S. 1927 would reauthorize and amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) and title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978. Although the authorizations for the programs in those acts expired at the end of 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has continued to allocate funds for them, including about $230 million in 2021. The bill would authorize the appropriation of specific amounts in 2022 and the appropriation of whatever amounts are necessary for each year from 2023 through 2027. The stated amounts in 2022 are shown below:
$270 million for CAPTA state grants and child abuse discretionary activities (title I),
$270 million for community-based child abuse prevention (title II),
$25 million for new activities to identify and prevent child fatalities and near fatalities resulting from child abuse and neglect (title III),
$60 million for new activities to address the effects of substance use disorder on infants and their caregivers (title IV), and
$50 million for adoption opportunities (title V).
In addition, S. 1927 would authorize the appropriation of whatever amounts are necessary for each year from 2022 through 2027 to operate a national child abuse hotline (title I). Using information from HHS and based on the costs of a similar grant, CBO estimates that the department would need $1 million in 2022 for the national child abuse hotline.
