,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cfib ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #ab1 #bjbj,mrs4 ,gillibrand 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,rounds1 and ,ms4 ,sinema7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services ,a ,,bill ,to improve the ability of the ,department of ,defense to effectively prevent1 track1 and respond to military-connected child abuse4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,end ,military-,connected ,child ,abuse and ,neglect ,act4 #b4 ,actions to address military-connected child abuse 7a7 ,in general ,consistent with the recommendations of the ,government ,accountability ,office in the report titled ,increased ,guidance and ,collaboration ,needed to ,improve ,,dod's ,tracking and ,response to ,child ,abuse 7,,gao-#bj-aaj71 the ,secretary of ,defense shall carry out activities to improve the ability of the ,department of ,defense to effectively prevent1 track1 and respond to military-connected child abuse4 7b7 ,activities required ,the activities carried out under subsection 7a7 shall include the following3 7#a7 ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall expand the scope of the ,department of ,defense's centralized database on problematic sexual behavior in children and youth to track information on all incidents involving child abuse reported to a ,family ,advocacy ,program or investigated by a military law enforcement organization1 regardless of whether the perpetrator of the abuse is another child1 an adult1 or a person in a noncaregiving role at the time of the incident4 7#b7 ,the ,secretary of ,defense1 in consultation with the ,secretary of each military department1 shall ensure-- 7,a7 that each ,family ,advocacy ,program records1 in a database of the ,program1 the date on which the ,program notified a military law enforcement organization of a reported incident of child abuse2 and 7,b7 that each military law enforcement organization records1 in a database of the organization1 the date on which the organization notified a ,family ,advocacy ,program of a reported incident of child abuse4 7#c7 ,the ,secretary of ,defense1 in consultation with the ,secretary of each military department1 shall issue guidance that clarifies the process through which the ,family ,advocacy ,program of an ,armed ,force will receive1 and incorporate into the ,program's central registry1 information regarding child abuse allegations involving members of that ,armed ,force and dependents of such members in cases in which such allegations were previously recorded by the ,family ,advocacy ,program of another ,armed ,force4 ,such guidance shall include a mechanism for monitoring the process to ensure that the process is carried out consistently4 7#d7 ,each ,armed ,force shall develop a process to monitor how reported incidents of child abuse are screened at military installations to help ensure that all reported child abuse incidents that should be presented to an ,incident ,determination ,committee are consistently presented and tracked4 7#e7 ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall ensure that the ,under ,secretary of ,defense for ,personnel and ,readiness1 in consultation with the ,director of the ,department of ,defense ,education ,activity1 clarifies ,department of ,defense ,education ,activity guidance to define what types of child abuse incidents must be reported as serious incidents to help ensure that all serious incidents of which ,department of ,defense ,education ,activity leadership needs to be informed are accurately and consistently reported by school administrators4 7#f7 ,the ,secretary of ,defense1 in consultation with the ,secretaries of the military departments1 shall expand the voting membership of each ,incident ,determination ,committee to include medical personnel with requisite knowledge and experience4 7#g7 ,each ,armed ,force shall implement procedures to provide the families of child abuse victims with comprehensive information on how reported incidents of child abuse will be addressed4 ,such practices may include the development of a guide that-- 7,a7 explains the processes the ,family ,advocacy ,program and military law enforcement organizations will follow to address the report2 and 7,b7 identifies services and other resources available to victims and their families4 7#h7 ,the ,secretary of ,defense1 in consultation with the ,secretaries of the military departments1 shall issue guidance to clarify the circumstances under which military commanders may exercise the authority to remove a child from a potentially unsafe home on a military installation outside the ,united ,states4 7#i7 ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall ensure that the ,under ,secretary of ,defense for ,personnel and ,readiness1 in consultation with the ,director of the ,defense ,health ,agency1 establishes processes that help ensure children who are sexually abused outside the ,united ,states have timely access to a certified pediatric sexual assault forensic examiner to conduct an examination4 ,such processes may include certifying pediatricians or adult sexual assault forensic examiners as pediatric examiners during mandatory training or establishing shared regional assets4 7#aj7 ,the ,secretary of ,defense1 in consultation with the ,deputy ,attorney ,general1 shall seek to improve communication between military criminal investigative organizations and ,united ,states ,attorneys for relevant cases involving child victims1 including by seeking to ensure that military investigators are notified when a prosecution is declined and that such notice includes the reasons for the declination when appropriate4 7#aa7 ,the ,secretary of each military department shall seek to develop a memorandum of understanding with the ,national ,children's ,alliance that makes children's advocacy center services available to all military installations of the department and increases awareness of those services across the department4 7c7 ,deadline ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall carry out the activities described in subsection 7b7 not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7d7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term ,armed ,forces means the ,army1 ,navy1 ,air ,force1 and ,marine ,corps4 7#b7 ,the term child abuse means any abuse of a child 7including physical abuse1 sexual abuse1 emotional abuse1 and neglect7 regardless of whether the perpetrator of the abuse is another child1 an adult1 or a person in a noncaregiving role4 7#c7 ,the term ,incident ,determination ,committee means a committee established at a military installation that is responsible for reviewing reported incidents of child abuse and determining whether such incidents constitute child abuse according to the applicable criteria of the ,department of ,defense4 7#d7 ,the term military-connected1 when used with respect to child abuse1 means child abuse occurring on a military installation or involving a dependent of a member of the ,armed ,forces4