knowledge of diverse populations in order to be 
        effective in preventing and treating child abuse and 
        neglect.
  [(b) Authority.--The Secretary shall make grants under this 
title on a formula basis to the entity designated by the State 
as the lead entity (referred to in this title as the ``lead 
entity'') under section 202(1) for the purpose of--
          [(1) developing, operating, expanding, and enhancing 
        community-based and prevention-focused programs and 
        activities designed to strengthen and support families 
        to prevent child abuse and neglect that are accessible, 
        effective, culturally appropriate, and build upon 
        existing strengths that--
                  [(A) offer assistance to families;
                  [(B) provide early, comprehensive support for 
                parents;
                  [(C) promote the development of parenting 
                skills, especially in young parents and parents 
                with very young children;
                  [(D) increase family stability;
                  [(E) improve family access to other formal 
                and informal resources and opportunities for 
                assistance available within communities, 
                including access to such resources and 
                opportunities for unaccompanied homeless youth;
                  [(F) support the additional needs of families 
                with children with disabilities through respite 
                care and other services;
                  [(G) demonstrate a commitment to involving 
                parents in the planning and program 
                implementation of the lead agency and entities 
                carrying out local programs funded under this 
                title, including involvement of parents of 
                children with disabilities, parents who are 
                individuals with disabilities, racial and 
                ethnic minorities, and members of other 
                underrepresented or underserved groups; and
                  [(H) provide referrals to early health and 
                developmental services;
          [(2) fostering the development of a continuum of 
        preventive services for children and families, 
        including unaccompanied homeless youth, through State 
        and community-based collaborations and partnerships 
        both public and private;
          [(3) financing the start-up, maintenance, expansion, 
        or redesign of specific community-based child abuse and 
        neglect prevention program services (such as respite 
        care services, child abuse and neglect prevention 
        activities, disability services, mental health 
        services, substance abuse treatment services, domestic 
        violence services, housing services, transportation, 
        adult education, home visiting and other similar 
        services) identified by the inventory and description 
        of current services required under section 205(a)(3) as 
        an unmet need, and integrated with the network of 
        community-based child abuse and neglect prevention 
        programs to the extent practicable given funding levels 
        and community priorities;
          [(4) maximizing funding through leveraging of funds 
        for the financing, planning, community mobilization, 
        collaboration, assessment, information and referral, 
        startup, training and technical assistance, information 
        management and reporting, reporting and evaluation 
        costs for establishing, operating, or expanding 
        community-based and prevention-focused programs and 
        activities designed to strengthen and support families 
        to prevent child abuse and neglect; and
          [(5) financing public information activities that 
        focus on the healthy and positive development of 
        parents and children and the promotion of child abuse 
        and neglect prevention activities.]
  (a) Purpose.--The purposes of this title are--
          (1) to establish and maintain support for community-
        based family strengthening services and statewide 
        systems-building approaches to the extent practicable, 
        to ensure the development, operation, expansion, 
        coordination, and evaluation of quality services, 
        initiatives, programs, and activities to prevent child 
        abuse and neglect; and
          (2) to promote improved access for diverse 
        populations with demonstrated need, including low-
        income families, racial and ethnic minorities, families 
        with children or caregivers with disabilities, 
        underserved communities, and rural communities, to 
        family strengthening services in order to more 
        effectively prevent child abuse and neglect.
  (b) Authority.--The Secretary shall make grants under this 
title on a formula basis to the entity designated by the State 
as the lead entity (referred to in this title as the ``lead 
entity'') under section 202(1) for the following purposes:
          (1) Providing programs, activities, and initiatives 
        to help families build protective factors linked to the 
        prevention of child abuse and neglect, such as 
        knowledge of parenting and child development, parental 
        resilience, social connections, time-limited and need-
        based concrete support, and social and emotional 
        development of children, that--
                  (A) are accessible to diverse populations, 
                effective, and culturally appropriate;
                  (B) build upon existing strengths;
                  (C) offer assistance to families;
                  (D) provide early, comprehensive support for 
                parents;
                  (E) promote the development of healthy 
                familial relationships and parenting skills, 
                especially in young parents and parents with 
                very young children;
                  (F) increase family stability;
                  (G) improve family access to formal and 
                informal community-based resources, including 
                health and mental health services, time-limited 
                and need-based concrete supports, and services 
                and supports to meet the needs of families with 
                children or caregivers with disabilities; and
                  (H) support the additional needs of families 
                with children with disabilities, including 
                through respite care.
          (2) Fostering the development of a continuum of 
        preventive services to strengthen families through 
        State- and community-based collaborations and both 
        public and private partnerships.
          (3) Financing the start-up, maintenance, expansion, 
        or redesign of core services described in section 205, 
        where communities have identified gaps and decided to 
        prioritize the establishment of such services, to the 
        extent practicable given funding levels and community 
        priorities.
          (4) Maximizing funding through leveraging Federal, 
        State, local, public, and private funds to carry out 
        the purposes of this title.
          (5) Developing or enhancing statewide and local 
        networks to operate, expand, or enhance community-based 
        family strengthening services, initiatives, and 
        activities that promote child, parent, family, and 
        community health and well-being and prevent child abuse 
        and neglect.
          (6) Promoting the development of, and coordination 
        with, existing community coalitions of networks of 
        family strengthening services that utilize culturally 
        responsive providers in order to enhance child, family, 
        and community well-being and prevent child abuse and 
        neglect in all families.
          (7) Financing public information activities that 
        focus on parent and child development and child abuse 
        and neglect prevention.
          (8) To the extent practicable--
                  (A) promoting the development and 
                implementation of a statewide systems-building 
                strategy to address the unmet needs identified 
                in the inventory described in section 204(3), 
                including the participation of public and 
                private stakeholders, community-based 
                organizations, legislators, parents and other 
                relevant stakeholders, and State agencies, 
                including the child welfare agency, the public 
                health agency, housing agency, and the State 
                education agency, to scale evidence-based, 
                evidence-informed, and promising programs that 
                expand access to family strengthening services 
                and reduce the numbers of children entering the 
                foster care system;
                  (B) developing comprehensive outreach 
                strategies to engage families with various risk 
                factors, including families who have 
                experienced trauma or domestic violence, 
                parents with substance use disorder, and 
                families with children or caregivers with 
                disabilities; and
                  (C) providing capacity-building supports to 
                local programs to improve desired outcomes for 
                children and families, such as--
                          (i) technical assistance, including 
                        support for local programs to collect 
                        outcome data that helps improve service 
                        delivery;
                          (ii) professional development; and
                          (iii) peer support networks, 
                        including through developing a problem-
                        solving forum.

SEC. 202. ELIGIBILITY.

