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House Passes Wild Led Bipartisan Bill to Improve Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect

March 19, 2021

Bipartisan Bill, Led by Rep. Wild and Rep. Thompson, Passes to Study Referrals of Child Abuse and Neglect

On March 16th, the House passed the Working to End Child Abuse and Neglect Act, or the WE CAN Act, legislation led by Rep. Susan Wild (PA-07) to require a study into trends in referrals for incidents of child abuse and neglect across the nation. States have varying levels of mandatory reporting requirements, and the WE CAN Act will ensure we know which mandatory reporting requirements are the most effective. She is joined by Rep. Glenn Thompson in introducing the legislation, which passed as part of the ‘Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act'.

"It's so important for us to understand why incidents of child abuse and neglect go unreported, especially during a pandemic when children are particularly vulnerable," said Rep. Susan Wild. "This bill is an important step in reviewing and strengthening our nation's laws to ensure no child lives in fear and no abuse escapes notice. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to keep our kids safe."

"We must do everything in our power to ensure child abuse and neglect does not go unreported. I'm pleased to join my colleague, Susan Wild, to introduce legislation that will ensure states' mandatory reporting requirements are reviewed in order to better protect children from harm. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes and this will bring us one step closer to protecting our country's kids," said Rep. Glenn Thompson.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of reported child abuse and neglect have decreased, while at the same time, hospitals have reported that abuse-related visits to emergency rooms have remained stagnant, suggesting that abuse is going underreported. The WE CAN Act instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to study state mandatory reporting laws to determine the most effective ways to require individuals to properly report suspected child abuse and neglect. The WE CAN ACT passed today as part of the Stronger CAPTA Act.

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