[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 91 (Thursday, May 25, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H4575-H4577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROTECTING YOUNG VICTIMS FROM SEXUAL ABUSE ACT OF 2017
General Leave
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 1973.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Lance). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 352 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 1973.
The Chair appoints the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin) to preside
over the Committee of the Whole.
{time} 0918
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill
(H.R. 1973) to prevent the sexual abuse of minors and amateur athletes
by requiring the prompt reporting of sexual abuse to law enforcement
authorities, and for other purposes, with Mr. Poliquin in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read for the
first time.
The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Conyers) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Today, we are able to continue our efforts in protecting children by
passing legislation to protect young athletes from abuse. The country
was shocked at the revelations in recent years concerning the ongoing
abuse endured by young athletes at the hands of their coaches and
trainers in USA Gymnastics and USA Swimming. These children were
betrayed by people they trusted, by people they looked up to, and by
people who had a duty to protect them.
That is why I am pleased to be on the floor here today in support of
the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act. This bill imposes a
requirement to report child abuse for those authorized by U.S. sport
national governing bodies, such as USA Gymnastics and USA Swimming, to
work with minor athletes or members of these governing bodies.
As is the case with existing Federal mandatory reporting
requirements, these individuals will be required to make a prompt
report to law enforcement when they learn of facts that give reason to
suspect that a child has suffered an incident of child abuse. This
provision will ensure that the malfeasance on the part of national
governing bodies, like USA Gymnastics, in failing to report allegations
of abuse to law enforcement, never occurs again.
The bill further strengthens existing civil remedies for victims of
sexual abuse who wish to seek civil damages from their abusers. The
bill clarifies that once a victim has established a harm occurred, the
court will presume damages of $150,000. It relaxes the statute of
limitations for victims. The 10-year period will now begin when the
victim reasonably discovers the violation or harm, not when it accrues.
It also extends the statute of limitations to 10 years after a legal
disability is lifted. In other words, minors who are victims will have
10 years from the time they reach adulthood to file.
Finally, the bill expands the authority of the national governing
bodies to develop practices, policies, and procedures to prevent sexual
abuse, and clarifies the duties of the bodies in developing these
practices.
Sports have always been a central aspect of American life. Sports
teach our children about focus, teamwork, and leadership, and we should
encourage our children to participate, to be a part of healthy
competition; but, in doing so, we need to assure we keep these
competitive atmospheres safe.
I am pleased to see that the U.S. Olympic Committee has helped to
establish a new organization called the Center for Safe Sport, to
prevent and respond to emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of young
athletes.
I want to commend the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Brooks) for
introducing this important legislation, and I urge my colleagues to
support it.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 1973, the Protecting Young
Victims from Sexual Abuse Act, for several reasons.
Most importantly, this is a reasonable bill and is intended to help
protect young athletes from abuse and preserve the sanctity of sports
associated with the U.S. Olympic Committee, the organization
responsible for preparing and training young athletes who might one day
represent their country competitively all over the world.
Children deserve to fully enjoy the innocence of their youth--by
exploring the curiosities of the world, taking pleasure in the arts,
and participating in sports--free from hurt, harm, or danger.
Involvement in sports, and instruction and guidance from adult
coaches, can positively influence a young person's growth and
development, as well as his or her potential for future success into
adulthood.
The sexual abuse of children and youth is intolerable in any text,
and we must take appropriate measures to eliminate it from youth
sports. Such exploitation betrays and harms young people, sometimes
severely and irreparably.
Young people look to adults to protect them and keep them safe. We
all have a responsibility to do so.
With H.R. 1973, we have an opportunity to ensure that individuals
abide by this duty. Existing Federal law requires certain
professionals, such as
[[Page H4576]]
doctors, dentists, social workers, psychologists, teachers, and daycare
workers, who regularly interact with children, to report suspected
abuse to law enforcement.
While our discussion of this legislation today may focus primarily on
sexual abuse, H.R. 1973 will require adults who interact with young
athletes, in connection to national governing bodies of various sports,
to report suspected abuse of any kind.
