Subject: [child_neglect_abuse] House Ways and Means Takes on NY/NJ CPS Failures House Legislative Committee will hold hearings today to take testimony on why state CPS agencies 'FAIL TO PROTECT CHILDREN.' This arises in light of recent DYFS failure to protect already adopted children, and the failure of DYFS who visited home 38 times to check on foster child in pre-adoptive status. Four boys were starving in home. ADVISORY FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 30, 2003 HR-5 CONTACT: (202) 225-1025 Herger Announces Hearing to Examine Recent Failure to Protect Child Safety Congressman Wally Herger (R-CA), Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing to examine a recent failure to protect child safety. The hearing will take place on Thursday, November 6, 2003, in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m. In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include State and local officials and outside experts familiar with the recent high-profile child abuse case uncovered in New Jersey involving several boys who were starved by their adoptive parents. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing. BACKGROUND: Recent news accounts documented cases of shocking abuse and neglect of children adopted by a family in New Jersey (see http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/27/nyregion/27JERS.html). <http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/27/nyregion/27JERS.html).> Similar stories have been written about cases in other States involving the death or abuse of children involved with the child welfare system. Federal taxpayers provided States $3.1 billion in 2002 to support children in foster care and adoptive settings, and $2.8 billion more in administrative funding for States and localities to use to ensure the safety of vulnerable children. In announcing the hearing, Chairman Herger stated, "It is hard to imagine how adults could intentionally starve children. It is also hard to accept the grim reality that we as taxpayers subsidized their terrible neglect to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. This hearing seeks to expose how these children's abuse went unnoticed so that we can work to prevent other children from enduring such horrible abuse." FOCUS OF THE HEARING: The hearing will focus on: (1) what happened to the children starved in the New Jersey case, (2) how their years of abuse escaped the notice of child welfare workers and others in the community, and (3) what Federal and State officials can do to prevent the recurrence of such horrific acts in New Jersey and other States. DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS: Please Note: Due to the change in House mail policy, any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should send it electronically to hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov, along with a fax copy to (202) 225-2610, by the close of business, Thursday, November 20, 2003. Those filing written statements who wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing should deliver their 200 copies to the new Congressional Courier Acceptance Site at the location of 2nd and D Streets, N.E., at least 48 hours prior to the hearing date. Please ensure that you have the address of the Subcommittee on Human Resources, Room B-317 Rayburn House Office Building, on your package, and contact the staff of the Subcommittee at (202) 225-1025 of its impending arrival. When a couriered item arrives at this facility, it will be opened, screened and then delivered to the Subcommittee office, within one of the following time frames: (1) expected or confirmed deliveries will be delivered in approximately 2 to 3 hours, or, (2) unexpected items, or items not approved by the Subcommittee office, will be delivered the morning of the next business day. The U.S. Capitol Police will refuse all non-governmental courier deliveries to all House Office Buildings. FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS: Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee. 1. Due to the change in House mail policy, all statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted electronically to hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov, along with a fax copy to (202) 225-2610, in Word Perfect or MS Word format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record. 2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee. 3. Any statements must include a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers of each witness. Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://waysandmeans.house.gov. <http://waysandmeans.house.gov.>