On March 20, the House Education and the Workforce Committee easily approved, by voice vote, the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act (H.R. 3839), designed to prevent child abuse and assist troubled families. The bill was approved by the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Select Education on March 6 (see The Source, 3/8/02).
Sponsored by Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), H.R. 3839 would continue the federal effort to help states and local communities identify and address the issues of child abuse and family violence, and would promote partnerships between child protective services and private and community-based organizations to offer effective prevention and treatment services.
Additionally, the legislation would extend the authorization for a transitional housing program, which provides grants to assist victims and their dependents fleeing a domestic violence situation. The bill also would expand adoption opportunities for infants and young children who are disabled or born with life-threatening conditions, or who are abandoned by their parents.
In his statement to the committee, Rep. Hoekstra pointed out that H.R. 3839 would renew and improve several programs, including the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the Adoption Opportunities program, the Abandoned Infants Act, and the Family Violence Prevention and Treatment Act,” and he praised the bipartisan effort to improve the prevention and treatment of child abuse and family violence.”
