[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 187 (Tuesday, December 17, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H7261-H7263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
JENNA QUINN LAW
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(S. 1147) to amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to
provide for grants in support of training and education to teachers and
other school employees, students, and the community about how to
prevent, recognize, respond to, and report child sexual abuse among
primary and secondary school students.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 1147
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 ``Jenna Quinn Law''.
SEC. 2. CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AWARENESS FIELD INITIATED GRANTS.
(a) In General.--Section 105(a) of the Child Abuse
Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106(a)) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
``(8) Child sexual abuse awareness field-initiated
grants.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary may award grants under
this subsection to entities, for periods of up to 5 years, in
support of field-initiated innovation projects that advance,
establish, or implement comprehensive, innovative, evidence-
based or evidence-informed child sexual abuse awareness and
prevention programs by--
``(i) improving student awareness of child sexual abuse in
an age-appropriate manner, including how to recognize,
prevent, and safely report child sexual abuse;
``(ii) training teachers, school employees, and other
mandatory reporters and adults who work with children in a
professional or volunteer capacity, including with respect to
recognizing child sexual abuse and safely reporting child
sexual abuse; or
``(iii) providing information to parents and guardians of
students about child sexual abuse awareness and prevention,
including how to prevent, recognize, respond to, and report
child sexual abuse and how to discuss child sexual abuse with
a child.
``(B) Reporting.--Each entity receiving a grant under
subparagraph (A) shall submit an annual report to the
Secretary, for the duration of the grant period, on the
projects carried out using such grant, including the number
of participants, the services provided, and the outcomes of
the projects, including participant evaluations.''.
(b) Report on Effectiveness of Expenditures.--Not later
than 5 years after the date on which the first grant is
awarded under paragraph (8) of section 105(a) of the Child
Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106(a)), as
added by subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the
United States shall--
(1) prepare a report that describes the projects for which
funds are expended under paragraph (8) of such section
105(a)(8) and evaluates the effectiveness of those projects;
and
(2) submit the report to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Committee on Finance
of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the
Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of
Representatives.
(c) Report on Duplicative Nature of Expenditures.--Not
later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Comptroller General of the United States shall--
(1) prepare a report that examines whether the projects
described in subsection (b) are duplicative of other
activities supported by Federal funds; and
(2) submit the report to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Committee on Finance
of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the
Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of
Representatives.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North Carolina.
General Leave
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to include extraneous material on S. 1147.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from North Carolina?
There was no objection.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this bill's story begins with its namesake, Jenna Quinn,
a teenage sexual assault survivor.
Legislation in Jenna's name was enacted in the State of Texas in 2009
and has already saved countless children from abuse. In fact, a study
found that after Jenna's Law was passed in Texas in 2009, educators
reported abuse at a rate of almost four times more after receiving
education and instruction about abuse. Now, Congress has a chance to
apply some of the law's key protections across the country.
Child abuse and neglect are heartbreaking, immoral, and inexcusable.
No child should ever have to endure pain and suffering. In a perfect
world, we would not need laws addressing child abuse, but this world is
far from perfect.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 4
girls and 1 in 13 boys in the United States are estimated to experience
child abuse.
The National Children's Alliance states: ``An estimated 558,899
children (unique incidents) were victims of abuse and neglect in the
U.S. in 2022, the most recent year for which there is national data.''
The Jenna Quinn Law, S. 1147, champions prevention through education.
This bill aims to prevent child sexual abuse by allowing schools to
utilize existing grants to educate teachers, staff, parents, and
students to recognize and respond to abuse.
In addition to protecting children, the bill respects taxpayer money.
The bill does not mandate or authorize any new spending. Importantly,
it includes a provision that requires the Comptroller General of the
United States to provide oversight by submitting a report to the
respective committees no later than 5 years after enactment to ensure
that the funds are used effectively and transparently.
To sum it up, this bipartisan legislation directly addresses the
pervasive issue of child sexual abuse in our country. S. 1147
recognizes that parents, educators, and other school personnel are on
the front lines in recognizing and reporting child abuse and equips
them with the knowledge of the signs of abuse and the tools to report
abuse accurately and correctly.
Protecting the Nation's children is not a partisan issue but a moral
imperative.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Moran and Wild for their
tireless advocacy on the issue and for working on this bill. I
encourage my colleagues to support S. 1147, and I reserve the balance
of my time.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1147, the Jenna Quinn Law. The
Jenna Quinn Law considers only one small part of the much broader Child
Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, or CAPTA.
Through the reauthorization of CAPTA, Congress could take meaningful
steps in preventing and addressing child abuse and neglect through
providing States with the necessary resources to strengthen community-
based child abuse prevention services. Despite CAPTA reauthorization
passing in the House on a bipartisan basis in two previous Congresses,
the bill did not become law, so we find ourselves here today
considering the very narrowly drafted Jenna Quinn Law, which specifies
that the HHS Secretary can award projects aimed at preventing child
sexual abuse. It must be said that the Jenna Quinn Law regrettably does
not authorize any new funding for such projects.
