The House on February 1 passed, 410-2, legislation (H.R. 764) to increase spending for child abuse prevention and enforcement efforts. Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH), sponsor of the measure, described it as “an important step in the fight against child abuse,” predicting that it will “make a difference in the lives of children.”
The bill was initially approved, 425-2, by the House on October 5. The Senate then amended the measure and passed it by unanimous consent on November 19. It gives local law enforcement officials greater flexibility in using federal funds for investigation and prevention efforts; helps authorities acquire and share criminal records of suspects in child abuse cases; and helps fund a program that allows child abuse victims to testify in court via closed-circuit television.
The Senate’s November amendment comprised another bill (H.R. 1915) known as “Jennifer’s Law,” which was approved, 370-4, by the House on June 7. The amendment authorizes $6 million over three years for a grant program aimed at developing a national database of information to help in cases involving unidentified bodies and missing individuals who may have been transported across state lines. The bill was named after a 21-year-old New York woman who disappeared when she moved to California in 1993.
In addition, H.R. 764 increases funding for the Children’s Justice and Assistance Act (CJA). Established in 1987, the CJA supports an array of programs, such as training for child abuse professionals, assistance centers for victims of abuse, and other efforts to protect and assist neglected children. The CJA is funded through an earmark from the Crime Victims Fund, which provides grants for a variety of victims’ rights organizations. Rather than being funded through tax dollars, the Crime Victims Fund is derived from fines and penalties paid by convicted federal offenders. The fund took in $363 million in FY1998, although the amount varies each year.
The bill originally would have doubled funding for the CJA from $10 million to $20 million. During floor action, the bill was amended so that the current $10 million earmark for the CJA will remain in place, except in fiscal years when the amount deposited in the fund exceeds $363 million. In the case of surplus funding, half of the extra money will go to the CJA, but the total will not exceed $20 million. The President is expected to sign the measure.
