H.R. 6972

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6972 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6972

To amend title X of the Public Health Service Act to require grant 
recipients to comply with all applicable State and local laws requiring 
notification or reporting of child abuse, child molestation, sexual 
abuse, rape, incest, intimate partner violence, or human trafficking, 
and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 7, 2026

Mr. Smucker (for himself, Mrs. Biggs of South Carolina, Mr. Gill of 
Texas, Mr. Higgins of Louisiana, Mr. Gosar, Ms. Tenney, Mr. Joyce of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. Bost, Mr. Weber of Texas, and Mr. Rose) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend title X of the Public Health Service Act to require grant 
recipients to comply with all applicable State and local laws requiring 
notification or reporting of child abuse, child molestation, sexual 
abuse, rape, incest, intimate partner violence, or human trafficking, 
and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Reporting Accountability and Abuse 
Prevention Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. COMPLIANCE BY PROJECTS FUNDED UNDER TITLE X WITH STATE AND 
LOCAL SEXUAL ABUSE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

Title X of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300 et seq.) is 
amending by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 1009. COMPLIANCE WITH STATE AND LOCAL SEXUAL ABUSE REPORTING 
REQUIREMENTS.

``(a) In General.--As a condition on the award or renewal of a 
grant under this title for any project or program, the Secretary shall 
require the grant recipient to comply with all applicable State and 
local laws requiring notification or reporting of child abuse, child 
molestation, sexual abuse, rape, incest, intimate partner violence, or 
human trafficking (in this section referred to as `State notification 
laws').
``(b) Required Compliance.--In ensuring compliance with subsection 
(a) for a project or program, the grant recipient shall provide to the 
Secretary appropriate documentation or otherwise demonstrate to the 
Secretary's satisfaction that the grant recipient--
``(1) has in place and implements a plan to comply with 
State notification laws, including, at a minimum, policies and 
procedures that include--
``(A) a summary of obligations under State 
notification laws of the project or program, or of each 
organization and individual carrying out the project or 
program, including any obligation to inquire about or 
determine the age of a minor patient or of a minor 
patient's sexual partner;
``(B) timely and adequate annual training of all 
individuals (whether or not they are employees) serving 
patients for, or on behalf of, the project or program 
regarding--
``(i) compliance with State notification 
laws;
``(ii) policies and procedures of the 
project or program with respect to notification 
and reporting of child abuse, child 
molestation, sexual abuse, rape, incest, 
intimate partner violence, and human 
trafficking; and
``(iii) appropriate interventions, 
strategies, and referrals to improve the safety 
and current situation of the patient;
``(C) protocols to ensure that every minor who 
presents for treatment is provided counseling on how to 
resist attempts to coerce the minor into engaging in 
sexual activities; and
``(D) a commitment to conduct a preliminary 
screening of any minor who presents with a sexually 
transmitted disease, pregnancy, or any suspicion of 
abuse, in order to rule out victimization of the minor; 
and
``(2) maintains records that demonstrate compliance with 
each of the requirements set forth in paragraph (1) and--
``(A) indicate the age of minor patients;
``(B) document each notification or report made 
pursuant to State notification laws; and
``(C) indicate the age of the minor patient's 
sexual partners if such age is an element of a State 
notification law under which a report is required.
``(c) Review of Records.--As a condition on the award or renewal of 
a grant under this title for any project or program, a grant recipient 
shall agree to allow the Secretary, the Inspector General of the 
Department of Health and Human Services, and the Comptroller General of 
the United States to review the records maintained by the grant 
recipient, including any contractor or subgrantee of the grant 
recipient, for the purpose of ensuring compliance with this section.
``(d) Penalties for Noncompliance.--The Secretary shall--
``(1) if the Secretary finds that a grantee under this 
title has violated subsection (a), (b), or (c), work with the 
grantee to remedy such noncompliance; and
``(2) if the Secretary finds that the grantee commits a 
subsequent violation of subsection (a), (b), or (c)--
``(A) seek repayment of all monetary Federal 
assistance received by the grantee under this title on 
or after the date of enactment of the Reporting 
Accountability and Abuse Prevention Act of 2026; and
``(B) not award or provide any assistance under 
this title to the grantee for a period of at least 36 
months following the date of finding that the grantee 
has committed such subsequent violation.''.
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