   A State shall be eligible for a grant under this title for a 
fiscal year if--
          (1)[(A) the Governor of the State has designated a 
        lead entity to administer funds under this title for 
        the purposes identified under the authority of this 
        title, including to develop, implement, operate, 
        enhance, or expand community-based and prevention-
        focused, programs and activities designed to strengthen 
        and support families to prevent child abuse and 
        neglect;]
          (A) the Governor of the State has designated a lead 
        entity to administer funds under this title for the 
        purposes identified under the authority of this title, 
        including to develop, implement, operate, enhance, or 
        expand community-based family strengthening services 
        designed to prevent child abuse and neglect;
          (B) such lead entity is an existing public, quasi-
        public, or nonprofit private entity (which may be an 
        entity that has not been established pursuant to State 
        legislation, executive order, or any other written 
        authority of the State) that exists to strengthen and 
        support families to prevent child abuse and neglect 
        with a demonstrated ability to work with other State 
        and community-based agencies to provide training and 
        technical assistance, and that has the capacity and 
        commitment to ensure the meaningful involvement of 
        parents who are consumers and who can provide 
        leadership in the planning, implementation, and 
        evaluation of programs and policy decisions of the 
        applicant agency in accomplishing the desired outcomes 
        for such efforts;
          (C) in determining which entity to designate under 
        subparagraph (A), the Governor should give priority 
        consideration equally to a trust fund advisory board of 
        the State or to an existing entity that leverages 
        Federal, State, and private funds for a broad range of 
        child abuse and neglect prevention activities and 
        family resource programs, and that is directed by an 
        interdisciplinary, public-private structure, including 
        participants from communities; and
          [(D) in the case of a State that has designated a 
        State trust fund advisory board for purposes of 
        administering funds under this title (as such title was 
        in effect on the date of the enactment of the Child 
        Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Amendments of 1996) 
        and in which one or more entities that leverage 
        Federal, State, and private funds (as described in 
        subparagraph (C)) exist, the Governor shall designate 
        the lead entity only after full consideration of the 
        capacity and expertise of all entities desiring to be 
        designated under subparagraph (A);]
          (D) the Governor of the State has given consideration 
        to the capacity and expertise of all entities 
        requesting to be designated under subparagraph (A);
          (2) the Governor of the State provides assurances 
        that the lead entity will provide or will be 
        responsible for providing--
                  (A) community-based and prevention-focused 
                programs and activities designed to strengthen 
                and support families to prevent child abuse and 
                neglect composed of local, collaborative, 
                public-private partnerships directed by 
                interdisciplinary structures with balanced 
                representation from private and public sector 
                members, parents, adult former victims of child 
                abuse or neglect, and public and private 
                nonprofit service providers and individuals and 
                organizations experienced in working in 
                partnership with families with children with 
                disabilities;
                  (B) direction through an interdisciplinary, 
                collaborative, public-private structure with 
                balanced representation from private and public 
                sector members, parents, adult former victims 
                of child abuse or neglect, and public sector 
                and private nonprofit sector service providers, 
                and parents with disabilities; and
                  (C) direction and oversight through 
                identified goals and objectives, clear lines of 
                communication and accountability, the provision 
                of leveraged or combined funding from Federal, 
                State, and private sources, centralized 
                assessment and planning activities, the 
                provision of training and technical assistance, 
                and reporting and evaluation functions; and
          (3) the Governor of the State provides assurances 
        that the lead entity--
                  [(A) has a demonstrated commitment to 
                parental participation in the development, 
                operation, and oversight of the community-based 
                and prevention-focused programs and activities 
                designed to strengthen and support families to 
                prevent child abuse and neglect;]
                  (A) has demonstrated ongoing meaningful 
                partnerships with parents in the development, 
                operation, and oversight of State- and 
                community-based family strengthening services 
                designed to prevent child abuse and neglect;
                  (B) has a demonstrated ability to work with 
                State and community-based public and private 
                nonprofit organizations to develop a continuum 
                of preventive, family centered, comprehensive 
                services for children and families through the 
                [community-based and prevention-focused 
                programs and activities designed to strengthen 
                and support families] community-based family 
                strengthening services designed to prevent 
                child abuse and neglect;
                  [(C) has the capacity to provide operational 
                support (both financial and programmatic) 
                training, technical assistance, and evaluation 
                assistance, to community-based and prevention-
                focused programs and activities designed to 
                strengthen and support families to prevent 
                child abuse and neglect, through innovative, 
                interagency funding and interdisciplinary 
                service delivery mechanisms; and
                  [(D) will integrate its efforts with 
                individuals and organizations experienced in 
                working in partnership with families with 
                children with disabilities, parents with 
                disabilities, and with the child abuse and 
                neglect prevention activities of the State, and 
                demonstrate a financial commitment to those 
                activities.]
                  (C) has the capacity to provide operational 
                support (both financial and programmatic), 
                professional development, technical assistance, 
                and evaluation assistance, to community-based 
                organizations;
                  (D) will integrate efforts with individuals 
                and organizations experienced in working in 
                partnership with low-income families, racial 
                and ethnic minorities, families with children 
                or caregivers with disabilities, sexual and 
                gender minority youth, victims of domestic 
                violence, and with the child abuse and neglect 
                prevention activities in the State, and 
                demonstrate a financial commitment to those 
                activities; and
                  (E) will take into consideration access for 
                diverse populations and unmet need when 
                distributing funds to local programs under 
                section 205.

SEC. 203. AMOUNT OF GRANT.

  [(a) Reservation.--The Secretary shall reserve 1 percent of 
the amount appropriated under section 210 for a fiscal year to 
make allotments to Indian tribes and tribal organizations and 
migrant programs.]
  (a) Reservation.--For the purpose of making allotments to 
Indian tribes and tribal organizations and migrant programs, 
the Secretary shall reserve 5 percent of the amount 
appropriated under section 210(a) for each fiscal year, except 
that, if making such reservation would cause the total amount 
allotted to States under this section for a fiscal year to be 
less than such total for fiscal year 2019, the Secretary shall 
reserve 1 percent of the amount appropriated under section 
210(a) for the year for such purpose.
  (b) Remaining Amounts.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary shall allot the amount 
        appropriated under section 210 for a fiscal year and 
        remaining after the reservation under subsection (a) 
        among the States as follows:
                  (A) 70 percent.--70 percent of such amount 
                appropriated shall be allotted among the States 
                by allotting to each State an amount that bears 
                the same proportion to such amount appropriated 
                as the number of children under the age of 18 
                residing in the State bears to the total number 
                of children under the age of 18 residing in all 
                States (except that no State shall receive less 
                than $175,000 under this subparagraph).
                  (B) 30 percent.--30 percent of such amount 
                appropriated shall be allotted among the States 
                by allotting to each State an amount that bears 
                the same proportion to such amount appropriated 
                as the amount of private, State or other non-
                Federal funds leveraged and directed through 
                the currently designated State lead entity in 
                the preceding fiscal year bears to the 
                aggregate of the amounts leveraged by all 
                States from private, State, or other non-
                Federal sources and directed through the 
                current lead entity of such States in the 
                preceding fiscal year.
          (2) Additional requirement.--The Secretary shall 
        provide allotments under paragraph (1) to the State 
        lead entity.
  (c) Allocation.--Funds allotted to a State under this 
section--
          (1) shall be for a 3-year period; and
          (2) shall be provided by the Secretary to the State 
        on an annual basis, as described in subsection (b).
  (d) Limitation.--For any fiscal year for which the amount 
allotted to a State under subsection (b) exceeds the amount 
allotted to the State under such subsection for fiscal year 
2019, the State's lead entity may use not more than 10 percent 
of such excess amount for administrative expenses.

SEC. 204. APPLICATION.

