,,iii  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,h4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #gb  ,,in ,,the       
,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states   
,september #bf1 #bjah,received          
,,concurrent ,,resolution  ,expressing  
the sense of ,congress that child safety
 is the first priority of custody and   
visitation adjudications1 and that      
,state courts should improve            
adjudications of custody where family   
violence is alleged4  ,whereas          
approximately #ae million children are  
exposed each year to domestic violence  
and_/or child abuse1 which are often    
linked2 ,whereas child sexual abuse is  
significantly under-documented1 and     
under-addressed in the legal system2    
,whereas child abuse is a major public  
health issue in the ,united ,states1    
with total lifetime estimated financial 
costs associated with just one year of  
confirmed cases of child maltreatment   
7including physical abuse1 sexual abuse1
 psychological abuse and neglect7       
amounting to approximately #abd billion2

 ,whereas according to the ,centers for 
,disease ,control and ,prevention1      
federally launched1 funded and tracked  
longitudinal research into adverse      
childhood experiences 7the ,a,c,es      
study7 has shown that children who      
experience abuse and neglect are also at
 increased risk for adverse health      
effects and certain chronic diseases as 
adults1 including heart disease1 cancer1
 chronic lung disease1 liver disease1   
obesity1 high blood pressure1 high      
cholesterol1 and high levels of         
,c-reactive protein2 ,whereas research  
confirms that allegations of domestic   
violence1 child abuse1 and child sexual 
abuse are often discounted when raised  
in child custody litigation2 ,whereas   
research shows that abusive parents are 
often granted custody or unprotected    
parenting time by courts1 placing       
children at ongoing risk2 ,whereas      
research confirms that a child's risk of
 abuse increases after a perpetrator of 
domestic violence separates from a      

domestic partner1 even when the         
perpetrator has not previously abused   
the child2 ,whereas researchers have    
documented a minimum of #fec children   
murdered in the ,united ,states since   
#bjjh by a parent involved in a divorce1
 separation1 custody1 visitation1 or    
child support proceeding1 often after   
access was provided by family courts    
over the objections of a protective     
parent2 ,whereas scientifically unsound 
theories are frequently applied to      
reject parents' and children's reports  
of abuse2 ,whereas in cases involving   
allegations of family violence courts   
should rely on the assistance of        
third-party professionals only when they
 possess the proper experience or       
expertise for assessing family violence 
and trauma1 and apply scientifically    
sound and evidence-based theories2      
,whereas most ,states lack standards    
defining required expertise and         
experience for court-affiliated or      
appointed fee-paid professionals in     

custody litigation or the required      
contents of custody-related expert      
reports2 and ,whereas custody litigation
 involving abuse allegations is         
sometimes prohibitively expensive1      
resulting in parental bankruptcy1 as a  
result of court-mandated payments to    
appointed fee-paid professionals1 in    
addition to attorneys' fees3 ,now1      
therefore1 be it  ,that it is the sense 
of ,congress that-- 7#a7 child safety is
 the first priority of custody and      
parenting adjudications1 and courts     
should resolve safety risks and claims  
of family violence first1 as a          
fundamental consideration1 before       
assessing other best interest factors2  
7#b7 all evidence admitted in custody   
and parenting adjudications should be   
subject to evidentiary admissibility    
standards2  7#c7 evidence from          
court-affiliated or appointed fee-paid  
professionals regarding adult or child  
abuse allegations in custody cases      
should be admitted only when the        

professional possesses documented       
expertise and experience in the relevant
 types of abuse1 trauma1 and the        
behaviors of victims and perpetrators2  
7#d7 ,states should define required     
standards of expertise and experience   
for appointed fee-paid professionals who
 provide evidence to the court on abuse1
 trauma and behaviors of victims and    
perpetrators1 should specify            
requirements for the contents of such   
professional reports1 and should require
 courts to find that any appointed      
professionals meet those standards2     
7#e7 ,states should consider models     
under which court-appointed             
professionals are paid directly by the  
courts1 with potential reimbursement by 
the parties after due consideration of  
the parties' financial circumstances2   
and  7#f7 ,congress should schedule     
hearings on family courts' practices    
with regard to the objective1 fair1 and 
unbiased adjudication of children's     
safety and civil rights4  ,passed the   

,house of ,representatives ,september   
#be1 #bjah4,karen ,l4 ,haas1,clerk4