To require military child and youth programs to provide prompt notice of alleged or suspected neglect or abuse of children to the parents or guardians of those children, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Tokuda (for herself, Mr. Moore of Utah, Ms. Jacobs, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Military Child and Youth Program Abuse and Neglect Notification Act requires the Department of Defense to establish strict notification timelines whenever abuse or neglect of children is alleged or suspected at military child care facilities. Under this bill, DoD programs must notify parents within 24 hours of becoming aware of alleged abuse, and must notify the Congressional Armed Services Committees and relevant members of Congress within 72 hours. The bill applies to all military child development centers, DoD youth programs, family home day care, and any child care providers receiving federal funding under existing DoD assistance programs.
Who Benefits and How
Parents and guardians of children enrolled in military child care programs are the primary beneficiaries. They gain the legal right to rapid notification (within 24 hours) if their child may have been subjected to abuse or neglect, allowing them to take protective action immediately. Congressional oversight committees also benefit through enhanced awareness of incidents within 72 hours, strengthening their ability to monitor child safety in military facilities and hold DoD accountable for protecting vulnerable children.
Who Bears the Burden and How
DoD child care program operators face new compliance requirements including implementing notification systems, training staff on reporting timelines, and ensuring all incidents are properly documented and communicated. They must establish procedures to track the 24-hour and 72-hour deadlines and face potential legal liability for failures. Department of Defense administrative staff must develop the Secretary's mandated policy, create templates for Congressional notifications, and manage the increased workload of notifying multiple Congressional offices for each incident.
Key Provisions
- Mandates 24-hour notification to parents/guardians when abuse or neglect is alleged or suspected at any covered DoD child care facility
- Requires 72-hour notification to Congressional Armed Services Committees when incidents occur
- Requires notification to state Senators if abuse occurs within a state, and to House members for incidents in their districts
- Defines "covered programs" to include military child development centers, DoD youth programs, family home day care, and federally-funded providers
- Directs the Secretary of Defense to prescribe the implementing policy for these notification requirements
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Requires military child and youth programs to promptly notify parents and Congressional representatives when abuse or neglect of children is alleged or suspected
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Increase transparency and accountability in military child care programs by mandating rapid notification to both families and Congress"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Parents and guardians of children in military child care
- Congressional oversight committees
- Child safety advocates
Likely Burden Bearers
- Department of Defense child and youth program operators
- DoD administrative staff responsible for compliance
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Defense
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A military child development center, a Department of Defense youth program, a family home day care, or a provider of child care services or youth program services that receives financial assistance under section 1798
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology