S 708 IS
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 708
"SANCA"
`Strengthening
Abuse and Neglect Courts Act of 1999'
To improve the administrative efficiency
and effectiveness of the Nation's abuse and neglect courts and the quality
and availability of training for judges, attorneys, and volunteers working
in such courts, and for other purposes consistent with the Adoption and
Safe Families Act of 1997.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 24, 1999
Mr. DEWINE (for himself, Mr. ROCKEFELLER,
Mr. CHAFEE, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. KERRY, and Mr. KERREY) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary
A BILL
To improve the administrative efficiency
and effectiveness of the Nation's abuse and neglect courts and the quality
and availability of training for judges, attorneys, and volunteers working
in such courts, and for other purposes consistent with the Adoption and
Safe Families Act of 1997.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Strengthening
Abuse and Neglect Courts Act of 1999'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Under both Federal and State law,
the courts play a crucial and essential role in the Nation's child welfare
system and in ensuring safety, stability, and permanence for abused and
neglected children under the supervision of that system.
(2) The Adoption and Safe Families
Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89; 111 Stat. 2115) establishes explicitly
for the first time in Federal law that a child's health and safety must
be the paramount consideration when any decision is made regarding a child
in the Nation's child welfare system.
(3) The Adoption and Safe Families
Act of 1997 promotes stability and permanence for abused and neglected
children by requiring timely decision-making in proceedings to determine
whether children can safely return to their families or whether they should
be moved into safe and stable adoptive homes or other permanent family
arrangements outside the foster care system.
(4) To avoid unnecessary and lengthy
stays in the foster care system, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of
1997 specifically requires, among other things, that States move to terminate
the parental rights of the parents of those children who have been in foster
care for 15 of the last 22 months.
(5) While essential to protect children
and to carry out the general purposes of the Adoption and Safe Families
Act of 1997, the accelerated timelines for the termination of parental
rights and the other requirements imposed under that Act increase the pressure
on the Nation's already overburdened abuse and neglect courts.
(6) The administrative efficiency and
effectiveness of the Nation's abuse and neglect courts would be substantially
improved by the acquisition and implementation of computerized case-tracking
systems to identify and eliminate existing backlogs, to move abuse and
neglect caseloads forward in a timely manner, and to move children into
safe and stable families. Such systems could also be used to evaluate the
effectiveness of such courts in meeting the purposes of the amendments
made by, and provisions of, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.
(7) The administrative efficiency and
effectiveness of the Nation's abuse and neglect courts would also be improved
by the identification and implementation of projects designed to eliminate
the backlog of abuse and neglect cases, including the temporary hiring
of additional judges, extension of court hours, and other projects designed
to reduce existing caseloads.
(8) The administrative efficiency and
effectiveness of the Nation's abuse and neglect courts would be further
strengthened by improving the quality and availability of training for
judges, court personnel, agency attorneys, guardians ad litem, volunteers
who participate in court-appointed special advocate (CASA) programs, and
attorneys who represent the children and the parents of children in abuse
and neglect proceedings.
(9) While recognizing that abuse and
neglect courts in this country are already committed to the quality administration
of justice, the performance of such courts would be even further enhanced
by the development of models and educational opportunities that reinforce
court projects that have already been developed, including models for case-flow
procedures, case management, representation of children, automated interagency
interfaces, and `best practices' standards.
(10) Judges, magistrates, commissioners,
and other judicial officers play a central and vital role in ensuring that
proceedings in our Nation's abuse and neglect courts are run efficiently
and effectively. The performance of those individuals in such courts can
only be further enhanced by training, seminars, and an ongoing opportunity
to exchange ideas with their peers.
(11) Volunteers who participate in
court-appointed special advocate (CASA) programs play a vital role as the
eyes and ears of abuse and neglect courts in proceedings conducted by,
or under the supervision of, such courts and also bring increased public
scrutiny of the abuse and neglect court system. The Nation's abuse and
neglect courts would benefit from an expansion of this program to currently
underserved communities.