   A grant may not be made to a State under this title unless 
an application therefor is submitted by the State to the 
Secretary and such application contains the types of 
information [specified by the Secretary as essential to 
carrying out the provisions of section 202, including] and 
assurances required in paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 202 
and types of information specified by the Secretary as 
essential in carrying out the provisions of section 201(b), 
including--
          (1) a description of the lead entity that will be 
        responsible for the administration of funds provided 
        under this title and the oversight of programs funded 
        through the [community-based and prevention-focused 
        programs and activities designed to strengthen and 
        support families] community-based family strengthening 
        services designed to prevent child abuse and neglect 
        which meets the requirements of section 202;
          (2) a description of how the [community-based and 
        prevention-focused programs and activities designed to 
        strengthen and support families] community-based family 
        strengthening services designed to prevent child abuse 
        and neglect will operate, including how community-based 
        child abuse and neglect prevention programs provided by 
        public and private, nonprofit organizations will be 
        integrated into a developing continuum of family 
        centered, holistic, preventive services for children 
        and families;
          (3) a description of the inventory of current unmet 
        needs and current [community-based and prevention-
        focused programs and activities] community-based family 
        strengthening services designed to prevent child abuse 
        and neglect, and other family resource services 
        operating in the State;
          (4) a budget for the development, operation, and 
        expansion of the [community-based and prevention-
        focused programs and activities designed to strengthen 
        and support families] community-based family 
        strengthening services designed to prevent child abuse 
        and neglect that verifies that the State will expend in 
        non-Federal funds an amount equal to not less than 20 
        percent of the amount received under this title (in 
        cash, not in-kind) for activities under this title;
          (5) an assurance that funds received under this title 
        will supplement, not supplant, other State and local 
        public funds designated for the start up, maintenance, 
        expansion, and redesign of community-based [and 
        prevention-focused programs and activities designed to 
        strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse 
        and neglect;] services and statewide strategies 
        designed to strengthen and support families to promote 
        child, family, and community well-being and prevent 
        child abuse and neglect;
          [(6) a description of the State's capacity to ensure 
        the meaningful involvement of parents who are 
        consumers, of family advocates, and of adult former 
        victims of child abuse or neglect, who can provide 
        leadership in the planning, implementation, and 
        evaluation of the programs and policy decisions of the 
        applicant agency in accomplishing the desired outcomes 
        for such efforts;]
          (6) a description of the State's capacity and 
        commitment to ensure the meaningful involvement of 
        parents who are or have been consumers of preventative 
        supports, including the involvement of parents of 
        diverse populations, such as low-income families, 
        families with children or caregivers with disabilities, 
        racial and ethnic minorities, and members of other 
        underrepresented or underserved groups, family 
        advocates, and adult victims of child abuse or neglect 
        who can provide leadership in the planning, 
        implementation, and evaluation of the programs and 
        policy decisions of the applicant agency in 
        accomplishing the desired outcomes for such efforts;
          (7) a description of the process and criteria the 
        lead entity will use to identify and select communities 
        in which to build a continuum of family strengthening 
        services, including an assurance that the process will 
        ensure access for all families, including families in 
        communities with high rates of child abuse and neglect 
        relative to other communities in the State;
          [(7)] (8) a description of the criteria that the 
        entity will use to develop, or select and fund, 
        community-based and prevention-focused programs and 
        activities designed to strengthen and support families 
        to prevent child abuse and neglect as part of network 
        development, expansion, or enhancement;
          [(8) a description of outreach activities that the 
        entity and the community-based and prevention-focused 
        programs designed to strengthen and support families to 
        prevent child abuse and neglect will undertake to 
        maximize the participation of racial and ethnic 
        minorities, children and adults with disabilities, 
        homeless families and those at risk of homelessness, 
        unaccompanied homeless youth, and members of other 
        underserved or underrepresented groups;]
          (9) a description of outreach activities that the 
        lead entity and local grantees will undertake to 
        maximize the participation of low-income families, 
        racial and ethnic minorities, families with children or 
        caregivers with disabilities, sexual and gender 
        minority youth, victims of domestic violence, homeless 
        families and those at risk of homelessness, and members 
        of other underserved or underrepresented groups;
          [(9) a plan for providing operational support, 
        training, and technical assistance to community-based 
        and prevention-focused programs and activities designed 
        to strengthen and support families to prevent child 
        abuse and neglect for development, operation, expansion 
        and enhancement activities;]
          (10) a plan for providing operational support, 
        professional development, and technical assistance to 
        grantees, other State and local programs and providers, 
        families, and other entities involved in strengthening 
        families and preventing child abuse and neglect;
          [(10)] (11) a description of how the applicant 
        entity's activities and those of the network [and its 
        members (where appropriate)] of community-based family 
        strengthening services and statewide initiatives will 
        be evaluated;
          [(11) a description of the actions that the applicant 
        entity will take to advocate systemic changes in State 
        policies, practices, procedures, and regulations to 
        improve the delivery of community-based and prevention-
        focused programs and activities designed to strengthen 
        and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect 
        services to children and families; and]
          (12) a description of the actions that the applicant 
        entity will take to inform systemic changes in State 
        policies, practices, procedures, and regulations to 
        improve the delivery of community-based family 
        strengthening services designed to promote child, 
        family, and community well-being, and to prevent child 
        abuse and neglect;
          (13) a description of how the lead entity will 
        incorporate research evidence in its process for 
        selecting community-based family strengthening 
        services;
          (14) an assurance that, in issuing regulations to 
        improve the delivery of community-based family 
        strengthening services designed to promote child, 
        family, and community well-being, and to prevent child 
        abuse and neglect, the State will--
                  (A) take into account how such regulations 
                will impact activities funded under this Act; 
                and
                  (B) where appropriate, attempt to avoid 
                duplication of efforts, minimize costs of 
                compliance with such regulations, and maximize 
                local flexibility with respect to such 
                regulations; and
          [(12)] (15) an assurance that the applicant entity 
        will provide the Secretary with reports at such time 
        and containing such information as the Secretary may 
        require.

[SEC. 205. LOCAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.

