Washington — The bipartisan children’s advocacy organization First Focus Campaign for Children today commended the U.S. House of Representatives on passage of the Protect Our Children Act (H.R. 6655), legislation spearheaded by U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee Ranking Democrat Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and full committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) to improve the federal government’s efforts to reduce child fatalities due to abuse or neglect.
“We thank Congressman Doggett and Chairman Camp for coming together in a bipartisan way to address the tragedy of child abuse deaths in this nation,” said First Focus President Bruce Lesley.
The legislation would charge an expert commission with reviewing the effectiveness of federal foster care and adoption assistance programs and the federal Social Services Block Grant, and recommending specific improvements to reduce child fatalities. It would also require agencies cited by the commission’s report to respond to Congress on their plans to address the recommendations.
The bill was passed by a recorded vote of 330-77, clearing it for consideration in the U.S. Senate