HR6972-119

What This Bill Does

The Reporting Accountability and Abuse Prevention Act of 2026 adds a compliance section to Title X of the Public Health Service Act. As a condition of grant award or renewal, every Title X project or program must comply with State and local notification or reporting laws for child abuse, child molestation, sexual abuse, rape, incest, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking. Grant recipients must demonstrate that they have a compliance plan with policies and procedures summarizing State-law obligations, including any duty to determine the age of a minor patient or sexual partner; annual training for everyone serving patients on behalf of the project; intervention, strategy, and referral practices to improve patient safety; counseling protocols helping minors resist coercion into sexual activity; and preliminary screening when a minor presents with an STD, pregnancy, or suspected abuse. Recipients must keep records showing compliance, minor patient ages, notifications or reports made, and sexual partner ages when relevant under State law. HHS, the HHS Inspector General, and GAO can review recipient, contractor, and subgrantee records. For an initial violation, HHS works with the grantee to remedy noncompliance. For a subsequent violation, HHS must seek repayment of all Title X assistance received after enactment and deny Title X assistance for at least 36 months.

Who Benefits and How

Minor patients benefit if Title X providers more consistently screen for abuse, coercion, trafficking, statutory rape, and intimate partner violence and make required reports. State child-protection and law enforcement systems benefit from clearer compliance duties and records from Title X projects. HHS, the HHS Inspector General, and GAO benefit from explicit access to recipient, contractor, and subgrantee records when checking compliance.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Title X grant recipients, contractors, and subgrantees must comply with State and local reporting laws, write policies, train all patient-serving personnel annually, conduct minor-patient screening, maintain age and report records, allow federal reviews, remedy violations, repay federal assistance after repeat violations, and risk at least 36 months without Title X funding. Family planning clinics may face higher compliance costs, privacy-management burdens, documentation work, and potential funding loss. HHS program staff, HHS OIG auditors, and GAO reviewers must conduct oversight and enforce repayment and debarment rules.

Key Provisions

• Requires Title X grant recipients to comply with State and local abuse-reporting laws as a condition of award or renewal.
• Requires compliance plans, annual training, coercion-resistance counseling, minor-patient screening, and records of reports.
• Authorizes HHS, HHS OIG, and GAO to review recipient, contractor, and subgrantee records.
• Directs HHS to work with grantees to remedy initial noncompliance.
• Requires repayment of Title X assistance and a minimum 36-month funding bar after subsequent violations.