  [(a) In General.--Grants made under this title shall be used 
to develop, implement, operate, expand, and enhance community-
based, and prevention-focused programs and activities designed 
to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and 
neglect that--
          [(1) assess community assets and needs through a 
        planning process that involves parents, local public 
        agencies, local nonprofit organizations, and private 
        sector representatives in meaningful roles;
          [(2) develop a comprehensive strategy to provide a 
        continuum of preventive, family-centered services to 
        children and families, especially to young parents, to 
        parents with young children, and to parents who are 
        adult former victims of domestic violence or child 
        abuse or neglect, through public-private partnerships;
          [(3)(A) provide for core child abuse and neglect 
        prevention services, which may be provided directly by 
        the local recipient of the grant funds or through 
        grants or agreements with other local agencies, such 
        as--
                  [(i) parent education, mutual support and 
                self help, and parent leadership services;
                  [(ii) respite care services;
                  [(iii) outreach and followup services, which 
                may include voluntary home visiting services; 
                and
                  [(iv) community and social service referrals; 
                and
                  [(B) provide access to optional services, 
                including--
                          [(i) referral to and counseling for 
                        adoption services for individuals 
                        interested in adopting a child or 
                        relinquishing their child for adoption;
                          [(ii) child care, early childhood 
                        education and care, and intervention 
                        services;
                          [(iii) referral to services and 
                        supports to meet the additional needs 
                        of families with children with 
                        disabilities and parents who are 
                        individuals with disabilities;
                          [(iv) referral to job readiness 
                        services;
                          [(v) referral to educational 
                        services, such as academic tutoring, 
                        literacy training, and General 
                        Educational Degree services;
                          [(vi) self-sufficiency and life 
                        management skills training;
                          [(vii) community referral services, 
                        including early developmental screening 
                        of children;
                          [(viii) peer counseling; and
                          [(ix) domestic violence service 
                        programs that provide services and 
                        treatment to children and their non-
                        abusing caregivers.
          [(4) develop leadership roles for the meaningful 
        involvement of parents in the development, operation, 
        evaluation, and oversight of the programs and services;
          [(5) provide leadership in mobilizing local public 
        and private resources to support the provision of 
        needed child abuse and neglect prevention program 
        services; and
          [(6) participate with other community-based and 
        prevention-focused programs and activities designed to 
        strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse 
        and neglect in the development, operation, and 
        expansion of networks where appropriate.
  [(b) Priority.--In awarding local grants under this title, a 
lead entity shall give priority to effective community-based 
programs serving low-income communities and those serving young 
parents or parents with young children, including community-
based child abuse and neglect prevention programs..]

SEC. 205. LOCAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.

  (a) In General.--Grants from the lead entity made under this 
title shall be used to develop, implement, operate, expand, and 
enhance community-based family strengthening services designed 
to prevent child abuse and neglect that--
          (1) assess community assets and needs and develop a 
        strategy to create a comprehensive continuum of 
        effective services that strengthen and support families 
        to prevent child abuse and neglect, through a planning 
        process involving parents, local and public agencies, 
        local nonprofit organizations and service providers, 
        and private sector representatives in meaningful ways;
          (2) develop or enhance existing place-based family 
        strengthening services, other parenting support 
        services, and connections and coordination among key 
        family services in the community by reaching spaces 
        familiar to such families; and
          (3) help families build protective factors that 
        support child and family well-being and help prevent 
        child abuse and neglect, including knowledge of 
        parenting and child development, parental resilience, 
        social connections, time-limited and need-based 
        concrete support, and social and emotional development 
        of children.
  (b) Local Consideration.--In awarding grants, the lead entity 
shall consider, consistent with the needs of the State and 
community, how the grantee--
          (1) demonstrates the ability to form collaborations 
        across a range of services or initiatives and the 
        commitment to engage in long-term planning and 
        strategic development for community-based family 
        strengthening services as well as provide on-going 
        problem solving support;
          (2) involves parents, including parents of children 
        with disabilities, diverse racial and ethnic groups, 
        and members of other underrepresented or underserved 
        populations, in the development, implementation, 
        oversight, and evaluation of services;
          (3) addresses the need for place-based services and 
        the need to reach families in hard-to-reach areas 
        through approaches that provide core family 
        strengthening services;
          (4) promotes improved access to family strengthening 
        services for diverse populations and ensures that the 
        services address identified needs of all families; and
          (5) demonstrates an understanding of the sources of 
        child and family trauma and the strategies that 
        mitigate the impact of and prevent adverse childhood 
        experiences.
  (c) Local Uses of Funds.--Grant funds from the lead entity 
shall be used for community-based family strengthening services 
designed to prevent child abuse and neglect, which may include 
the following:
          (1) Developing a strategy based on supporting a 
        comprehensive continuum of preventive, family-centered 
        services that strengthen and support families to 
        prevent child abuse and neglect, especially to young 
        parents, to parents with young children, and to parents 
        who are adult victims of domestic violence or child 
        abuse or neglect, through public-private partnerships.
          (2) Addressing the needs of families in hard-to-reach 
        areas by creating access to place-based family 
        strengthening services.
          (3) Performing an assessment of community needs, 
        including by partnering, at the option of the grantee, 
        with an organization that already has performed a needs 
        assessment (such as a Maternal, Infant and Early 
        Childhood Home Visiting program under section 511 of 
        the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 711) or a Head Start 
        program under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et 
        seq.).
          (4) Supporting outreach for services, including by 
        coordinating with existing family strengthening 
        services such as home visiting and other early 
        intervention programs.
          (5) Providing, promoting the development or 
        enhancement of, or connecting families to, core 
        services that include--
                  (A) parenting support and parent education 
                programs, including services that help parents 
                and other caregivers support children's 
                development;
                  (B) parent leadership skills development 
                programs that support parents' personal growth 
                as leaders in their families and communities;
                  (C) mutual support groups for parents, 
                children, and parent partners;
                  (D) respite and crisis care; and
                  (E) referrals to optional community and 
                social services, including--
                          (i) domestic violence services;
                          (ii) screening and referrals to early 
                        intervention;
                          (iii) voluntary home visiting 
                        programs;
                          (iv) health and mental health 
                        services, including referrals for 
                        information on the State Medicaid plan 
                        under title XIX of the Social Security 
                        Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.);
                          (v) early care and learning programs 
                        including child care and Head Start 
                        programs and Early Head Start programs 
                        under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        9831 et seq.);
                          (vi) nutrition programs, including 
                        the special supplemental nutrition 
                        program for women, infants, and 
                        children established under section 17 
                        of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 
                        U.S.C. 1786) and the supplemental 
                        nutrition assistance program 
                        established under the Food and 
                        Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 
                        seq.);
                          (vii) education and workforce 
                        development programs, including adult 
                        literacy, child development, wellness, 
                        and family socioeconomic mobility 
                        programs; and
                          (viii) services and supports to meet 
                        the needs of families with children or 
                        caregivers with disabilities, such as 
                        early intervention services for infants 
                        and toddlers with disabilities and 
                        their families, as early intervention 
                        services are defined in section 632 of 
                        the Individuals with Disabilities 
                        Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1432).
          (6) Providing leadership in mobilizing local public 
        and private resources to support the provision of 
        community-based family strengthening services designed 
        to prevent child abuse and neglect.
          (7) Developing and maintaining meaningful 
        partnerships with parents relating to the development, 
        operation, evaluation, and oversight of the programs 
        and services.
          (8) Coordinating with other community-based family 
        strengthening services designed to prevent child abuse 
        and neglect in the development, operation, and 
        expansion of networks where appropriate.
  (d) Priority.--When awarding grants, a lead entity shall give 
priority to effective community-based efforts that serve low-
income communities and are focused on comprehensive approaches 
to serving young parents or parents with young children.

SEC. 206. PERFORMANCE MEASURES.

