Austin News

U.S. Senators John Cornyn, Richard Blumenthal, Josh Hawley, and Marsha Blackburn, along with Representatives Jeff Van Drew, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Nathaniel Moran, and Jared Moskowitz have introduced the PROTECT Our Children Act. This bill aims to reauthorize and modernize the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program.

Senator Cornyn emphasized the program's history of equipping law enforcement officers with necessary tools to protect children. "This legislation would reauthorize and update this critical program to address the evolving digital threat landscape and protect our children from these heinous crimes," he stated.

Senator Blumenthal noted the importance of the task force in keeping children safe online. "This bipartisan legislation gives the Task Force and its law enforcement partners the tools and resources they need in their collaborative effort to fight child exploitation," he said.

Senator Blackburn highlighted the increasing threats children face online today. "The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program has helped law enforcement protect children from harm for decades," she mentioned.

Representative Van Drew pointed out that predators are using new technology daily to exploit children online. "The PROTECT Our Children Act gives them the tools to track down these criminals," he remarked.

Representative Wasserman Schultz stressed how intertwined lives are with the internet. She expressed pride in introducing this bipartisan legislation: "We all have a role to play in keeping our children safe."

Representative Moran reiterated that protecting children from technology-facilitated exploitation is crucial. He said, "The PROTECT Our Children Act reauthorizes...and ensures that federal, state, and local law enforcement work together."

Representative Moskowitz commended ICAC Task Forces for their proven track record in removing bad actors from society: "Reauthorizing this program is the right thing to do."

The ICAC Task Force Program assists state and local agencies in responding effectively to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation crimes through various means such as forensic investigations and community education. Since 1998, it has trained over 826,700 professionals and reviewed more than 1.4 million reports of online child exploitation leading to over 123,790 arrests.

The proposed act seeks updates like modernizing requirements for national strategies on child exploitation prevention by requiring detailed information from U.S Department of Justice efforts nationwide; providing liability protection during criminal investigations; making technical improvements matching current needs; focusing on proactive/reactive investigations; reauthorizing until 2027 with escalator authorization.

Endorsements include organizations such as National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN), National Children's Alliance among others supporting this initiative led by Senator Cornyn since 2017 for its continuous advocacy within Senate chambers towards securing future generations against cyber threats posed towards minors across America today!