On September 29, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a bill (S. 1601) to reauthorize the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act (P.L. 101-630). The Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved the measure on October 29, 2003 (see The Source, 10/31/03).
Sponsored by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO), S. 1601 would authorize through FY2010 grants for a comprehensive tribal child abuse and family violence program, including the establishment of safety measures for child protection workers and a database for accessing current national central registries for child abuse information. The bill also would authorize a federal study of the intergovernmental and jurisdictional impediments to reducing child abuse. In addition, the measure would expand the definition of “child abuse” to include children who are the victims of family violence. Finally, S. 1601 would provide law enforcement agencies 18 months to investigate child abuse cases, allow tribes to participate in the organization of child abuse prevention programs, and clarify the process for awarding grants to tribal organizations participating in child abuse prevention programs.
