On October 10, the House approved, by unanimous consent, legislation (H.R. 5601) designed to prevent child abuse and assist troubled families. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) would reauthorize several programs including the Child Abuse Treatment and Prevention Act (CAPTA), the Adoption Opportunities Act, and the Abandoned Infants Assistance Act, all of which expired on September 30.
The provisions in H.R. 5601 also are included in a larger bill (H.R. 3839) that passed the House on April 23 (see The Source, 4/26/02). At press time, bill details were not available. More information will be included in The Source next week.