A bill to establish an agency for the prevention of child abuse in the District of Columbia.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on District of Columbia.
Declares it to be the purpose of this Act to provide for the protection of abused and neglected children in the District of Columbia. Title I: Child Abuse Prevention - Establishes as an independent agency of the government of the District of Columbia a Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, headed by a Director appointed by the Commissioner of the District of Columbia. Enumerates the duties of the Director, including to establish, as a part of the Center: (1) at least one multidisciplinary team of experts to treat cases of child abuse and neglect; (2) an Office of General Counsel to provide legal counsel and research on the cases; and (3) a confidential, central registry of all cases of alleged child abuse or neglect, providing for the expunging and sealing of such reports under specified circumstances. Title II: Reporting Child Abuse or Neglect - Provides that any medical personnel and specified persons in child care in the District of Columbia, having reasonable cause to believe a child has had physical or sexual abuses inflicted by other than accidental means or is neglected, shall report such injury or harm to a specially designated unit of the Metropolitan Police force or to the Director. Sets forth the procedures for making such reports. Grants immunity from liability to individuals making such reports. Imposes a $1,000 fine and 30-days imprisonment on persons failing to make a report as required by this Act. Defines the terms used in this Act. Title III: Amendments to the Judicial Procedure Concerning Child Custody - Provides that when a child is alleged to be abused or neglected, or when termination of parental rights is sought, the parent, guardian, or custodian of the child is entitled to be represented by counsel at all critical stages of the Division proceedings. Provides that the Division shall appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the child in such proceedings. Provides for a hearing to be held, after a dispositional order vesting legal custody of a child adjudicated neglected or abused in a department, agency, or institution, at which the department, agency, or institution shall present all relevant information as to whether the parental rights should be terminated for the purposes of seeking an adoptive placement for the child. States that the court, in determining if the best interest of the child requires termination of parental rights, shall consider, among other factors: (1) the preservation of continuity of care and caretakers for the child; (2) the quality of the interaction and interrelationship of the child with his parent or parents, siblings, custodians, or other caretakers; (3) the child's own determination, to the extent feasible, of his own best interests in the matter; and (4) the mental and physical health of all individuals involved.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on July 16, 1974. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 16, 1974: Referred to House Committee on District of Columbia.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
DONALD FRASER (D-MN) introduced it on July 16, 1974. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on July 16, 1974, 19049 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19049 days ago, on July 16, 1974.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers