To require the Attorney General to establish a Federal register of cases of child abuse or neglect.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H7915)
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 10, 2005
Directs the Attorney General to create a national register of cases of child abuse or neglect (abuse), with the information in the register supplied by States or political subdivisions. Requires the register to collect information on children reported as abused in a central electronic database.
Requires: (1) information provided to the Attorney General to relate to substantiated reports of abuse; (2) each State to determine whether such information also relates to reports of suspected instances of abuse that were unsubstantiated or unfounded, except that if a State has an equivalent electronic register of abuse cases, the information provided to the Attorney General shall be coextensive with information in such register; and (3) the information to be in a standardized electronic form and to contain case-specific identifying information.
Directs the Attorney General to establish standards for the dissemination of information in the national register that preserve the confidentiality of records in order to protect the rights of the child and the child's parents or guardians while ensuring that Federal, State, and local government entities have access to such information in order to carry out their legal responsibilities to protect children from abuse.
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Makes compliance with this Act a condition precedent to receipt of funds under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.
Source last updated: Apr 7, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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