Child and Animal Abuse Detection and Reporting Act

HR 712, the Child and Animal Abuse Detection and Reporting Act, amends federal law to require the national clearinghouse tracking child abuse and neglect data to also collect information on animal abuse incidents connected to child abuse cases. Specifically, it expands the existing data collection framework to include "the incidence of any such cases related to animal abuse," such as when a family's pets are harmed during a child abuse situation. This means state child welfare agencies reporting to the federal clearinghouse must now include animal abuse data tied to child abuse incidents, without requiring separate animal cruelty reports. The bill directly affects the federal agency managing the clearinghouse (within the Department of Health and Human Services) and state child welfare systems that provide this data.