HB 1499 is a proposed bill that will defund the Arkansas Commission on Child Abuse, Rape and Domestic Violence (ACCARDV).  The bill will reallocate their funds to Children's Advocacy Centers of Arkansas (CACA). 

Child advocacy centers are an integral part of investigations but at the same time are only a tool for investigators to utilize while working their investigations. Should this pass, it segregates victims of domestic violence and rape forcing them to find a new source for funding. Child advocacy centers are an amazing place for child abuse victims and we fully support their mission, however taking money away from victims of rape and domestic violence to monopolize funds is not acceptable. What they are attempting to do is unethical and will leave a huge hole in the system for case after case to fall through the cracks.
 
This proposed bill is fully supported by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and his wife Susan Hutchinson. Curious enough, Susan Hutchinson is on the board of directors for Children's Advocacy Centers of Arkansas. Even more curious is that the bill's sponsor Arkansas State Representative Charlene Fite and one of the bill's co-sponsors Arkansas Senator Jonathan Dismang are both on the Children's Advocacy Centers of Arkansas advisory council. Elected officials utilizing their influence to funnel funds into an organization they are directly involved with not only presents a clear conflict of interest, but also borders on illegal.  

This bill will transfer funds previously allocated for ACCARDV to Children's Advocacy Centers of Arkansas (CACA). In doing so, it also transfers control of Arkansas's Multidisciplinary Teams to CACA. The multidisciplinary teams (MDT) consist of front-line child abuse personal (prosecutors, Department of Children and Family Services, Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division, counselors, local law enforcement, child advocates and forensic interviewers).  All of these agencies collaborate to minimize repetitive services for children involved in maltreatment/abuse reports. Currently the MDT coordinators facilitate MDT meetings, document information in a state database and prioritize a team approach to better serve the abused youth of Arkansas.
 
Most counties in Arkansas have an MDT coordinator and MDT meetings on a regular basis. One of the purposes of ACCARDV is to oversee the MDT Coordinators and ensure they are maintaining the highest of standards while facilitating team collaboration/cooperation. Each MDT coordinator has extensive frontline experience working with abused children and child abuse investigations. Should control of MDT duties be transferred to CACA the current MDT system will be abandoned and regional MDT meetings will be held by designated CAC staff member.

There are 75 Counties in Arkansas and only 17 child advocacy centers. Currently almost every county has its own MDT coordinator who works diligently to ensure no child falls through the cracks and receives all services needed. Seventeen advocacy centers cannot possibly maintain the current level of professionalism, comprehensive care and collaborative awareness which sets this great state apart from others. Arkansas has for years been a beacon light, setting new standards for other states to follow in the child abuse fight. Multiple prosecutors, sheriff’s, police chiefs, agency supervisors, investigators and other frontline personnel have voiced their opposition to this bill.
 
This bill was pushed by the current CACA executive director Elizabeth Pulley behind the backs of all current MDT coordinators,  behind the back of the Arkansas Commission on Child Abuse, Rape and Domestic Violence staff and behind the backs of all current MDT members. Behind the backs of real-life superheroes who go to work every day to protect our future, our children and to provide a voice for those who lack the ability to speak for themselves.
 
The CACA executive director, governor, governor’s wife, state representatives, and senator who are the main supporters of this bill have never been involved with a child abuse investigation. They have never been inside a meth lab, never interviewed an abused child, never held a child as they took their last breath or ever witnessed a child autopsy at the state crime lab. How then can they decide to redistribute funds to a non-investigative agency who provides supportive services (child advocacy, forensic interviews, mental health and medical services) and give said non-investigative agency the power to dictate how investigations should be conducted and or prosecuted.
 
The frontline investigators who dive into the trenches each day to investigate and prosecute child abuse cases are against this bill and are prepared to mutiny against the governor and child advocacy centers should this bill become law.

Why you ask? It is simple, once upon a time the child advocacy centers in Arkansas shared a vision of collaboration and cooperation with their fellow MDT members. Now they have lost sight of what is important, of their initial mission… the “child first principle”. A principle where above all the child comes first. Now their mission is one of vanity, public image and dollar signs to fuel personal agendas.
 
Should you wish to judge the above information as critical or hostile, we implore you to visit the states advocacy center Facebook pages. We also encourage you to contact Child Advocacy Centers of Arkansas and discuss the statistically significant drop in prosecution of child abuse cases in the past three years.
 
Long story short HB 1499 was not created to benefit abused children, rape victims or victims of domestic violence. It was not created to reduce repetitive services, not created to strengthen interagency collaboration, but rather it was created out of greed. Greed by those who have white collar connections and only want to better their public image and seize control of money.

We beg of anyone reading this petition to support what is right, join the fight to deny the ambitions of those in power... those who’d like to put out our mutiny’s light. Contact Arkansas State representatives, senators and the governor to express your anger with a bill, that if passed, will only put Arkansas's future in danger.