WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Comer partnered with Congresswoman Kim Schrier and several members of the House Committee on Education and Labor to introduce the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (Stronger CAPTA) (H.R. 2480). For several months, Congressman Comer has worked with his colleagues to hold hearings and lead the reauthorization of this important legislation aimed at strengthening federal efforts to prevent and treat child abuse. In the wake of rising rates of child maltreatment linked to the opioid crisis, the bipartisan Stronger CAPTA Act will help provide necessary resources to families and states to prevent child abuse and neglect across the nation.
Congressman Comer commented, “I'm proud to be the lead Republican sponsor of this reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), which provides states and community organizations with the tools and resources they need to provide evidence-based, prevention-focused services for our nation’s children and families. The safety and security of some of our most vulnerable members of society – our nation’s children – is of the utmost importance and requires this committee's full attention. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on this and other critical, bipartisan legislation.”
“One death of a child is one too many. As a pediatrician, I am trained to identify potential instances of child abuse and neglect. Too often we react to child abuse instead of doing everything we can to prevent it. It is long past time to help children before they are abused. This isn’t a partisan issue which is why I am proud to introduce CAPTA with bipartisan cosponsors like my colleague Rep. Comer. Our legislation will provide resources to families and states to help prevent child abuse and neglect, including for children affected by the opioid crisis,” said Rep. Kim Schrier, M.D.
The Stronger CAPTA Act will help states build networks of cost-effective and locally-driven services that prevent child abuse and strengthen families, reinforce the capacity of child protective service agencies, improve sharing and quality of data to support victims, and foster evidence-based strategies to treat and prevent abuse.
Other lead co-sponsors of the bill include: Chairman Bobby Scott, Ranking Member Virginia Foxx, Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee Chairwoman Suzanne Bonamici, Rep. Dusty Johnson, Rep. Elise Stefanik, Rep. Kim Schrier, and Rep. Lori Trahan.