S. 659

119 S659 IS: Generate Recordings of All Child protective Interviews Everywhere Act
 U.S. Senate
 2025-02-20
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 II  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  S. 659  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   February 20, 2025   Mrs. Blackburn  introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on the Judiciary    A BILL
To establish a grant program within the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award grants to States that require the recording of all child welfare interviews with children and adults, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Generate Recordings of All Child protective Interviews Everywhere Act   or the   GRACIE Act of 2025  .
2.
Child protective service interview recording grants
(a)
Definitions
In this section:
(1)
Child welfare interview
The term  child welfare interview  means a documented interview with all relevant parties, including a child and an adult, conducted by a child protective services agency of a State in order to elicit information regarding concerns of abuse, neglect, or exposure to violence.
(2)
Director
The term  Director  means the Director of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the Department of Justice.
(3)
Eligible entity
The term  eligible entity  means a child protective services agency of a State that has in effect a statute, ordinance, policy, or practice that requires—
(A)
any child welfare interview conducted by a child protective services agency of the State to be recorded through—
(i)
electronic audio recording;
(ii)
body camera video; or
(iii)
any other reasonable means of recording; and
(B)
the retention and storage of a recording described in subparagraph (A)—
(i)
for not less than 5 years; and
(ii)
in a manner consistent with the protocols established by the State for such recordings, which shall include that—
(I)
a copy of such a recording—
(aa)
subject to item (bb), may only be released to those investigating an allegation; and
(bb)
upon a request by a caregiver or guardian in connection with a judicial proceeding, shall be made available to the caregiver or guardian, unless the court orders otherwise;
(II)
a penalty is imposed for a violation of a limitation described in subclause (I); and
(III)
the retention systems of the child protective services agency securely manage the storage and distribution of such a recording with access controls and role-based permission management.
(4)
State
The term  State  means—
(A)
each of the several States;
(B)
the District of Columbia;
(C)
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and
(D)
any territory or possession of the United States.
(b)
Grants
The Director may award a grant to an eligible entity for the purpose of recording and storing all child welfare interviews conducted by the eligible entity.
(c)
Application
An eligible entity seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the Director an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require.
(d)
Use of funds
Amounts received under a grant under this section shall be used exclusively for costs directly associated with conducting and retaining for 5 years the recording of all child welfare interviews by a child protective services agency of a State, including initial interviews conducted during a family assessment.
(e)
Funding
The Director shall carry out this section using amounts otherwise available to the Director.