(12) Improved computerized case-tracking
systems, comprehensive training, and development of, and education on,
model abuse and neglect court systems, particularly with respect to underserved
areas, would significantly further the purposes of the Adoption and Safe
Families Act of 1997 by reducing the average length of an abused and neglected
child's stay in foster care, improving the quality of decision-making and
court services provided to children and families, and increasing the number
of adoptions.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(a) ABUSE AND NEGLECT COURTS- The term
`abuse and neglect courts' means the State and local courts that carry
out State or local laws requiring proceedings (conducted by or under the
supervision of the courts)--
(1) that implement part B and part
E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq.; 670 et
seq.) (including preliminary disposition of such proceedings);
(2) that determine whether a child
was abused or neglected;
(3) that determine the advisability
or appropriateness of placement in a family foster home, group home, or
a special residential care facility; or
(4) that determine any other legal
disposition of a child in the abuse and neglect court system.
(b) AGENCY ATTORNEY- The term `agency
attorney' means an attorney or other individual, including any government
attorney, district attorney, attorney general, State attorney, county attorney,
city solicitor or attorney, corporation counsel, or privately retained
special prosecutor, who represents the State or local agency administrating
the programs under parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 620 et seq.; 670 et seq.) in a proceeding conducted by, or under
the supervision of, an abuse and neglect court, including a proceeding
for termination of parental rights.
(c) ATTORNEY REPRESENTING A CHILD-
The term `attorney representing a child' means an attorney or a guardian
ad litem who represents a child in a proceeding conducted by, or under
the supervision of, an abuse and neglect court.
(d) ATTORNEY REPRESENTING A PARENT-
The term `attorney representing a parent' means an attorney who represents
a parent who is an official party to a proceeding conducted by, or under
the supervision of, an abuse and neglect court.
SEC. 4. GRANTS TO STATE COURTS AND
LOCAL COURTS TO AUTOMATE THE DATA COLLECTION AND TRACKING OF PROCEEDINGS
IN ABUSE AND NEGLECT COURTS.
(a) AUTHORITY TO AWARD GRANTS-
(1) IN GENERAL- Subject to paragraph
(2), the Attorney General, acting through the Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention of the Office of Justice Programs, shall award
grants in accordance with this section to State courts and local courts
for the purposes of--
(A) enabling such courts to develop
and implement automated data collection and case-tracking systems for proceedings
conducted by, or under the supervision of, an abuse and neglect court;
(B) encouraging the replication of
such systems in abuse and neglect courts in other jurisdictions; and
(C) requiring the use of such systems
to evaluate a court's performance in implementing the requirements of parts
B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq.;
670 et seq.).
(2) LIMITATIONS-
(A) NUMBER OF GRANTS- Not less than
20 nor more than 50 grants may be awarded under this section.
(B) PER STATE LIMITATION- Not more
than 2 grants authorized under this section may be awarded per State.
(C) USE OF GRANTS- Funds provided under
a grant made under this section may only be used for the purpose of developing,
implementing, or enhancing automated data collection and case-tracking
systems for proceedings conducted by, or under the supervision of, an abuse
and neglect court.
(b) APPLICATION-
(1) IN GENERAL- A State court or local
court may submit an application for a grant authorized under this section
at such time and in such manner as the Attorney General may determine.
(2) INFORMATION REQUIRED- An application
for a grant authorized under this section shall contain the following:
(A) A description of a proposed plan
for the development, implementation, and maintenance of an automated data
collection and case-tracking system for proceedings conducted by, or under
the supervision of, an abuse and neglect court, including a proposed budget
for the plan and a request for a specific funding amount.
(B) A description of the extent to
which such plan and system are able to be replicated in abuse and neglect
courts of other jurisdictions that specifies the common case-tracking data
elements of the proposed system, including, at a minimum--
(i) identification of relevant judges,
court, and agency personnel;
(ii) records of all court proceedings
with regard to the abuse and neglect case, including all court findings
and orders (oral and written); and
(iii) relevant information about the
subject child, including family information and the reason for court supervision.
(C) In the case of an application submitted
by a local court, a description of how the plan to implement the proposed
system was developed in consultation with related State courts, particularly
with regard to a State court improvement plan funded under section 13712
of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 670 note) if
there is such a plan in the State.
