---
kind: "section"
citation: "34 U.S.C. § 20301"
title: "34"
title_heading: "Crime Control and Law Enforcement"
number: "20301"
heading: "Findings"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/34/20301"
units:
  - "Subtitle II — Protection of Children and Other Persons"
  - "Chapter 203 — Victims of Child Abuse"
  - "Subchapter I — Improving Investigation and Prosecution of Child Abuse Cases"
---

# §20301. Findings


The Congress finds that—

- (1) over 3,400,000 reports of suspected [child abuse](/usc/34/20302.md?p=4) and [neglect](/usc/34/21701.md?p=1) are made each year;
- (2) the investigation and prosecution of [child abuse](/usc/34/20302.md?p=4) cases is extremely complex, involving numerous agencies and dozens of personnel;
- (3) a key to a child victim healing from [abuse](/usc/34/21701.md?p=1) is access to supportive and healthy families and communities;
- (4) traditionally, community agencies and professionals have different roles in the prevention, investigation, and intervention process;
- (5) in such cases, too often the system does not pay sufficient attention to the needs and welfare of the child victim, aggravating the trauma that the child victim has already experienced;
- (6) there is a national need to enhance coordination among community agencies and professionals involved in the intervention system;
- (7) multidisciplinary [child abuse](/usc/34/20302.md?p=4) investigation and prosecution programs have been developed that increase the reporting of [child abuse](/usc/34/20302.md?p=4) cases, reduce the trauma to the child victim, improve positive outcomes for the child, and increase the successful prosecution of [child abuse](/usc/34/20302.md?p=4) offenders;
- (8) such programs have proven effective, and with targeted Federal assistance, have expanded dramatically throughout the United States; and
- (9) [State chapters](/usc/34/20302.md?p=8) of children’s advocacy [center](/usc/34/21502.md?p=1) networks are needed to—
  - (A) assist local communities in coordinating their multidisciplinary [child abuse](/usc/34/20302.md?p=4) investigation, prosecution, and intervention services; and
  - (B) provide oversight of, and training and technical assistance in, the effective delivery of evidence-informed programming, and operations of [centers](/usc/34/21502.md?p=1).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 101–647, title II, § 211, Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4792; Pub. L. 102–586, § 6(a), Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 5029; Pub. L. 115–424, § 2(a), Jan. 7, 2019, 132 Stat. 5465; Pub. L. 117–354, § 3(1), Jan. 5, 2023, 136 Stat. 6274.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 13001 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

### Amendments

2023—Par. (1). Pub. L. 117–354, § 3(1)(A), substituted “3,400,000” for “3,300,000” and struck out “, and drug abuse is associated with a significant portion of these” after “year”.

Pars. (3) to (9). Pub. L. 117–354, § 3(1)(B), (C), added par. (3) and redesignated former pars. (3) to (8) as (4) to (9), respectively.

Par. (9)(B). Pub. L. 117–354, § 3(1)(D), inserted “, and operations of centers” after “programming”.

2019—Par. (1). Pub. L. 115–424, § 2(a)(1), substituted “3,300,000” for “2,000,000”.

Par. (6). Pub. L. 115–424, § 2(a)(2), inserted “improve positive outcomes for the child,” before “and increase” and substituted semicolon for “; and” at end.

Par. (7). Pub. L. 115–424, § 2(a)(3), substituted “have expanded dramatically throughout the United States; and” for “could be duplicated in many jurisdictions throughout the country.”

Par. (8). Pub. L. 115–424, § 2(a)(4), added par. (8).

1992—Pars. (3) to (7). Pub. L. 102–586 added pars. (3) and (5) and redesignated former pars. (3), (4), and (5) as (4), (6), and (7), respectively.