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HR 2999 99th Congress House

Children's Justice Act

Official title: A bill to amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to establish a program to encourage States to enact child protection reforms which are designed to… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to establish a program to encourage States to enact child protection reforms which are designed to improve legal and administrative proceedings regarding the investigation and prosecution of the child abuse cases, especially child sexual abuse cases.

Introduced: July 24, 1985 See on congress.gov
Families Administration of criminal justiceAdministration of justiceAdvisory bodiesChild abuse
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Child molestingChildren and youthCourts and Civil ProcedureCrime and Law EnforcementCrime preventionCriminal investigationCriminal justice informationCriminal procedure and sentencingFederal advisory bodiesFederal aid to child welfareFederal aid to law enforcement agenciesGovernment paperworkGovernment records, documents, and informationMedical recordsProsecution
This bill died when the 99th Congress ended
It never became law before the 99th Congress (1985–1986) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 10 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Aug 4, 1986
Similiar Provisions Included in S.140.
Feb 5, 1986
Executive Comment Requested from HHS.
Dec 11, 1985
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Aug 13, 1985
Referred to Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights.
Jul 29, 1985
Referred to Subcommittee on Select Education.
Jul 23, 1985
Referred to Subcommittee on Health and the Environment.
Jul 16, 1985
Referred to House Committee on The Judiciary.
Jul 16, 1985
Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Jul 16, 1985
Referred to House Committee on Education and Labor.
Jul 16, 1985
Introduced in House
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 Latest action August 4, 1986

Similiar Provisions Included in S.140.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Children's Justice Act - Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make additional grants to States for developing, operating, or implementing programs for: (1) handling child abuse cases in a manner to reduce trauma to the child (especially in sexual abuse cases); (2) successful prosecution or legal action against child abusers; and (3) protection of children from abuse.

Makes a State eligible for such assistance if it establishes a multidisciplinary task force and adopts reforms recommended by such task force. Requires the task force to be comprised of professionals experienced in the criminal justice system.

Requires a State to adopt reforms recommended by the task force in each of the three stipulated categories or submit a detailed explanation of the reasons for not carrying out such recommendations.

Requires the Secretary, through the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, to: (1) compile, publish, and disseminate evaluations of the approaches utilized with respect to the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases; (2) develop and disseminate model training materials and procedures to help insure that law enforcement, legal, judicial, and child welfare personnel are adequately trained to deal with child abuse victims; and (3) provide for support of research projects to assist in identifying effective approaches to achieving successful investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse cases.

Directs the Secretary, within two years, to review and evaluate the effectiveness of the activities carried out with the funds made available under this Act and report the results to the Congress. Requires the evaluation to be made available to State officials within 180 days after enactment of this Act.

Authorizes appropriations.

Directs the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Education, and any other agency or department head designated by the President, to meet regularly to coordinate and prevent the overlap of programs that address child abuse. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the Congress on the coordination of Federal programs.

Requires the Attorney General to modify the classification system used by the National Crime Information Center in its Interstate Identification Index, and by the Identification Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in its Criminal File and its Uniform Crime Reporting System, with respect to offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children.

Amends the Public Health Service Act with regard to the confidentiality of patient records to provide that nothing in such section shall supersede any State or local requirement for the reporting of incidents of suspected child abuse to authorities.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Committees of jurisdiction 6
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 2999: Children's Justice Act. 99th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-2999/
MLA
"H.R. 2999: Children's Justice Act." 99th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-2999/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 2999, 99th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-2999/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 2999: Children's Justice Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-2999/)
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