(D) In the case of an application that
is submitted by a State court, a description of how the proposed system
will integrate with a State court improvement plan funded under section
13712 of such Act if there is such a plan in the State.
(E) After consultation with the State
agency responsible for the administration of parts B and E of title IV
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq.; 670 et seq.)--
(i) a description of the coordination
of the proposed system with other child welfare data collection systems,
including the Statewide automated child welfare information system (SACWIS)
and the adoption and foster care analysis and reporting system (AFCARS)
established pursuant to section 479 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
679); and
(ii) an assurance that such coordination
will be implemented and maintained.
(F) Identification of an independent
third party that will conduct ongoing evaluations of the feasibility and
implementation of the plan and system and a description of the plan for
conducting such evaluations.
(G) A description or identification
of a proposed funding source for completion of the plan (if applicable)
and maintenance of the system after the conclusion of the period for which
the grant is to be awarded.
(H) An assurance that any contract
entered into between the State court or local court and any other entity
that is to provide services for the development, implementation, or maintenance
of the system under the proposed plan will require the entity to agree
to allow for replication of the services provided, the plan, and the system,
and to refrain from asserting any proprietary interest in such services
for purposes of allowing the plan and system to be replicated in another
jurisdiction.
(I) An assurance that the system established
under the plan will provide data that allows for evaluation (at least on
an annual basis) of the following information:
(i) The total number of cases that
are filed in the abuse and neglect court.
(ii) The number of cases assigned to
each judge who presides over the abuse and neglect court.
(iii) The average length of stay of
children in foster care.
(iv) With respect to each child under
the jurisdiction of the court--
(I) the number of episodes of placement
in foster care;
(II) the number of days placed in foster
care and the type of placement (foster family home, group home, or special
residential care facility);
(III) the number of days of in-home
supervision; and
(IV) the number of separate foster
care placements.
(v) The number of adoptions, guardianships,
or other permanent dispositions finalized.
(vi) The number of terminations of
parental rights.
(vii) The number of child abuse and
neglect proceedings closed that had been pending for 2 or more years.
(viii) With respect to each proceeding
conducted by, or under the supervision of, an abuse and neglect court--
(I) the timeliness of each stage of
the proceeding from initial filing through legal finalization of a permanency
plan (for both contested and uncontested hearings);
(II) the number of adjournments, delays,
and continuances occurring during the proceeding, including identification
of the party requesting each adjournment, delay, or continuance and the
reasons given for the request;
(III) the number of courts that conduct
or supervise the proceeding for the duration of the abuse and neglect case;
(IV) the number of judges assigned
to the proceeding for the duration of the abuse and neglect case; and
(V) the number of agency attorneys,
children's attorneys, parent's attorneys, guardians ad litem, and volunteers
participating in a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) program assigned
to the proceeding during the duration of the abuse and neglect case.
(J) A description of how the proposed
system will reduce the need for paper files and ensure prompt action so
that cases are appropriately listed with national and regional adoption
exchanges, and public and private adoption services.
(K) An assurance that the data collected
in accordance with subparagraph (I) will be made available to relevant
Federal, State, and local government agencies and to the public.
(L) An assurance that the proposed
system is consistent with other civil and criminal information requirements
of the Federal government.
(M) An assurance that the proposed
system will provide notice of timeframes required under the Adoption and
Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89; 111 Stat. 2115) for individual
cases to ensure prompt attention and compliance with such requirements.
(c) CONDITIONS FOR APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS-
(1) MATCHING REQUIREMENT-
(A) IN GENERAL- A State court or local
court awarded a grant under this section shall expend $1 for every $3 awarded
under the grant to carry out the development, implementation, and maintenance
of the automated data collection and case-tracking system under the proposed
plan.
(B) WAIVER FOR HARDSHIP- The Attorney
General may waive or modify the matching requirement described in subparagraph
(A) in the case of any State court or local court that the Attorney General
determines would suffer undue hardship as a result of being subject to
the requirement.