The need for this legislation is best illustrated by an ongoing
scandal of widespread abuse and exploitation of young gymnasts over the
course of 20 years within USA Gymnastics, a prominent governing body of
the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Many complaints of sexual and emotional abuse went unreported,
allowing coaches, instructors, and doctors to repeatedly victimize
gymnasts as young as 6 years old. The shocking failure of anyone to
report accusations through law enforcement, or even keep track of
complaints internally, made it possible for some of these predators to
commit horrific acts at several gyms in several states.
For example, a cloud of allegations of abuse surrounded one
particular physician in Michigan going back as far as 1997.
Regrettably, allegations against him were not reported to law
enforcement until recently. Following the first public complaint
against him in 2015, more than 100 women have filed complaints accusing
him of sexual abuse, and he now faces more than 20 criminal charges in
both Federal and State courts.
While the USA Gymnastics scandal is unfortunate, let it be an example
and incentive to prevent such pervasive abuse elsewhere.
Accordingly, I encourage my colleagues to join me and my chairman in
supporting this important legislation.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Indiana (Mrs. Brooks), the chief sponsor of this legislation.
Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of
H.R. 1973, Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act.
Since my time as U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Indiana, I
have been committed to battling child exploitation and abuse.
Last year, I was shocked, along with much of the country, when The
Indianapolis Star published an investigative piece that exposed
troubling allegations of sexual abuse at USA Gymnastics programs across
the country.
According to their report, over the last 20 years, at least 368 young
people, most Olympic hopefuls, were the victims of sexual abuse at the
hands they trusted--coaches, trainers, doctors, and other adults
associated with USA Gymnastics. They reported the abuse to USA
Gymnastics, but, unfortunately, USA Gymnastics failed, in many cases,
to report those allegations of abuse to law enforcement authorities.
The article shed light on their stories and inspired the legislation
that is before us today. According to more than 5,600 pages of USA
Gymnastics records, released by The Indy Star, some of the 54 coaches,
who had been accused of sexual abuse by young athletes in their care,
weren't banned from gymnastics until years after their history of abuse
had been reported to and kept in complaint files by USA Gymnastics.
One USA Gymnastics doctor already referenced, Dr. Nassar, stands
accused of having abused young women and girls for more than 20 years.
More than 100 women have come forward today to share their stories of
abuse at his hands.
I understand how challenging it is to share painful stories of sexual
abuse, and I am proud of these brave gymnasts who shared their stories:
stories that never should have happened, and stories that went
inexcusably unanswered.
Their stories demand our action and our attention, not only to
provide victims with the justice denied to them for so long but also to
protect future generations of Olympic hopefuls.
I want to acknowledge the work of Senator Feinstein of California,
who is leading this bill in the Senate, and my colleagues in the
bipartisan Women's Caucus, specifically Representative Frankel of
Florida. I want to commend the chair and the ranking member of the
Judiciary Committee, and other members of the committee, for taking the
lead in protecting young victims from sexual abuse. Our legislation is
an important step forward toward protecting these young athletes.
It addresses that dangerous silence that, as The Indy Star
investigative piece showed, plagued USA Gymnastics and other governing
bodies of our Olympic sports--a silence that led to more girls being
abused, hurt, and harmful coaches, and others, who faced little or no
repercussions for their heinous actions.
The abuse should have been, first and foremost, prevented. The system
utterly failed when the abuse was not detected and not promptly
reported. The U.S. Olympic Committee failed and must do better, and I
commend them for their work now in working to do better.
{time} 0930
Our bill makes sure that national governing bodies entrusted with the
health and well-being of athletes and future Olympians promptly report
allegations of sexual abuse and other abuse to law enforcement
authorities and implement much stronger policies and procedures to
prevent this from happening again.
Most importantly, I want to applaud the victims who shared their
story to protect others. I really thank them for their courage and for
changing the lives of not only young athletes today, but those in the
future.
I urge passage of the bill, and at this time, I thank the chairman
and, again, the ranking member for their leadership.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Chair, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Frankel).
Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for yielding.
