Moving in the Right Direction

Every day, 78 Americans die from an opioid overdose, and every 25 minutes, a baby is born suffering from opioid withdrawal. These are just two of the shocking consequences of a growing epidemic destroying communities and families across the country. They’re also two of the reasons why the House is working to combat opioid abuse.
 
This week alone, House committees are considering more than a dozen bills that will help address this national crisis, including H.R. 4843, the Improving Safe Care for the Prevention of Infant Abuse and Neglect Act. The legislation was introduced following a year-long Reuters investigation, which revealed the shocking and deadly consequences of a failure to follow and enforce the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).
 
Enacted in 1974, CAPTA provides states with resources to help prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect, provided those states make assurances that they have implemented certain child welfare policies. Unfortunately, as the Reuters report found, some states are receiving federal funds without having the necessary policies in place, and some of the most vulnerable children and mothers are paying the price. In the words of Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN), “We have a moral responsibility to do better.”
 
That’s why the committee wrote to the Department of Health and Human Services to better understand the process for reviewing and approving state applications for federal funds—and why, after receiving a disappointing response, Reps. Lou Barletta (R-PA) and Katherine Clark (D-MA) introduced the Improving Safe Care for the Prevention of Infant Abuse and Neglect Act.

This bipartisan legislation will strengthen protections for infants born with illegal substance exposure, and by requiring the department to better ensure states are meeting current child welfare requirements, will:
 

• Better support state efforts to identify, assess, and treat children who are victims of abuse and neglect.
   
  
• Hold the administration accountable for properly enforcing the law.
   
  
• Ensure children and families receive the help and care they need and taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly.

 
The bill, along with the others under consideration this week, will also help achieve a much broader goal. As House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) recently explained:
 

The House’s goal is simple. We want to build on efforts to prevent addiction and treat those suffering, crafting legislation that will gather bipartisan support and get signed into law … There is no quick cure to the problem of opioid addiction, but we can and should do more to stop the tide of this epidemic so the American people can live freer and happier lives.

 
The Improving Safe Care for the Prevention of Infant Abuse and Neglect Act is an important part of that effort.

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