(C) NON-FEDERAL EXPENDITURES-
(i) CASH OR IN KIND- State court or
local court expenditures required under subparagraph (A) may be in cash
or in kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, or services.
(ii) NO CREDIT FOR PRE-AWARD EXPENDITURES-
Only State court or local court expenditures made after a grant has been
awarded under this section may be counted for purposes of determining whether
the State court or local court has satisfied the matching expenditure requirement
under subparagraph (A).
(2) NOTIFICATION TO STATE OR APPROPRIATE
CHILD WELFARE AGENCY- No application for a grant authorized under this
section may be approved unless the State court or local court submitting
the application demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Attorney General
that the court has provided the State, in the case of a State court, or
the appropriate child welfare agency, in the case of a local court, with
notice of the contents and submission of the application.
(3) CONSIDERATIONS- In evaluating an
application for a grant under this section the Attorney General shall consider
the following:
(A) The extent to which the system
proposed in the application may be replicated in other jurisdictions.
(B) The extent to which the proposed
system is consistent with the provisions of, and amendments made by, the
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89; 111 Stat. 2115),
and parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620
et seq.; 670 et seq.).
(C) The extent to which the proposed
system is feasible and likely to achieve the purposes described in subsection
(a)(1).
(4) DIVERSITY OF AWARDS- The Attorney
General shall award grants under this section in a manner that results
in a reasonable balance among grants awarded to State courts and grants
awarded to local courts, grants awarded to courts located in urban areas
and courts located in rural areas, and grants awarded in diverse geographical
locations.
(d) LENGTH OF AWARDS- No grant may
be awarded under this section for a period of more than 5 years.
(e) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS- Funds provided
to a State court or local court under a grant awarded under this section
shall remain available until expended without fiscal year limitation.
(f) REPORTS-
(1) ANNUAL REPORT FROM GRANTEES- Each
State court or local court that is awarded a grant under this section shall
submit an annual report to the Attorney General that contains--
(A) a description of the ongoing results
of the independent evaluation of the plan for, and implementation of, the
automated data collection and case-tracking system funded under the grant;
and
(B) the information described in subsection
(b)(2)(I).
(2) INTERIM AND FINAL REPORTS FROM
ATTORNEY GENERAL-
(A) INTERIM REPORTS- Beginning 2 years
after the date of enactment of this Act, and biannually thereafter until
a final report is submitted in accordance with subparagraph (B), the Attorney
General shall submit to Congress interim reports on the grants made under
this section.
(B) FINAL REPORT- Not later than 90
days after the termination of all grants awarded under this section, the
Attorney General shall submit to Congress a final report evaluating the
automated data collection and case-tracking systems funded under such grants
and identifying successful models of such systems that are suitable for
replication in other jurisdictions. The Attorney General shall ensure that
a copy of such final report is transmitted to the highest State court in
each State.
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS-
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $10,000,000
for the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004.
SEC. 5. GRANTS TO REDUCE PENDING BACKLOGS
OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES TO PROMOTE PERMANENCY FOR ABUSED AND NEGLECTED
CHILDREN.
Part E of title IV of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
`SEC. 479B. GRANTS TO REDUCE BACKLOGS
OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES.
`(a) IN GENERAL- Subject to the amount
appropriated under subsection (f), the Secretary shall make grants to State
courts or local courts for the purposes of--
`(1) promoting the permanency goals
established in the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89;
111 Stat. 2115); and
`(2) enabling such courts to reduce
existing backlogs of cases pending in abuse and neglect courts, especially
with respect to cases to terminate parental rights and cases in which parental
rights to a child have been terminated but an adoption of the child has
not yet been finalized.
`(b) APPLICATION- A State court or
local court shall submit an application for a grant under this section,
in such form and manner as the Secretary shall require, that contains a
description of the following:
`(1) The barriers to achieving the
permanency goals established in the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997
that have been identified.
`(2) The size and nature of the backlogs
of children awaiting termination of parental rights or finalization of
adoption.
`(3) The strategies the State court
or local court proposes to use to reduce such backlogs and the plan and
timetable for doing so.
`(4) How the grant funds requested
will be used to assist the implementation of the strategies described in
paragraph (3).
