Austin News

U.S. Senators John Cornyn, Maggie Hassan, and Ben Ray Luján have announced the progress of their Jenna Quinn Law, which has successfully passed the House and is now awaiting the President's signature. This legislation aims to use existing grant funds to provide training and education for students, teachers, caregivers, and other adults working with children on how to prevent, recognize, and report child sexual abuse.

Senator Cornyn stated, "Congress must ensure every state has robust resources to train those who work with children on how to identify and prevent the vicious cycle of child sexual abuse." He emphasized that this bill would equip students, teachers, and caregivers with essential tools for protecting vulnerable children nationwide.

Senator Hassan added that "Members of both parties are united in our mission to find additional ways to keep children safe from sexual abuse." She expressed hope that the bipartisan effort would soon be enacted into law.

Senator Luján highlighted the importance of equipping adults with knowledge to combat child sexual abuse. "Every child deserves protection from abuse," he said. He noted that Jenna’s Law is already implemented in several states including New Mexico.

The Senate passed the Jenna Quinn Law on February 9th, 2024. Senator Mike Braun co-sponsored it while Representatives Nathaniel Moran, Michael McCaul, and Susan Wild led it in the House.

Jenna Quinn has been a significant advocate for this cause. Her efforts led to Texas passing what became known as Jenna’s Law in 2009. The law was a pioneering step in mandating K-12 training for students and school staff on preventing child sexual abuse. It was expanded in 2017 to include sex trafficking prevention education.

Studies following the implementation of Jenna’s Law indicated an increase in reported cases by educators post-training compared to their pre-training careers. The new federal legislation seeks to authorize grants for evidence-based training across schools nationwide.