Reauthorizing CAPTA would have been a much better route and is a top
priority, but another priority would be to address the communication
holes in State child welfare systems. Specifically, the inability to
communicate the threat of child endangerment across State lines can
have devastating consequences.
[[Page H7262]]
In particular, one of my constituents, Heaven Watkins, fell victim to
the lack of communication between State welfare agencies. In her case,
the system allowed her to remain with an abusive parent who moved her
from Minnesota to Virginia. Her past abuse was not communicated with
Virginia officials, and the move resulted in her tragic death.
I am frustrated that this bill did not come to us under regular
order. As a result, I am not able to offer the amendment that I offered
at markup and the language that had been included in previous House-
passed CAPTA reauthorization bills. My amendment would have required
the creation of a nationwide interstate data exchange system to provide
caseworkers with appropriate background and information on a family's
interaction with the child welfare system in another State. If we had
that State database in place, then it could have prevented further
abuse or even death at the hands of abusive caregivers whose actions
are not monitored across State lines, as was the case for Heaven
Watkins and countless children.
While, ultimately, I will support the Jenna Quinn Law as far as it
goes, the issue of child abuse prevention and treatment requires a more
comprehensive approach. We can and should do more to reduce child abuse
and neglect.
Despite the lack of a more comprehensive approach and no additional
funding, this bill is still a step in the right direction. As a result,
I will vote ``yes'' on the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Moran).
Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to speak in support
of S. 1147, the Jenna Quinn Law.
As the proud sponsor of the House companion legislation, I know how
critical and vital this legislation is for so many.
I thank, at the outset, Senator Cornyn for his hard work on the
Senate side on this bill and for his years of leadership protecting
children.
S. 1147 will authorize the Department of Health and Human Services to
allow existing Federal funds to be used by eligible entities for
evidence-based, informed training on sexual abuse prevention,
education, and reporting. These courses would focus on teachers, school
employees, students, caregivers, and other adults who work with
children.
Furthermore, the bill would ensure that grant recipients coordinate
with local educational agencies to train students, professionals, and
volunteers who work with children on abuse prevention, recognition, and
reporting. These are important matters.
This bill, however, does not add to overall spending. We do have a
spending problem here in the United States. Rather, it makes existing
funding available for these important programs.
Over the past year, I have had the privilege of meeting and getting
to know the namesake of this bill, Texan Jenna Quinn.
Mr. Speaker, you just heard her story. Jenna is a symbol of hope and
bravery. She has an inspiring story of overcoming sexual abuse herself,
and her unwavering commitment to helping so many like her who have been
or presently are victims of abuse is just remarkable.
As it stands, our Nation's children face a tragic and silent
epidemic, child sexual abuse.
As I speak before you now, Mr. Speaker, every 9 minutes, new evidence
for a claim of sexual abuse is substantiated. Of all victims under the
age of 18, 2 out of 3 are between the ages of 12 and 17. Tragically,
child sexual abuse is one of the most underreported crimes in our
country.
Mr. Speaker, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys are subject to this
heartbreaking reality. Even more alarming, 90 percent of these children
who are victims of sexual abuse know and trust their abuser. The same
was true for Jenna Quinn.
While child sexual abuse is a criminal epidemic, one part of the
solution to this tragedy lies in preventative education. Education,
combined with a comprehensive set of preventative policies, is a
powerful tool to combat this crisis.
School personnel report 52 percent of all identified child abuse
cases classified as causing harm to children, more than any other
profession or organization, including child protective services and law
enforcement. For that, we are profoundly grateful to our educational
partners.
{time} 1530
Each life is precious, and each life deserves protection at all
stages. I am confident that the Jenna Quinn bill will strengthen our
efforts to prevent the evils of child sexual abuse and help identify
children who have experienced this or are currently experiencing it and
get it stopped. Most importantly, it will help them in finding pathways
to healing.
Today, I am grateful that both Republicans and Democrats have come
together to pass or will pass this bipartisan, bicameral, and
commonsense legislation.
I thank Representative Susan Wild on the Democratic side for her hard
work on this effort, and I thank Chairwoman Foxx and her staff for
their dedication and hard work on bringing this legislation to the
floor.
I know that there are children whose lives will forever be impacted
for the better because of the Jenna Quinn bill.
Mr. Speaker, today, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and get
it to the President's desk so it can be signed into law.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Wild), a distinguished member of the
Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman, the ranking member,
and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Moran) for bringing the Jenna Quinn
act forward. It is so important.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Jenna Quinn act, a
crucial piece of legislation that directly addresses the pervasive
issue of child sexual abuse in our country.