`(c) USE OF FUNDS- Funds provided under
a grant awarded under this section may be used for any purpose that the
Secretary determines is likely to successfully achieve the purposes described
in subsection (a), including temporarily--
`(1) establishing night court sessions
for abuse and neglect courts;
`(2) hiring additional judges, magistrates,
commissioners, hearing officers, referees, special masters, and other judicial
personnel for such courts;
`(3) hiring personnel such as clerks,
administrative support staff, case managers, mediators, and attorneys for
such courts; or
`(4) extending the operating hours
of such courts.
`(d) NUMBER OF GRANTS- Not less than
15 nor more than 20 grants shall be awarded under this section.
`(e) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS- Funds awarded
under a grant made under this section shall remain available for expenditure
by a grantee for a period not to exceed 3 years from the date of the grant
award.
`(f) REPORT ON USE OF FUNDS- Not later
than the date that is halfway through the period for which a grant is awarded
under this section, and 90 days after the end of such period, a State court
or local court awarded a grant under this section shall submit a report
to the Secretary that includes the following:
`(1) The barriers to the permanency
goals established in the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 that are
or have been addressed with grant funds.
`(2) The nature of the backlogs of
children that were pursued with grant funds.
`(3) The specific strategies used to
reduce such backlogs.
`(4) The progress that has been made
in reducing such backlogs, including the number of children in such backlogs--
`(A) whose parental rights have been
terminated; and
`(B) whose adoptions have been finalized.
`(5) Any additional information that
the Secretary determines would assist jurisdictions in achieving the permanency
goals established in the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.
`(g) DEFINITION OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT
COURT- In this section, the term `abuse and neglect court' has the meaning
given that term in section 3(a) of the Strengthening Abuse and Neglect
Courts Act of 1999.
`(h) APPROPRIATION- Out of any money
in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there
are appropriated for fiscal year 2000 $10,000,000 for the purpose of making
grants under this section.'.
SEC. 6. TRAINING IN CHILD ABUSE AND
NEGLECT PROCEEDINGS.
(a) IN GENERAL- Section 474(a)(3) of
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)(3)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs
(C), (D), and (E) as subparagraphs (D), (E), and (F), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph
(B), the following:
`(C) 75 percent of so much of such
expenditures as are for the training (including cross-training with personnel
employed by, or under contract with, the State or local agency administering
the plan in the political subdivision, training on topics relevant to the
legal representation of clients in proceedings conducted by or under the
supervision of an abuse and neglect court (as defined in section 3(a) of
the Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts Act of 1999), and training on
related topics such as child development and the importance of developing
a trusting relationship with a child) of judges, judicial personnel, law
enforcement personnel, agency attorneys (as defined in section 3(b) of
such Act), attorneys representing parents in proceedings conducted by,
or under the supervision of, an abuse and neglect court (as so defined),
attorneys representing children in such proceedings, guardians ad litem,
and volunteers who participate in court-appointed special advocate (CASA)
programs, to the extent such training is related to provisions of, and
amendments made by, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public
Law 105-89; 111 Stat. 2115), provided that any such training that is offered
to judges or other judicial personnel shall be offered by, or under contract
with, the State or local agency in collaboration with the judicial conference
or other appropriate judicial governing body operating in the State,'.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS-
(1) Section 473(a)(6)(B) of such Act
(42 U.S.C. 673(a)(6)(B)) is amended by striking `474(a)(3)(E)' and inserting
`474(a)(3)(F)'.
(2) Section 474(a)(3)(D) of such Act
(42 U.S.C. 674(a)(3)(D)) (as redesignated by paragraph (1)(A)) is amended
by striking `subparagraph (C)' and inserting `subparagraph (D)'.
(3) Section 474(c) of such Act (42
U.S.C. 674(c)) is amended by striking `subsection (a)(3)(C)' and inserting
`subsection (a)(3)(D)'.
SEC. 7. STATE STANDARDS FOR AGENCY
ATTORNEYS.
