This book consists of a compilation of brief descriptions of legislation on issues critical to children and families enacted during 1995 by the states and the District of Columbia. The laws pertaining to various issues are listed by state. The issues are: (1) abuse and neglect (including screening, court procedures and considerations, offenses and penalties, financing, legal representation and special advocates, organization and oversight, prevention and treatment, registries and records, reporting and investigations, sex offender registries, sexual abuse and exploitation, and victim and witness exploitation); (2) child care and early childhood education (including administration, background checks, financing and publicly funded programs, preschool services, regulation and licensing, school-age child care and child care in public schools, services for at-risk persons and family support, and support for providers); (3) child mental health (including administration and financing, and treatment); (4) child support enforcement (including administration, procedures, license revocation and suspension, enforcement, guidelines, health or medical support, income withholding, interstate enforcement, and paternity); (5) child welfare (including administration, adoption, family preservation and permanency plans, financing, legal procedures, out-of-home placement and foster care, and termination of parental rights); (6) family law (including custody and visitation, and domestic abuse); (7) general children, youth, and families (including administration and family support); (8) juvenile justice (including administration, disposition, financing, institutions, jurisdiction, procedures, records, and weapons offenses); (9) substance abuse and control (including license revocation and suspension, penalties, prevention and education, and tobacco use control); (10) welfare reform and public assistance (including Aid to Families with Dependent Children, general assistance, and housing and homeless assistance); and (11) youth-at-risk (including collaborative initiatives, missing and homeless children, school dropouts, teenage pregnancy, and youth employment). (DR)