[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 161 (Thursday, September 17, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5688-S5689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Jenna Quinn Law
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, as families have been quarantined at home
over the past several months, their lives have been filled with a whole
new set of stressors. Loss of income, isolation, anxiety about their
own health, and the stress of teaching children at home can test even
the healthiest families and relationships.
But it also puts children at higher risk of child abuse and neglect.
In April this year, nationwide reports of abuse or neglect dropped by
an average of about 40 percent compared to the same time last year.
That doesn't mean there are fewer instances of abuse--probably far from
it--just fewer reports.
One of the things about children attending school is that their
teachers and counselors can monitor them for signs of sexual assault,
sexual abuse, and report that to the appropriate authorities. In 2018,
two-thirds of the reports of child abuse were submitted by people who
came in contact with treatment as part of their jobs--police officers,
lawyers, social services, and, of course, teachers, as I said.
Teachers, education professionals, and other support staff at school,
like bus drivers, are responsible for more than half of the child abuse
reports. But with children home during the pandemic, out of sight from
the teachers and others who would otherwise see them on a routine
basis, abuse is becoming more difficult to identify and report.
Child sexual assault abuse was a crisis before the pandemic, with
more than 42 million adult survivors in America. As the stresses of the
pandemic and lack of reporting have taken a violent toll across the
country, there is an urgent need for Congress to act.
Over the years, I have listened to courageous victims in Texas who
have shared their stories and advocated for reforms to prevent more
children from experiencing this tragic abuse. One of those
inspirational individuals is Jenna Quinn, a child abuse survivor and
fierce advocate for children who are often suffering in silence. She
was the driving force behind what is now known as Jenna's Law in Texas,
which requires training for teachers, caregivers, and other adults who
work with children on how to prevent, recognize, and report child
sexual abuse. The signs of child sexual abuse are unique from other
forms of child abuse, and correctly identifying these signs is integral
to bringing children out of a sexually abusive situation.
After it passed in 2009, a study found that educators reported child
sexual abuse at a rate almost four times greater after the training
they had received than before they had received that training. It was
one of the first child sexual abuse prevention laws in the United
States demanding this training, and now more than half of our States
have adopted some form of Jenna's Law.
The kicker is that in many States, including Texas, they don't
provide funding for the training, for the program. That is what Senator
Hassan, the Senator from New Hampshire, and I want to change.
Last year we introduced the Jenna Quinn Law, which would take the
successful reforms in Texas and other States and make them a reality
for children across the country. This bill would allow current grant
funds to be used for specialized training for students, teachers, and
other caregivers to learn how to identify, safely report, and hopefully
prevent future child sexual abuse. This legislation also encourages the
States without similar laws to implement innovative programs to address
such abuse.
Again, I want to express my appreciation to Senators Hassan and
Braun, who have joined me in this bipartisan effort, and I hope we can
get this bill to the President's desk soon. No child should experience
abuse or neglect, and the Jenna Quinn Law will bring us closer to
identifying and stopping abuse in its tracks.
I came to the floor initially with the thought of offering a
unanimous consent request to pass the Jenna Quinn Law, Jenna's Law. It
has cleared on our side. There is some discussion going forward between
our Democratic colleagues and us about pairing this with another piece
of legislation which, like Jenna's Law, is not controversial. And based
on the commitment that this will be passed as part of the wrapup this
evening, I will not offer that unanimous consent request at this time,
but I will depend on that commitment we have gotten that it will be
passed in wrapup today. So I want to express again my appreciation to
Senator Hassan and Senator Braun for working with us on this.
So often, the best of intentions go awry because there is no funding
mechanism to help facilitate and pay for the training, and that is
where the money that we appropriated that goes to the Department of
Justice--their grant programs for various law enforcement initiatives--
is so valuable. Those are the funds that are already appropriated that
we want to tap into for this type of essential training.
I yield to my friend from New Hampshire.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire
Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Cornyn for his
partnership and support his call. I urge my colleagues to support our
legislation, the Jenna Quinn Law, and I, too, look forward to its being
passed as part of wrapup this evening.
Every child has the fundamental right to be safe, to be treated with
dignity, to be cared for, and to have the opportunity to seize their
vast potential. Sexual abuse robs children of those rights. Too often,
these horrific crimes go unrecognized or unreported, and children are
left in dangerous situations without access to safety and justice.
During my time as Governor of New Hampshire, I worked with
Republicans and Democrats to sign into law a bill that mandated that
child abuse prevention be taught as a part of the health education
curriculum, and I am proud to work with Senator Cornyn to strengthen
these efforts on a national level.
The Jenna Quinn Law would better protect children from sexual assault
by helping ensure that teachers, caregivers, and other adults working
with children are equipped with the tools and knowledge to prevent,
recognize, and report sexual abuse and exploitation. It would also
ensure that children receive age-appropriate education on how to
recognize and report these heinous acts.
By encouraging States to provide training and education on child
sexual abuse recognition and prevention, we can help keep our young
people safe. But we know that there is much more work ahead of us.
The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating challenges that many vulnerable
people face, including children who are abused, and as reporting of
abuse has gone down during this pandemic, experts have made clear that
it is because many children have been out of view of the people who
often provide support and make reports, including teachers and school
officials.
So as we work to pass the Jenna Quinn Law today, we also have to
focus on passing a broader bipartisan reauthorization of the Child
Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to provide
[[Page S5689]]
even more tools to support children and families who are struggling. It
is our duty to nurture and protect all of our country's children, and
the Jenna Quinn Law is a strong step to help move us forward in meeting
that responsibility.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation and to work
together on additional bipartisan measures to protect the safety and
well-being of children across the country. Again, I thank my friend
from Texas for his leadership in moving this important bill forward,
and I look forward continuing to work with him on these issues.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.