Section 471(a) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (22), by striking
`and' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (23), by striking
the period and inserting `; and'; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
`(24) provides that, not later than
January 1, 2001, the State shall develop and encourage the implementation
of guidelines for all agency attorneys (as defined in section 3(b) of the
Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts Act of 1999), including legal education
requirements for such attorneys regarding the handling of abuse, neglect,
and dependency proceedings.'.
SEC. 8. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR CHILD
ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND DEPENDENCY MATTERS.
(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary of Health
and Human Services, in coordination with the Attorney General, shall provide
the technical assistance, training, and evaluations authorized under this
section through grants,
contracts, or cooperative arrangements
with other entities, including universities, and national, State, and local
organizations. The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney
General should ensure that entities that have not had a previous contractual
relationship with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department
of Justice, or another Federal agency can compete for grants for technical
assistance, training, and evaluations.
(b) PURPOSE- Technical assistance shall
be provided under this section for the purpose of supporting and assisting
State and local courts that handle child abuse, neglect, and dependency
matters to effectively carry out new responsibilities enacted as part of
the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89; 111 Stat.
2115) and to speed the process of adoption of children and legal finalization
of permanent families for children in foster care by improving practices
of the courts involved in that process.
(c) ACTIVITIES- Technical assistance
consistent with the purpose described in subsection (b) may be provided
under this section through the following:
(1) The dissemination of information,
existing and effective models, and technical assistance to State and local
courts that receive grants under section 4 concerning the automated data
collection and case-tracking systems and outcome measures required under
that section.
(2) The provision of specialized training
on child development that is appropriate for judges, referees, nonjudicial
decision-makers, administrative, and other court-related personnel, and
for agency attorneys, attorneys representing children, guardians ad litem,
volunteers who participate in court-appointed special advocate (CASA) programs,
or parents.
(3) The provision of assistance and
dissemination of information about best practices of abuse and neglect
courts for effective case management strategies and techniques, including
automated data collection and case-tracking systems, assessments of caseload
and staffing levels, management of court dockets, timely decision-making
at all stages of a proceeding conducted by, or under the supervision of,
an abuse and neglect court, and the development of streamlined case flow
procedures, case management models, early case resolution programs, mechanisms
for monitoring compliance with the terms of court orders, models for representation
of children, automated interagency interfaces between data bases, and court
rules that facilitate timely case processing.
(4) The development and dissemination
of training models for judges, attorneys representing children, agency
attorneys, guardians ad litem, and volunteers who participate in court-appointed
special advocate (CASA) programs.
(5) The development of standards of
practice for agency attorneys, attorneys representing children, guardians
ad litem, volunteers who participate in court-appointed special advocate
(CASA) programs, and parents in such proceedings.
(d) TRAINING REQUIREMENT- Any training
offered in accordance with this section to judges or other judicial personnel
shall be offered in collaboration with the judicial conference or other
appropriate judicial governing body operating with respect to the State
in which the training is offered.
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS-
There is authorized to carry out this section $5,000,000 for the period
of fiscal years 2000 through 2004.
SEC. 9. GRANTS TO EXPAND THE COURT-APPOINTED
SPECIAL ADVOCATE PROGRAM IN UNDERSERVED AREAS.
(a) GRANTS TO EXPAND CASA PROGRAMS
IN UNDERSERVED AREAS- The Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention of the Department of Justice shall make a grant
to the National Court-Appointed Special Advocate Association for the purposes
of--
(1) expanding the recruitment of, and
building the capacity of, court-appointed special advocate programs located
in the 15 largest urban areas;
(2) developing regional, multijurisdictional
court-appointed special advocate programs serving rural areas; and
(3) providing training and supervision
of volunteers in court-appointed special advocate programs.
(b) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURES-
Not more than 5 percent of the grant made under this subsection may be
used for administrative expenditures.
(c) DETERMINATION OF URBAN AND RURAL
AREAS- For purposes of administering the grant authorized under this subsection,
the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
of the Department of Justice shall determine whether an area is one of
the 15 largest urban areas or a rural area in accordance with the practices
of, and statistical information compiled by, the Bureau of the Census.
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS-
There is authorized to be appropriated to make the grant authorized under
this section, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2000.
END
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