Unfortunately, child sexual abuse is a silent epidemic. The CDC
estimates that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys will experience sexual
abuse before the age of 18.
In my home State of Pennsylvania, child abuse laws reflect the
sobering reality of this crisis. Between 2019 and 2023, a period of 4
years, there were more than 32,000 individuals charged in child abuse
cases, and of those charged, a striking 56 percent were between the
ages of 19 and 35, and 23 percent of these defendants were charged with
endangering the welfare of children, according to the Unified Judicial
System of Pennsylvania.
These numbers highlight the widespread and deeply rooted problem in
our communities. They also reinforce the need for proactive measures to
prevent child abuse before it occurs, which is exactly what the Jenna
Quinn act seeks to accomplish.
This bill empowers educators and school personnel, who are often on
the front lines when it comes to identifying and stopping child sexual
abuse, with the tools they need to recognize, report, and prevent the
abuse from happening. By providing schools with trauma-informed
training and helping staff to recognize, report, and ultimately prevent
child sexual abuse, the Jenna Quinn act will create a safer environment
for children across the country.
This training is not about turning teachers into investigators. It is
about making sure that every teacher knows what to do if a child shows
evidence of abuse or discloses abuse or if the teacher notices warning
signs. It is about giving those children the chance to be heard and to
be helped.
The bill emphasizes flexibility, allowing States to develop the right
programs for their schools while ensuring that Federal support is there
to back them up.
Let me be clear that this bill is a bipartisan solution to a problem
that knows no political boundaries. Protecting our children is not a
partisan issue, but it is a moral imperative. Our educators deserve the
training and resources that they need to effectively intervene in
situations of abuse, and our children deserve to feel safe in their
classrooms.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on the
Jenna Quinn act.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
[[Page H7263]]
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time to close.
Mr. Speaker, while this legislation would be a step to improve
prevention, awareness, and reporting of child sexual abuse in schools,
it woefully falls short of a comprehensive reauthorization of the Child
Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, or CAPTA.
CAPTA was last reauthorized over a decade ago in 2010, and a timely
reauthorization is an appropriate solution to prevent child abuse and
neglect from happening in the first place and provide better evidence-
based treatments to address child maltreatment.
In both the 116th and the 117th Congresses, when I was chairman of
the committee, the House passed a bipartisan CAPTA reauthorization bill
called Stronger CAPTA. Regrettably, a CAPTA reauthorization has not yet
become law despite a mutual understanding that Congress must do more to
support children and families.
If the bipartisan Stronger CAPTA bill had been signed into law, it
would have already provided States with necessary resources to expand
locally driven prevention strategies, which strengthen families and
invest in child protective services agencies.
Unfortunately, the bill we are considering today does not provide any
additional funding to implement its proposed grant program on child
sexual abuse prevention and awareness. In contrast, Stronger CAPTA
would actually provide States with the resources to strengthen
prevention programs.
Research shows that the best way to support families is to provide a
targeted prevention to families of at-risk children when they are at
risk of maltreatment, and primary prevention services need to be
provided so that families can be served before they become vulnerable
to factors associated with maltreatment.
Additionally, Stronger CAPTA would have streamlined communications
between child protective services agencies across the country so that
critical information is not lost across State lines. Such a system
would likely have saved the life of Heaven Watkins, the 11-year-old who
I mentioned before, who tragically died because local child protective
services had no way of knowing that her parents had a history of child
abuse in another State.
If the reforms in Stronger CAPTA had been in place, Heaven's death
would likely have been prevented. By investing in prevention strategies
and improving the collection and sharing of vital information, we can
keep children like Heaven from slipping through the cracks.
There is no doubt that Congress has a vital role in helping States
protect children from immediate injury and lifelong emotional trauma
associated with child abuse and neglect.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working in a bipartisan manner in the
next Congress to reauthorize CAPTA. Meanwhile, I urge my colleagues to
support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, children are the Nation's future, but, sadly, the life
and bright future of hundreds of thousands of children are threatened
each year by abuse and neglect.
Mr. Speaker, S. 1147 allows for grants for child sexual abuse
prevention programs in schools, equipping educators to recognize and
report signs of abuse early.
Jenna Quinn's story reminds us of the urgency to act, and this bill
ensures that we continue to safeguard vulnerable children from
preventable cases of sexual assault. I believe this legislation, in the
face of evil, will help prevent child sexual abuse and help identify
children who are experiencing these horrible acts to be put on a path
towards healing.
By passing S. 1147, Congress is taking meaningful steps to prevent
additional child abuse and neglect by providing States with the tools
necessary to strengthen child abuse prevention services.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Meuser). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 1147.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________