[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 28, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4546-S4547]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTION

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Ms. Sinema):
  S. 4342. A bill to establish a National Child Abuse Hotline; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleague from 
Arizona, Senator Sinema, in introducing legislation to support the 
operation of a national child abuse hotline. Of all the major national 
help hotlines, the crisis line for child abuse and neglect, which is 
currently operated by a national nonprofit, is the only one without a 
federal authorization and dedicated federal funding. Our bill, the 
National Child Abuse Help Hotline Act of 2020, would give the 
Administration for Children and Families the authority to award a grant 
to a national nonprofit to support a hotline dedicated to the 
prevention and intervention of child abuse and neglect. The child abuse 
and neglect crisis happening across the United States has only been 
exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
  On average, five children die every day from child abuse and neglect. 
According to the Department of Health and Human Services' Child 
Maltreatment Report, which was published in January 2020 and reflects 
2018 figures, 678,000 children were victims of maltreatment in 2018 and 
a heartbreaking 1,770 children died--including three in Maine. These 
statistics reflect an unfortunate increase in both child fatalities and 
victims of maltreatment, and is the first increase for the number of 
victims who suffered maltreatment since 2015.
  Access to prevention and intervention services nationwide has only 
become more critical in the face of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The 
current crisis threatens to severely exacerbate child abuse and 
neglect, and a number of experts predict that child abuse is currently 
being underreported. In Maine, when schools closed their doors on March 
16 and stay-at-home orders went in place, calls to Maine Child and 
Family Services decreased immediately, falling 32 percent in the first 
month. Of note, only seven percent of calls were from school personnel, 
which is a dramatic drop from the 22 percent of teachers and other 
school staff--more than any other group--who call in typically to 
report abuse and neglect.
  With stay-at-home orders, school closures, and high unemployment, 
families are experiencing financial stress, isolation, and new 
anxieties at the very time when children have less exposure to 
mandatory reporters--such as teachers, physicians, and coaches--and 
safe environments where one may normally escape or seek help. In April, 
Dr. Larry Ricci, a child abuse pediatrician at Spurwink, located in 
Portland, Maine, said ``our sense is that not only is abuse still 
happening at the same rate it was happening before, in all likelihood 
it has increased.'' Dr. Ricci pointed out that ``We've known for many 
years that the abuse rate mirrors the unemployment rate.'' And as 
Michelle Fingerman, Vice President for Childhelp, a national nonprofit 
and the current operator of the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline 
located in Arizona, details: ``There is a wide range of fallout from 
pandemic anxiety and school shutdowns. There is more abuse already 
occurring in homes where caregivers are melting down from the stress, 
children are trapped at home with abusers, schools and daycare are 
closed, and therapists and other frontline providers are now more 
difficult to access.''
  During a time when children are not going to school, day care, or 
family resource centers, and, therefore, traditional resources may not 
be as easily accessible, the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is 
a resource that is accessible to children and families across the 
country. The hotline, 1-800-4-A-CHILD, saw call volume increase by 33 
percent from February to May. Childhelp's text and online chat 
platform, which is supported by a $1 million ACF Innovation Grant that 
I have advocated for as a member of the Appropriations Committee, 
experienced a 66 percent increase in outreach since February.
  The helpline importantly serves a wide range of individuals in every 
single state--at-risk children, distressed parents seeking crisis 
intervention, and concerned individuals who suspect that child abuse 
may be occurring. In Maine, where one in every 71 children is a victim 
of abuse, the National Child Abuse Hotline assisted nearly 200 callers 
in fiscal year 2019. Those in need are connected--either on the phone 
or by text or online chat--with masters-level social workers who are 
there to offer confidential crisis intervention and information, 
literature, and referrals to emergency, social service, and support 
resources.
  The bill we are introducing today would provide a small but 
meaningful federal investment to protect children across the country--
authorizing $1 million annually for the Administration for Children and 
Families (ACF) to award a grant to a nonprofit entity to support a 24-
hour, national, toll-free telephone hotline that will provide 
information and assistance to victims of

[[Page S4547]]

child abuse or neglect, parents, caregivers, mandated reporters, and 
other concerned community members. This does not interfere with any 
state-mandated reporter hotlines and can be a resource for these 
individuals. In fact, the current operator has more than 80 community 
partners in just Maine alone.
  The helpline's dedication to the prevention and intervention of child 
abuse and neglect is both successful and well-documented, and more 
federal support for this resource will improve our ability to reach 
children of all ages, as well as parents or caregivers in need. During 
a time when these supports are needed more there an ever, I believe the 
existing infrastructure and experience of the National Child Abuse 
Hotline should be used. Even with just more outreach and 
communications, we could better support the needs of children and 
families during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and economic recovery. 
Action and investment now can help prevent the worst possible outcome--
letting children fall through the cracks during an already traumatizing 
crisis.
  Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to put the welfare of our 
nation's children at the forefront of our national Covid-19 response 
and to support the adoption of this important legislation, which will 
benefit children and families in the age of Covid-19, as well as after 
this pandemic passes.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. GRAHAM (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Lee, and Ms. 
        Klobuchar):
  S. 4346. A bill to amend the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement 
and Reform Act of 2004 to repeal the sunset provision; considered and 
passed.

                                S. 4346

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Antitrust Criminal Penalty 
     Enhancement and Reform Permanent Extension Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) Conspiracies among competitors to fix prices, rig bids, 
     and allocate markets are categorically and irredeemably 
     anticompetitive and contravene the competition policy of the 
     United States.
       (2) Cooperation incentives are important to the efforts of 
     the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice to 
     prosecute and deter the offenses described in paragraph (1).
       (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act, and the amendments 
     made by this Act, is to strengthen public and private 
     antitrust enforcement by providing incentives for antitrust 
     violators to cooperate fully with government prosecutors and 
     private litigants through the repeal of the sunset provision 
     of the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act 
     of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 1 note).

     SEC. 3. REPEAL OF SUNSET PROVISION.

       (a) Repeal.--Section 211 of the Antitrust Criminal Penalty 
     Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 1 note) is 
     repealed.
       (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
       (1) Revival and restoration.--
       (A) In general.--Sections 212, 213, and 214 of the 
     Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 
     (15 U.S.C. 1 note) as in effect on June 21, 2020, and as 
     amended by the laws described in subparagraph (B), are 
     revived and restored.
       (B) Laws.--The laws described in this subparagraph are:
       (i) Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act 
     of 2004 Extension Act (Public Law 111-30; 123 Stat. 1775).
       (ii) The Act entitled ``An Act to amend the Antitrust 
     Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 to extend 
     the operation of such Act, and for other purposes'', approved 
     June 9, 2010 (Public Law 111-90; 124 Stat. 1275).
       (2) Definitions.--Section 212 of the Antitrust Criminal 
     Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 1 note) 
     is amended--
       (A) by striking paragraph (6); and
       (B) by redesignating paragraph (7) as paragraph (6).
       (c) Applicability.--
       (1) Markers and agreements before sunset.--Notwithstanding 
     the repeal under subsection (a), section 211(b) of the 
     Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 
     (15 U.S.C. 1 note), as in effect on the day before the date 
     of enactment of this Act, shall continue to apply to any 
     person who received a marker or entered into an antitrust 
     leniency agreement on or before June 22, 2020.
       (2) Markers and agreements after sunset.--The repeal under 
     subsection (a) shall apply to any person who received a 
     marker or entered into an antitrust leniency agreement on or 
     after June 23, 2020.

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