Hoyer Testifies Before Maryland House of Delegates Judiciary Committee on Ensuring Child Custody Evaluators are Qualified and Well-Trained
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) testified before the Maryland House of Delegates Judiciary Committee in support of House Bill 405, Family Law - Child Custody Evaluators - Qualifications and Training. This bill would ensure that child custody evaluators are qualified and well-trained to best represent vulnerable children’s needs. Below are his remarks and a link to the video:

Click here for a link to the video.
“Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for allowing me to testify. Mr. Chairman, each year in America, as many as 58,000 children are forced into unsupervised contact with abusive parents through custody or unprotected visitation.
“Sadly, a custody evaluator, judges, and lawyers often fail to detect and address this abuse adequately and expeditiously. We can't let that continue. That's what this bill is about. Thank you, Mr. Kaufman.
“This is a matter of life and death for these children. The Center for Judicial Excellence found that since 2008, 984 children have been killed by parents in situations involving divorce, separation, custody, visitation, child support, or court involvement.
“That's roughly one child per week. 21 of those murders occurred in Maryland, Mr. Chairman. 21 children shot, strangled, stabbed, poisoned, drowned, or beaten to death by their parent. Many more children survive, but to live with the scars of this abuse for the rest of their lives, as we've heard. These children are often too young to read, speak, or even walk, let alone comprehend why this abuse is happening to them.
“We each have a duty, Mr. Chairman, to stand up for the youngest and most vulnerable among us. That's why as Majority Leader, last Congress, in the Congress, I helped lead the effort to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which included Kayden’s Law, as you've heard. That law was named for a seven-year-old killed by her father, whom the courts knew to be dangerous, but they nevertheless allowed him to have unsupervised visitation with Kayden.
“I strongly support this bill. As you know, Anne Hoyer is my daughter, but I do not support it for that reason. This will help our state meet the standards that Kayden’s Law will establish.
“We need to ensure that well-trained, competent experts make these life or death decisions for our children. We must also do more to prevent the circumstances that require these decisions to be made in the first place, of course.
“This bill does not seek to undermine parental rights, but it does seek to make the safety of their children paramount. This bill is about speaking up for children who often don't have a voice, protecting those who cannot protect themselves. I urge you to advance this crucial legislation.
“Thank you, Mr. Kaufman, for sponsoring it. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”