March 17 (UPI) -- Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives passed a sweeping bipartisan child abuse prevention bill that aims to bolster federal and state efforts to prevent and treat child abuse.
The House passed the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act on Tuesday by a vote of 345-73 with 11 not voting to revise the original 1978 bill through expanding services to improve child protective services.
Specifically, the bill authorizes $270 million for the expansion of prevention services and another $270 million to foster research and support state child protective services agencies to meet increased demand.
It will also establish national standards for counting child fatalities and near fatalities related to child maltreatment as well as create an electronic system for states to share data about child abuse and neglect.
Related
From the floor prior to the vote, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., urged his fellow lawmakers to pass the bill he sponsored following a decade that saw rising rates of child maltreatment, which is only being exasperated by the ongoing pandemic.
"Stronger CAPTA is the bipartisan solution we need to prevent child abuse and neglect from happening in the first place and provide better treatments to address child abuse when it takes place," he said. "We must do everything in our power to ensure that our nation's children learn and grow in healthy environments."
Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., told lawmakers from the floor that the bill will give children a voice in Congress.
"Child abuse and neglect has no place in America's homes, and it is my hope that today's legislation will significantly reduce the number of children who must cope with the devastating impacts of abuse and neglect," she said.
The bill was passed amid concerns that the pandemic is worsening child and spousal abuse as more people are forced to be home together to stymie the spread of the coronavirus.
A report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from December found that during the pandemic the total number of emergency department visits related to child abuse and neglect decreased while the percentage of such visits that required hospitalizations increased.
According to the report, emergency department visits for abuse and neglect began decreasing for all age groups in March of last year when the federal government proclaimed a national emergency due to the pandemic.
"However, the yearly percentage of ED visits related to child abuse and neglect resulting in hospitalization increased significantly among all age groups," it said. "Hospitalizations for child abuse and neglect did not decrease in 2020, suggesting that injury severity did not decrease during the pandemic, despite decreased ED visits."
Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wa., a doctor, mentioned these concerns in a statement when the bill was announced in late January, stating too often people react after a child has already been abused.
"As a pediatrician, I want to do everything I can to ensure we prevent child abuse before it happens, which is what this bill intends," she said. "That is why I'm proud to introduce Stronger CAPTA, which will provide resources to families and states to help prevent child abuse and neglect, including for children affected by the opioid crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic."
