The House adopted an amendment offered by Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL) and Congressman Todd Young (R-IN), (and endorsed by CWLA), that will allow Justice Department funded substance abuse treatment diversion grants to focus on parents whose incarceration could result in their children entering foster care.
The amendment was considered as part of the House debates on a series of opioid bills that were substituted for S 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act or CARA. The
amendment addressed a part of the House legislation that modifies how the U.S. Department of Justice awards funds. The bill as approved in the House Judiciary allows funding for programs that expand treatment alternatives to incarceration programs which may include programs such as training for criminal justice agency personnel on substance use disorders, mental health courts, drug courts, and veterans treatment court programs among other priorities. Now the list of priorities includes programs that include a focus on parents whose incarceration would result in their children entering the child welfare system.