   A State receiving a grant under this title, through reports 
provided to the Secretary--
          (1) shall demonstrate the effective development, 
        operation, and expansion of [community-based and 
        prevention-focused programs and activities designed to 
        strengthen and support families] community-based family 
        strengthening services designed to prevent child abuse 
        and neglect that [meets] meet the requirements of this 
        title;
          (2) shall supply an inventory and description of the 
        services provided to families by local programs that 
        meet identified community needs, [including core and 
        optional services as described in section 202] which 
        description shall specify whether those services are 
        supported by research;
          [(3) shall demonstrate that they will have addressed 
        unmet needs identified by the inventory and description 
        of current services required under section 205(3);
          [(4) shall describe the number of families served, 
        including families with children with disabilities, and 
        parents with disabilities, and the involvement of a 
        diverse representation of families in the design, 
        operation, and evaluation of community-based and 
        prevention-focused programs and activities designed to 
        strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse 
        and neglect, and in the design, operation and 
        evaluation of the networks of such community-based and 
        prevention-focused programs;]
          (3) shall demonstrate how they have addressed unmet 
        needs identified by the inventory required under 
        section 204;
          (4) shall describe the number of families served, 
        including families with children or caregivers with 
        disabilities, and the involvement of a diverse 
        representation of families in the design, operation, 
        and evaluation of both community-based family 
        strengthening services and networks of such services;
          (5) shall demonstrate a high level of satisfaction 
        among families who have used the services of the 
        [community-based and prevention-focused programs and 
        activities designed to strengthen and support families] 
        community-based family strengthening services designed 
        to prevent child abuse and neglect;
          (6) shall demonstrate the establishment or 
        maintenance of innovative funding mechanisms, at the 
        State or community level, that blend Federal, State, 
        local, and private funds, and innovative, 
        interdisciplinary service delivery mechanisms, for the 
        development, operation, expansion, and enhancement of 
        the [community-based and prevention-focused programs 
        and activities designed to strengthen and support 
        families] community-based family strengthening services 
        designed to prevent child abuse and neglect;
          [(7) shall describe the results of evaluation, or the 
        outcomes of monitoring, conducted under the State 
        program to demonstrate the effectiveness of activities 
        conducted under this title in meeting the purposes of 
        the program; and]
          (7) shall describe--
                  (A) the number of programs funded 
                disaggregated by urban, suburban, and rural 
                community type;
                  (B) the number of children and families 
                served under each such program disaggregated by 
                urban, suburban, and rural community type; and
                  (C) the number of programs that partner with 
                outside entities and the services such outside 
                entities provide;
          (8) shall demonstrate an implementation plan to 
        ensure the continued [leadership of] partnership with 
        parents in the on-going planning, implementation, and 
        evaluation of such [community-based and prevention-
        focused programs and activities designed to strengthen 
        and support families] community-based family 
        strengthening services designed to prevent child abuse 
        and neglect[.]; and
          (9) shall describe the extent to which there is 
        evidence to support the effectiveness of activities 
        conducted under this title for the program's intended 
        purpose, or, in instances where such evidence is not 
        available, shall describe barriers and challenges to 
        developing evidence of effectiveness.

SEC. 207. NATIONAL NETWORK FOR COMMUNITY-BASED FAMILY RESOURCE 
                    PROGRAMS.

   The Secretary may allocate [such sums as may be necessary] 
not more than 5 percent from the amount provided under the 
State allotment to support the activities of the lead entity in 
the State--
          (1) to create, operate, and maintain a peer review 
        process;
          (2) to create, operate, and maintain an information 
        clearinghouse;
          (3) to fund a yearly symposium on State system change 
        efforts that result from the operation of the 
        [community-based and prevention-focused programs and 
        activities designed to strengthen and support families] 
        community-based family strengthening services designed 
        to prevent child abuse and neglect;
          (4) to create, operate, and maintain a computerized 
        communication system between lead entities; and
          (5) to fund State-to-State technical assistance 
        through bi-annual conferences.

SEC. 208. DEFINITIONS.

   For purposes of this title:
          [(2) Community-based and prevention-focused programs 
        and activities to prevent child abuse and neglect.--The 
        term ``community-based and prevention-focused programs 
        and activities designed to strengthen and support 
        families to prevent child abuse and neglect'' includes 
        organizations such as family resource programs, family 
        support programs, voluntary home visiting programs, 
        respite care programs, parenting education, mutual 
        support programs, and other community programs or 
        networks of such programs that provide activities that 
        are designed to prevent or respond to child abuse and 
        neglect.]
          (1) Community-based family strengthening services.--
        The term ``community-based family strengthening 
        services'' includes organizations such as family 
        resource programs, family support programs, voluntary 
        home visiting programs, respite care services, 
        parenting education, mutual support groups for parents, 
        children, parent partner programs, and other community 
        programs or networks of such programs that provide 
        activities that are designed to prevent child abuse and 
        neglect.
          [(1)] (2) Community referral services.--The term 
        ``community referral services'' means services provided 
        under contract or through interagency agreements to 
        assist families in obtaining needed information, mutual 
        support and community resources, including respite care 
        services, health and mental health services, 
        employability development and job training, and other 
        social services, including early developmental 
        screening of children, through help lines or other 
        methods.
          (3) Respite care services.--The term ``respite care 
        services'' means short term care services, including 
        the services of crisis nurseries, provided in the 
        temporary absence of the regular caregiver (parent, 
        other relative, foster parent, adoptive parent, or 
        guardian) to children who--
                  (A) are in danger of child abuse or neglect;
                  (B) have experienced child abuse or neglect; 
                or
                  (C) have disabilities or chronic or terminal 
                illnesses.
        Such services shall be provided within or outside the 
        home of the child, be short-term care (ranging from a 
        few hours to a few weeks of time, per year), and be 
        intended to enable the family to stay together and to 
        keep the child living in the home and community of the 
        child.

SEC. 209. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

  Nothing in this title shall be construed to prohibit 
grandparents, kinship care providers, foster parents, adoptive 
parents, or any other individual in a parenting role from 
receiving or participating in services and programs under this 
title.

SEC. [209.]  210. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

   [There are] (a)  In General._There are  authorized to be 
appropriated [to carry out this title $80,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2010] to carry out this title $270,000,000 for fiscal year 
2020 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal 
years [2011 through 2015] 2021 through 2025.
  (b) Treatment of Non-Federal Funds in Certain Fiscal Years.--
For any fiscal year for which the amount appropriated under 
subsection (a) exceeds the amount appropriated under such 
subsection for fiscal year 2019, the Secretary shall consider 
non-Federal funds and in-kind contributions as part of the 
State contribution for the activities specified in section 
204(4).

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                              ----------                              


  CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT AND ADOPTION REFORM ACT OF 1978




           *       *       *       *       *       *       *
                    TITLE II--ADOPTION OPPORTUNITIES


SEC. 201. [CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF PURPOSE]  PURPOSE.

  [(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
          [(1) on the last day of fiscal year 2009, some 
        424,000 children were living in temporary foster family 
        homes or other foster care settings;
          [(2) most children in foster care are victims of 
        child abuse or neglect by their biological parents and 
        their entry into foster care brought them the 
        additional trauma of separation from their homes and 
        often their communities;
          [(3) on average, children entering foster care have 
        more physical and mental health needs than do children 
        in the general population, and some require intensive 
        services because the children entering foster care--
                  [(A) were born to mothers who did not receive 
                prenatal care;
                  [(B) were born with life-threatening 
                conditions or disabilities;
                  [(C) were born addicted to alcohol or other 
                drugs; or
                  [(D) have HIV/AIDS;
          [(4) each year, thousands of children in foster care, 
        regardless of their age, the size of the sibling group 
        they are a part of, their racial or ethnic status, 
        their medical condition, or any physical, mental or 
        emotional disability they may have, are in need of 
        placement with permanent, loving, adoptive families;
          [(5)(A) States have made important strides in 
        increasing the number of children who are placed in 
        permanent homes with adoptive parents and in reducing 
        the length of time children wait for such a placement; 
        and
          [(B) many thousands of children, however, still 
        remain in institutions or foster homes solely because 
        of legal and other barriers to such a placement;
          [(6)(A) on the last day of fiscal year 2009, there 
        were 115,000 children waiting for adoption;
          [(B) children waiting for adoption have had parental 
        rights of all living parents terminated or the children 
        have a permanency goal of adoption;
          [(C)(i) the average age of children adopted with 
        public child welfare agency involvement during fiscal 
        year 2009 was a little more than 6 years; and
          [(ii) the average age of children waiting for 
        adoption on the last day of that fiscal year was a 
        little more than 8 years of age and more than 30,000 of 
        those children were 12 years of age or older; and
          [(D)(i) 25 percent of the children adopted with 
        public child welfare agency involvement during fiscal 
        year 2009 were African-American; and
          [(ii) 30 percent of the children waiting for adoption 
        on the last day of fiscal year 2009 were African-
        American;
          [(7) adoption may be the best alternative for 
        assuring the healthy development of children placed in 
        foster care;
          [(8) there are qualified persons seeking to adopt 
        such children who are unable to do so because of 
        barriers to their placement and adoption; and
          [(9) in order both to enhance the stability of and 
        love in the home environments of such children and to 
        avoid wasteful expenditures of public funds, such 
        children--
                  [(A) should not have medically indicated 
                treatment withheld from them; or
                  [(B) be maintained in foster care or 
                institutions when adoption is appropriate and 
                families can be found for such children.]
  [(b) Purpose.--] It is the purpose of this title to 
facilitate the elimination of barriers, including geographic 
barriers, to adoption and to provide permanent and loving home 
environments for children who would benefit from adoption, 
particularly older children, minority children, sexual and 
gender minority youth and children with special needs, 
including disabled infants with life-threatening conditions, by 
providing a mechanism to--
          (1) promote quality standards for adoption services, 
        pre-placement, post-placement, and post-legal adoption 
        services and, counseling, and standards to protect the 
        rights of children in need of adoption;
          (2) maintain an Internet-based national adoption 
        information exchange system to--
                  (A) bring together children who would benefit 
                from adoption and qualified prospective 
                adoptive parents who are seeking such children;
                  (B) conduct national recruitment efforts in 
                order to reach prospective parents for children 
                awaiting adoption; and
                  (C) connect placement agencies, prospective 
                adoptive parents, and adoptive parents to 
                resources designed to reduce barriers to 
                adoption, support adoptive families, and ensure 
                permanency; and
          (3) demonstrate expeditious ways to free children for 
        adoption for whom it has been determined that adoption 
        is the appropriate plan.

SEC. 202. REPORT AND GUIDANCE ON UNREGULATED CUSTODY TRANSFERS.

  (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that:
          (1) Some adopted children may be at risk of 
        experiencing an unregulated custody transfer because 
        the challenges associated with adoptions (including the 
        child's mental health needs and the difficulties many 
        families face in acquiring support services) may lead 
        families to seek out unregulated custody transfers.
          (2) Some adopted children experience trauma, and the 
        disruption and placement in another home by unregulated 
        custody transfer creates additional trauma and 
        instability for children.
          (3) Children who experience an unregulated custody 
        transfer may be placed with families who have not 
        completed required child welfare or criminal background 
        checks or clearances.
          (4) Social services agencies and courts are often 
        unaware of the placement of children through 
        unregulated custody transfer and therefore do not 
        conduct assessments on the child's safety and well-
        being in such placements.
          (5) Such lack of placement oversight places a child 
        at risk for future abuse and increases the chance that 
        the child may experience--
                  (A) abuse or neglect;
                  (B) contact with unsafe adults or youth; and
                  (C) exposure to unsafe or isolated 
                environments.
          (6) The caregivers with whom a child is placed 
        through unregulated custody transfer often have no 
        legal responsibility with respect to such child, 
        placing the child at risk for additional unregulated 
        custody transfers.
          (7) Such caregivers also may not have complete 
        records with respect to such child, including the 
        child's birth, medical, or immigration records.
          (8) A child adopted through intercountry adoption may 
        be at risk of not acquiring United States citizenship 
        if an unregulated custody transfer occurs before the 
        adoptive parents complete all necessary steps to 
        finalize the adoption of such child.
          (9) Engaging in, or offering to engage in, 
        unregulated custody transfer places children at risk of 
        harm.
  (b) Report to Congress.--
          (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
        of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services shall provide to the 
        Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
        Representatives, the Committee on Ways and Means of the 
        House of Representatives, the Committee on Finance of 
        the Senate, and the Committee on Health, Education, 
        Labor and Pensions of the Senate a report on 
        unregulated custody transfers of children, including of 
        adopted children.
          (2) Elements.--The report required under paragraph 
        (1) shall include--
                  (A) the causes, methods, and characteristics 
                of unregulated custody transfers, including the 
                use of social media and the internet;
                  (B) the effects of unregulated custody 
                transfers on children, including the lack of 
                assessment of a child's safety and well-being 
                by social services agencies and courts due to 
                such unregulated custody transfer;
                  (C) the prevalence of unregulated custody 
                transfers within each State and across all 
                States; and
                  (D) recommended policies for preventing, 
                identifying, and responding to unregulated 
                custody transfers, including of adopted 
                children, that include--
                          (i) amendments to Federal and State 
                        law to address unregulated custody 
                        transfers;
                          (ii) amendments to child protection 
                        practices to address unregulated 
                        custody transfers; and
                          (iii) methods of providing the public 
                        information regarding adoption and 
                        child protection.
  (c) Guidance to States.--
          (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        date specified in subsection (b)(1), the Secretary 
        shall issue guidance and technical assistance to States 
        related to preventing, identifying, and responding to 
        unregulated custody transfers, including of adopted 
        children.
          (2) Elements.--The guidance required under paragraph 
        (1) shall include--
                  (A) education materials related to 
                preventing, identifying, and responding to 
                unregulated custody transfers for employees of 
                State, local, and Tribal agencies that provide 
                child welfare services;
                  (B) guidance on appropriate pre-adoption 
                education and post-adoption services for 
                domestic and international adoptive families to 
                promote child permanency; and
                  (C) the assistance available through the 
                National Resource Center for Special Needs 
                Adoption under section 203(b)(9).
  (d) Definitions.--In this section:
          (1) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 
        several States, the District of Columbia, and any 
        commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United 
        States.
          (2) Unregulated custody transfer.--The term 
        ``unregulated custody transfer'' means the abandonment 
        of a child, by the child's parent, legal guardian, or a 
        person or entity acting on behalf, and with the 
        consent, of such parent or guardian--
                  (A) by placing a child with a person who is 
                not--
                          (i) the child's parent, step-parent, 
                        grandparent, adult sibling, legal 
                        guardian, or other adult relative;
                          (ii) a friend of the family who is an 
                        adult and with whom the child is 
                        familiar; or
                          (iii) a member of the Federally 
                        recognized Indian tribe of which the 
                        child is also a member;
                  (B) with the intent of severing the 
                relationship between the child and the parent 
                or guardian of such child; and
                  (C) without--
                          (i) reasonably ensuring the safety of 
                        the child and permanency of the 
                        placement of the child, including by 
                        conducting an official home study, 
                        background check, and supervision; and
                          (ii) transferring the legal rights 
                        and responsibilities of parenthood or 
                        guardianship under applicable Federal 
                        and State law to a person described in 
                        subparagraph (A).

