December 13, 2011

Washington—Today, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Human Resources, introduced legislation to create a presidentially-appointed commission to develop a national strategy to reduce child fatalities that are the result of abuse and neglect.  U.S. Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

Earlier this summer at a Human Resources Subcommittee hearing on child deaths due to maltreatment, Tamara Tunie, the spokesperson for the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths who plays Dr. Melinda Warner on "Law and Order Special Victims Unit," testified about real children who are dying at the hands of those who are supposed to love and protect them. 

“The need for action is critical,” Tunie said in her testimony.  “Unfortunately the most startling truth about death from child abuse is how common it is… an estimated 2,500 children die each year from abuse and neglect, that’s 7 children a day.  The first step in ending child abuse and neglect deaths is awareness of the problem, including accurate collection of data regarding the number and circumstances of child deaths from maltreatment.”

“Each weekend that my wife and I are back in Texas, we try to devote a little time to our three preschool granddaughters.  The joy of being with them, witnessing their growth, their learning, their creativity, and also their innocence and vulnerability, makes it hard to imagine how some can be treated so cruelly," said Ranking Member Doggett.  “In order to begin to address this kind of tragedy, we must begin to improve our understanding of the causes of abuse and neglect and determine what steps we can take to prevent this kind of maltreatment.  This bipartisan commission is the first step in developing a coordinated, national response.”

Judge Darlene Byrne, Judge for the 126th District, has seen many of these cases up-close in her courtroom. “Childhood should be a time of innocence and freedom, but it is a sad fact that many children are vulnerable to injury and abuse,” she said.  “Our nation’s children need good leaders to stand up at a national level and find creative ways to protect them from harm.  The creation of a National Commission to End Child Fatalities is an important step in this direction.  I applaud Congressman Doggett for his support of this legislation and his leadership to help protect children from tragic outcomes.”

As recently noted in the Texas Tribune, more children are living in poverty than ever in Texas. About 1.7 million Texas children — 26 percent of the total population — live below the federal poverty level, according to United States census data released [recently]. And experts speculate that a key factor in the increase in reports of child abuse and neglect is the struggling economy; the number of reported cases of abuse has gone up 6 percent in Texas since 2008, before the recession.   In Travis County, the number of new cases opened with Child Protective Services rose 36 percent from 2008 to 2011. 
 

Dr. Jane Burstain, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities, has said there is only funding for about 6,000 children in Texas to receive direct child abuse and neglect prevention services.  Budgets are so tight that states are even cutting services to children who have been subjected to abuse and neglect.  In 2009, in some states, 2 of every 3 children who are child abuse and neglect victims stayed in their home and did not receive any ongoing child welfare family support services.

 “As families struggle and stress levels rise, child maltreatment becomes more of a risk,” she said.  “The great recession has pushed more families into poverty.  As compared to 2008, the number and percentage of children living in poverty has increased nationwide in virtually every state.  If we want to reduce child maltreatment, now is not the time to cut support to struggling families.  If we make that choice, our children will pay for it with our lives.”

Specifically, Rep. Doggett’s bill would:

•  Require the President to appoint between 12 and 15 individuals to a Commission that would make recommendations for reducing child fatalities that result from abuse and neglect.  Commission members would need to have experience in one or more of a wide range of areas related to child well-being and development, including child welfare administration and advocacy, the medical field, law enforcement, education, and the legal field.
• Require the Commission to develop recommendations for Federal, State, and local agencies, as well as private sector and non-profit organizations.  The issues studied by the group include a number of topics that would seek to reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect, prevent fatalities due to maltreatment, review the feasibility of establishing a method that accurately records the number of child fatalities due to abuse and neglect, and improve the effectiveness of public agencies (e.g., health care, child protective services, education, and law enforcement) in reducing child maltreatment and fatalities.
• Require that recommendations must be submitted no later than three years after the enactment of the legislation creating the Commission, although the President would have the option to extend the Commission by one additional year.
• Authorize $2 million for the next three fiscal years for the Commission to meet its administrative costs and expenses associated with fulfilling its duties.  Any sums appropriated would remain available until they are expended.

Who supports this legislation?  The legislation has been endorsed by National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths; Child Welfare League of America (CWLA); National Children’s Alliance; National Association of Social Workers; National District Attorney’s Association; Every Child Matters Education Fund; National Center for the Review and Prevention of Child Deaths; American Professional Society for the Abuse of Children; National Child Protection Training Center; Children’s Advocacy Institute; First Star; The Center for Public Policy Priorities; Prevent Child Abuse America; National Child Abuse Coalition; Massachusetts Citizens for Children.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett serves as a senior member on the Ways and Means Committee and the Budget Committee. He is ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Human Resources, which has jurisdiction over issues that relate to child care, child and family services, child support, foster care, adoption, and unemployment compensation. He was re-elected to serve a second two-year term as Chairman of the Texas Democratic delegation.