Today, I rise as the proud cosponsor of this important legislation
with my friend and colleague from Indiana, Susan Brooks. I want to
thank her for her work on this, the Judiciary leadership, and, of
course, Senator Diane Feinstein.
Mr. Chair, imagine you are a 10-year-old girl and you have a dream.
Your dream is to stand on the podium at a summer Olympics with a medal
around your neck, and you are saluting the American flag. You are
willing to do a lot for that. You are willing to give up all the kinds
of things that little girls like to do in their youth. You are willing
to spend hours practicing your skills, to get bumps and bruises, but it
doesn't stop you. Your parents trust your dream to a coach you call
``Grandpa.''
Here is the thing: Your dream becomes a nightmare. The Protecting
Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act comes after devastating reports
that at least 368 gymnasts have been sexually abused by their coaches
and trainers over the course of 20 years. It is almost unimaginable.
Although USA Gymnastics received allegations of abuse, they turned a
blind eye. Why? Because it was more important to them to win medals and
protect their star coaches.
We have read and heard lots of stories. I am going to give you an
example of one, while trying to protect the confidentiality.
By the time she was in seventh grade, our gymnast has developed an
eating disorder, coping with the fact that the coach she called Grandpa
made her hate her body. By the time she got to college, she had
difficulty maintaining relationships, believing that she would never
like being touched or physically embraced by others.
Here is a postscript. Over more than a decade, the coach we call
Grandpa was able to move from gym to gym abusing girls and recording
videos of them. He installed secret cameras in changing rooms and
recorded 469 videos of gymnasts, many of whom were naked.
The CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Chair, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 2
minutes.
Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Chair, to continue this, we have to ask
this question: Could these young girls have been spared this trauma had
proper procedures been in place? And, of course, today our answer is,
hopefully, yes.
This legislation is a step in a long journey to change the culture
around
[[Page H4577]]
sexual abuse. Too often institutions, whether they are our colleges,
our military, or, here, in this case, an athletic organization,
prioritize preserving their reputations and their brands over the
people they protect.
This legislation will require national sports bodies like USA
Gymnastics to file reports of abuse as soon as possible. It will
establish mandatory training and require the enforcement of policies
preventing, reporting, and addressing these kinds of allegations
because protecting our athletes must be a priority. Let their dreams
come true.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meehan).
Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want
to express my admiration and deep appreciation for the gentlewoman from
Indiana for her leadership on this most important bill.
This gives us a chance to do something, which is to give a voice to
those victims who have suffered in silence and yet had the courage to
come forward and allow others to appreciate the depth of the impact
that they have suffered, as well as an opportunity for us to assure
that this kind of pattern doesn't repeat itself again.
We know it is a pattern because we have, as has been aptly
demonstrated by the speakers before me, stories of young women who have
been victimized because they enter a trusting relationship--one between
a coach and a person in which that power dynamic is so unique, the
young person putting their future in the hands--which is exploited by
that person superior in the relationship.
So we now have chance to assure that that trust is not further
impacted. But it is not just that relationship; it is the long-term
implications of it which are so damaging.
Working with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, we have come to
appreciate victims and how the psychological impacts, including things
like substance abuse and other kinds of psychological disorders, last
for years, and by the courage of coming forward, it does not
necessarily end that impact on them.
In fact, it is not just situations like coach and athlete. All kinds
of trusting relationships can create a dynamic--one including something
that I am currently working on, massage parlors--in which individuals
who put themselves in a compromising position find themselves
assaulted.
Most recently, I introduced the Duty to Report Act, addressing that
kind of a violation of that trusting relationship.
These are examples of opportunities for us to address, once and for
all, the implications of people who are allowed to move from one
situation to another when reports come forward and stop. We call that
pass the trash.
Today, it is time for our body to put forward the kind of legislation
that will assure that there is a duty to report so, along with due
process, there can be an internal investigation to assure and reporting
requirements so that these individuals are not able to victimize future
young athletes, future people who put themselves in the position of
trust.
Mr. Chair, I applaud my colleagues who support this legislation, and
I ask that we do so with a strong voice from this House.
The CHAIR. The Committee will rise informally.
The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Paulsen) assumed the chair.
____________________