SEC. 203. INFORMATION AND SERVICES.

  (a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish in the 
Department of Health and Human Services an appropriate 
administrative arrangement to provide a centralized focus for 
planning and coordinating of all departmental activities 
affecting adoption and foster care and for carrying out the 
provisions of this title. The Secretary shall make available 
such consultant services, on-site technical assistance and 
personnel, together with appropriate administrative expenses, 
including salaries and travel costs, as are necessary for 
carrying out such purposes, including services to facilitate 
the adoption of older children, minority children, and children 
with special needs, particularly infants and toddlers with 
disabilities who have life-threatening conditions, and services 
to families considering adoption of children with special 
needs.
  (b) Required Activities.--In connection with carrying out the 
provisions of this title, the Secretary shall--
          (1) conduct (directly or by grant to or contract with 
        public or private agencies or organizations) an 
        education and training program on adoption, and 
        prepare, publish, and disseminate (directly or by grant 
        to or contract with public or private agencies and 
        organizations) to all interested parties, public and 
        private agencies and organizations (including, but not 
        limited to, hospitals, health care and family planning 
        clinics, and social services agencies), and 
        governmental bodies, information and education and 
        training materials regarding adoption, adoption 
        assistance programs, and post-legal adoption services;
          (2) conduct, directly or by grant or contract with 
        public or private organizations, ongoing, extensive 
        recruitment efforts on a national level, including 
        efforts to promote the adoption of older children, 
        minority children, and children with special needs, 
        develop national public awareness efforts to unite 
        children in need of adoption with appropriate adoptive 
        parents, and establish a coordinated referral system of 
        recruited families with appropriate State or regional 
        adoption resources to ensure that families are served 
        in a timely fashion;
          (3) notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
        provide (directly or by grant to or contract with 
        public or private agencies or organizations) for (A) 
        the operation of a national adoption information 
        exchange system (including only such information as is 
        necessary to facilitate the adoptive placement of 
        children, utilizing computers and data processing 
        methods to assist in the location of children who would 
        benefit by adoption and in the placement in adoptive 
        homes of children awaiting adoption); and (B) the 
        coordination of such system with similar State and 
        regional systems;
          (4) provide (directly or by grant to or contract with 
        public or private agencies or organizations, including 
        adoptive family groups and minority groups) for the 
        provision of technical assistance in the planning, 
        improving, developing, and carrying out of programs and 
        activities relating to adoption, and to promote 
        professional leadership training of minorities in the 
        adoption field;
          (5) encourage involvement of corporations and small 
        businesses in supporting adoption as a positive family-
        strengthening option, including the establishment of 
        adoption benefit programs for employees who adopt 
        children;
          (6) support the placement of children in kinship care 
        arrangements, pre-adoptive, or adoptive homes;
          (7) increase the effective use of public or private 
        agencies (including community-based and other 
        organizations) by States, or sectarian institutions, 
        for the recruitment of potential adoptive and foster 
        families and to provide assistance in the placement of 
        children for adoption, including assisting in efforts 
        to work with organizations that promote the placement 
        of older children, minority children, and children with 
        special needs;
          (8) consult with other appropriate Federal 
        departments and agencies in order to promote maximum 
        coordination of the services and benefits provided 
        under programs carried out by such departments and 
        agencies with those carried out by the Secretary, and 
        provide for the coordination of such aspects of all 
        programs within the Department of Health and Human 
        Services relating to adoption;
          (9) not later than 2 years after the date of the 
        enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and 
        Treatment Act, establish and maintain (directly or by 
        grant to or contract with public or private agencies or 
        organizations) a National Resource Center for Special 
        Needs Adoption to--
                  (A) promote professional leadership 
                development of minorities in the adoption 
                field;
                  (B) provide training and technical assistance 
                to service providers and State agencies to 
                improve professional competency in the field of 
                adoption and the adoption of children with 
                special needs;
                  (C) facilitate the development of 
                interdisciplinary approaches to meet the needs 
                of children who are waiting for adoption and 
                the needs of adoptive families; and
                  (D) identify best practices to reduce 
                adoption disruption and termination;
          (10) provide (directly or by grant to or contract 
        with States, local government entities, tribal child 
        welfare agencies, public or private licensed child 
        welfare or adoption agencies or adoptive family groups 
        and community-based organizations with experience in 
        working with minority populations) for the provision of 
        programs aimed at increasing the number of minority 
        children (who are in foster care and have the goal of 
        adoption) placed in adoptive families, with a special 
        emphasis on recruitment of minority families--
                  (A) which may include such activities as--
                          (i) outreach, public education, or 
                        media campaigns to inform the public of 
                        the needs and numbers of such children;
                          (ii) recruitment of prospective 
                        adoptive families for such children, 
                        including developing and using 
                        procedures to notify family and 
                        relatives when a child enters the child 
                        welfare system;
                          (iii) expediting, where appropriate, 
                        the legal availability of such 
                        children;
                          (iv) expediting, where appropriate, 
                        the agency assessment of prospective 
                        adoptive families identified for such 
                        children;
                          (v) formation of prospective adoptive 
                        family support groups;
                          (vi) training of personnel of--
                                  (I) public agencies;
                                  (II) private child welfare 
                                and adoption agencies that are 
                                licensed by the State; and
                                  (III) adoptive parents 
                                organizations and community-
                                based organizations with 
                                experience in working with 
                                minority populations;
                          (vii) education and training of 
                        prospective adoptive or adoptive 
                        parents;
                          (viii) use of volunteers and adoptive 
                        parent groups; and
                          (ix) any other activities determined 
                        by the Secretary to further the 
                        purposes of this Act; and
                  (B) shall be subject to the condition that 
                such grants or contracts may be renewed if 
                documentation is provided to the Secretary 
                demonstrating that appropriate and sufficient 
                placements of such children have occurred 
                during the previous funding period; and
          (11) provide (directly or by grant to or contract 
        with States, local government entities, or public or 
        private licensed child welfare or adoption agencies) 
        for the implementation of programs that are intended to 
        increase the number of older children (who are in 
        foster care and with the goal of adoption) placed in 
        adoptive families, with a special emphasis on child-
        specific recruitment strategies, including--
                  (A) outreach, public education, or media 
                campaigns to inform the public of the needs and 
                numbers of older youth available for adoption;
                  (B) training of personnel in the special 
                needs of older youth and the successful 
                strategies of child-focused, child-specific 
                recruitment efforts; and
                  (C) recruitment of prospective families for 
                [such children] the children and youth 
                described in the matter preceding paragraph (1) 
                of section 201.
  (c) Services for Families Adopting Special Needs Children.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide 
        (directly or by grant to or contract with States, local 
        government entities, public or private nonprofit 
        licensed child welfare or adoption agencies or adoptive 
        family groups) for the provision of [post] pre- and 
        post- legal adoption services for families who have 
        adopted special needs children.
          (2) Services.--Services provided under grants made 
        under this subsection shall supplement, not supplant, 
        services and the development of such services, from any 
        other funds available for the same general purposes, 
        including--
                  (A) individual counseling;
                  (B) group counseling;
                  (C) family counseling;
                  (D) case management;
                  (E) training public agency adoption 
                personnel, personnel of private, nonprofit 
                child welfare and adoption agencies licensed by 
                the State to provide adoption services, mental 
                health services professionals, and other 
                support personnel to provide services under 
                this subsection;
                  (F) assistance to adoptive parent 
                organizations;
                  (G) assistance to support groups for adoptive 
                parents, adopted children, and siblings of 
                adopted children;
                  (H) day treatment; and
                  (I) respite care.
  (d) Improving Placement Rate of Children in Foster Care.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants for 
        improving State efforts to increase the placement of 
        foster care children legally free for adoption, 
        according to a pre-established plan and goals for 
        improvement.
          (2) Applications; technical and other assistance.--
                  (A) Applications.--Each State entering into 
                an agreement under this subsection shall submit 
                an application to the Secretary that describes 
                the manner in which the State will use funds 
                during the 3 fiscal years subsequent to the 
                date of the application to accomplish the 
                purposes of this section. Such application 
                shall be in a form and manner determined to be 
                appropriate by the Secretary, consistent with 
                the purpose of this title. Each application 
                shall contain information that--
                          (i) describes how the State plans to 
                        improve the placement rate of children 
                        in permanent homes;
                          (ii) describes the methods the State, 
                        prior to submitting the application, 
                        has used to improve the placement of 
                        older children, minority children, and 
                        children with special needs, who are 
                        legally free for adoption;
                          (iii) describes the evaluation the 
                        State plans to conduct, to identify the 
                        effectiveness of programs and methods 
                        of placement under this subsection, and 
                        submit to the Secretary; and
                          (iv) describes how the State plans to 
                        coordinate activities under this 
                        subsection with relevant activities 
                        under section 473 of the Social 
                        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 673).
                  (B) Technical and other assistance.--The 
                Secretary shall provide, directly or by grant 
                to or contract with public or private agencies 
                or organizations--
                          (i) technical assistance and resource 
                        and referral information to assist 
                        State or local governments with 
                        termination of parental rights issues, 
                        in recruiting and retaining adoptive 
                        families, in the successful placement 
                        of older children, minority children, 
                        and children with special needs, and in 
                        the provision of pre- and post-
                        placement services, including post-
                        legal adoption services; and
                          (ii) other assistance to help State 
                        and local governments replicate 
                        successful adoption-related projects 
                        from other areas in the United States.
                  (C) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall compile 
                the results of evaluations submitted by States 
                (described in subparagraph (A)(iii)) and submit 
                a report containing the compiled results to the 
                appropriate committees of Congress.
          (3) Payments.--
                  (A) In general.--Payments under this 
                subsection shall begin during fiscal year 1989. 
                Payments under this section during any fiscal 
                year shall not exceed $1,000,000. No payment 
                may be made under this subsection unless an 
                amount in excess of $5,000,000 is appropriated 
                for such fiscal year under section 205(a).
                  (B) Reversion of unused funds.--Any payment 
                made to a State under this subsection which is 
                not used by such State for the purpose provided 
                in paragraph (1) during the fiscal year payment 
                is made shall revert to the Secretary on 
                October 1st of the next fiscal year and shall 
                be used to carry out the purposes of this Act.
  (e) Elimination of Barriers to Adoptions Across 
Jurisdictional Boundaries.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary shall award grants to, 
        or enter into contracts [with, States,] with States, 
        Indian Tribes, local government entities, public or 
        private child welfare or adoption agencies, adoption 
        exchanges, or adoption family groups to carry out 
        initiatives to improve efforts to eliminate barriers to 
        placing children for adoption across jurisdictional 
        boundaries, including through the use of web-based 
        tools such as the electronic interstate case-processing 
        system referred to in section 437(g) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629g(g)).
          (2) Services to supplement not supplant.--Services 
        provided under grants made under this subsection shall 
        supplement, not supplant, services provided using any 
        other funds made available for the same general 
        purposes including--
                  (A) developing a uniform homestudy standard 
                and protocol for acceptance of homestudies 
                between States and jurisdictions;
                  (B) developing models of financing cross-
                jurisdictional placements;
                  (C) expanding the capacity of all adoption 
                exchanges to serve increasing numbers of 
                children;
                  (D) developing training materials and 
                training social workers on preparing and moving 
                children across State lines; and
                  (E) developing and supporting initiative 
                models for networking among agencies, adoption 
                exchanges, and parent support groups across 
                jurisdictional boundaries.

