INFANT PLAN OF SAFE CARE IMPROVEMENT ACT

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4843, the Infant Plan of Safe Care Improvement Act.

Mr. Speaker, one of our highest national priorities should be to ensure that children have early quality opportunities to remove barriers to success in future life. But children born dependent on addictive substances face severe obstacles to overcome, and we know that many of these obstacles can be removed.

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, CAPTA, is meant to support infants born addicted to these illegal substances. Unfortunately, nearly every State fails to follow the CAPTA requirements, which work to ensure that children born of these circumstances have a plan of safe care that will help them grow up healthy.

H.R. 4843 is a strong positive first step to safeguard the well-being of our Nation's most vulnerable children. It will strengthen an infant's plan of safe care. It will help families and caregivers give the guidance and support they need in order to provide a nurturing environment for these children.

I welcome this bipartisan agreement to amend CAPTA as part of the comprehensive efforts to intervene and treat those affected by substance abuse. I therefore urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4843.