Weber Times

WASHINGTON – Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT) introduced the Court Improvement Program Enhancement Act of 2024, a bipartisan initiative aimed at enhancing the Court Improvement Program (CIP) to promote quality care and improved outcomes for children and families. The legislation was co-sponsored by Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) and Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA).

The Court Improvement Program Enhancement Act will clarify that CIP funds may be used for technological improvements, including support for remote hearings and coordination with other agencies on backup approaches to prevent disruptions from public health crises, natural disasters, cyber-attacks, and more. The bill seeks to revamp current state court requirements to better handle foster care and adoption proceedings by allowing state courts to use CIP funds for remote hearing technology and training for judges, attorneys, and other legal personnel.

“The Court Improvement Program is essential to ensuring courts can best serve children and families in the child welfare system. The Court Improvement Program Enhancement Act of 2024 takes the program a step further by clarifying that courts can and should invest in technology that improves outcomes for children and families and protects against interruptions caused by natural disasters, cyber-attacks, or public health crises,” said Congressman Blake Moore. “I am glad to be working with my colleagues, Rep. Miller and Rep. Chu, on this bipartisan initiative to improve our child welfare system, and I look forward to seeing this bill advance through the Ways and Means Committee.”

Congresswoman Carol Miller emphasized the importance of modernizing the judicial process: “The Court Improvement Program is critical in helping improve the judicial process for foster care and adoption proceedings. The Court Improvement Program Enhancement Act will help modernize the child welfare system and allow for new technological advancements to increase efficiency and care within the judicial process. These targeted reforms will help more children find loving and safe homes.”

Congresswoman Judy Chu highlighted the significance of supporting vulnerable children: “Every child deserves to have a safe and stable home, with parents or guardians who love and support them. By providing grants to State and Tribal courts to collect data, assess their child welfare practices, develop improvement plans, support child welfare legal training, [and] expertise...the Court Improvement Program has a strong record of helping resolve legal cases involving vulnerable children...That is why I'm co-leading this bipartisan bill...to reauthorize [and] improve upon this critical program...increase access [to] virtual proceedings...[strengthen] state court interactions with tribal courts...[increase funding].”

The CIP supports Superior Courts in overseeing cases on child abuse and neglect in a timely manner while providing essential training on trauma-informed care.

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