                [study of unlicensed adoption placements

  [Sec. 204. (a) In General.--The Secretary shall provide for a 
study (the results of which shall be reported to the 
appropriate committees of the Congress not later than eighteen 
months after the date of enactment of the Keeping Children and 
Families Safe Act of 2003) designed to determine--
  [(1) the nature, scope, and effects of the interstate (and, 
to the extent feasible, intrastate) placement of children in 
adoptive homes (not including the homes of stepparents or 
relatives of the child in question) by persons or agencies.
          [(2) how interstate placements are being financed 
        across State lines;
          [(3) recommendations on best practice models for both 
        interstate and intrastate adoptions; and
          [(4) how State policies in defining special needs 
        children differentiate or group similar categories of 
        children.
  [(b) Dynamics of Successful Adoption.--The Secretary shall 
conduct research (directly or by grant to, or contract with, 
public or private nonprofit research agencies or organizations) 
about adoption outcomes and the factors affecting those 
outcomes. The Secretary shall submit a report containing the 
results of such research to the appropriate committees of the 
Congress not later than the date that is 36 months after the 
date of the enactment of the Keeping Children and Families Safe 
Act of 2003.
  [(c) Interjurisdictional Adoption.--Not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of the Keeping Children and 
Families Safe Act of 2003, the Secretary shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of the Congress a report that contains 
recommendations for an action plan to facilitate the 
interjurisdictional adoption of foster children.]

SEC. 204. STUDY AND REPORT ON SUCCESSFUL ADOPTIONS.

  (a) Study.--The Secretary shall conduct a study (directly or 
by grant to, or contract with, public or private nonprofit 
research agencies or organizations) on adoption outcomes and 
the factors (including parental substance use disorder) 
affecting those outcomes.
  (b) Report.--Not later than the date that is 36 months after 
the date of the enactment of the Stronger Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment Act the Secretary shall submit a 
report to Congress that includes the results of the study 
required under subsection (a).

                    authorization of appropriations

  Sec. 205. (a) There are authorized to be appropriated 
$40,000,000 for [fiscal year 2010] fiscal year 2020 and such 
sums as may be necessary for [fiscal years 2011 through 2015] 
fiscal years 2021 through 2025 to carry out programs and 
activities authorized under this subtitle.
  (b) Not less than 30 percent and not more than 50 percent of 
the funds appropriated under subsection (a) shall be allocated 
for activities under subsections (b)(10) and (c) of section 
203.
  (c) The Secretary shall ensure that funds appropriated 
pursuant to authorizations in this Act shall remain available 
until expended for the purposes for which they were 
appropriated.