NJCA supports and advocates for national legislation as aligned with the National Children’s Alliance, including:
- Supporting the work of CACs – and demonstrating Congressional support for these vital services – through full funding of the Victims of Child Abuse Act.
- Ensuring that abused children receive the services they need through increasing funding for the Victims of Crime Act (Crime Victims Fund).
- Supporting the work of CACs by ensuring that CACs have the support and resources they need to serve victims of human trafficking by bringing attention to the issue on a national level.
- Supporting legislation to not only better protect against child abuse, but to also provide needed trauma-informed care for children exposed to violence.
Current State Legislative Priorities
NJCA strongly supports the passage of a robust version of “Erin’s Law” in New Jersey.
“Erin’s Law” requires that all public schools in each state implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program which teaches:
- Students in grades preK – 12th grade, age-appropriate techniques to recognize child sexual abuse and tell a trusted adult
- School personnel all about child sexual abuse
- Parents & guardians the warning signs of child sexual abuse, plus needed assistance, referral or resource information to support sexually abused children and their families.
Current National Legislative Priorities
Children’s Advocacy Centers need your help to secure much needed federal funding. The need for child abuse related services has been growing, and funding for CACs has not kept up with the growth – and there is now a bipartisan effort to get the CJS (Commerce, Justice, Science) Appropriations Committee to fully fund the Victims of Child Abuse Act at $25 million in the FY19 CJS Appropriations bill.
You can help! Find your Congressional representative here:
https://www.house.gov/. Call their DC office and ask them to support funding for CACs.
SAMPLE SCRIPT:
Hello, I am a constituent from ________ (your town), and am calling to urge Rep. _________ to support fully funding the Victims of Child Abuse Act at $25 million in the FY19 CJS Appropriations bill. This funding is critical in enabling Children’s Advocacy Centers to provide much needed services to victims of child abuse. I would also like to ask Rep._____ to encourage their CJS colleagues to release as much from the Crime Victims Fund/VOCA as possible. Can I count on Rep. _____ to support child abuse victims through these actions?
– If YES: Thank them for their support.
– If NO: Say that you hope they will reconsider, as victims of child abuse are among the most vulnerable in our society, and need the help of Children’s Advocacy Centers to heal and lead healthy productive lives.