On the recordMay 20, 2019
I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of Stronger CAPTA, which includes provisions from the Safe Home Act, which is bipartisan legislation I introduced with Representative Don Bacon. These provisions address unregulated custody transfers. This is the frightening practice of transferring a child, usually an adopted child, to a stranger outside the safeguards of the child welfare system. Known as rehoming, this phenomenon occurs when parents lack the supports to meet their children's needs and, instead, place them with individuals who haven't undergone background checks, home studies or supervision, where they are at risk of further abuse. Unregulated custody transfers are a form of child abuse and neglect, and Stronger CAPTA removes any ambiguity that might prevent child welfare agencies from being able to investigate these cases. So it will give States the tools to prevent, identify, and respond to such dangers so that they can safeguard our most vulnerable youth. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Schrier for her leadership, and I urge my colleagues to support Stronger CAPTA.
