[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18141]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      PROTECT OUR KIDS ACT OF 2012

  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, each year more than 6 million children in 
the United States are reported as victims of child abuse and neglect. 
Tragically, more than 1,500 of those children lose their lives most 
under the age of four. Many of these deaths are preventable and we must 
fight for those who are too young to defend and speak for themselves.
  The United States currently does not have a comprehensive strategy to 
address child abuse fatalities, or a national standard for 
classification and reporting of those deaths. This leaves many child 
abuse fatalities to be underreported, which becomes an additional 
hindrance in addressing the root causes.
  I am pleased to work with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Baucus, 
Senator Collins, and a number of advocacy and child welfare experts to 
introduce the Protect Our Kids Act of 2012. This legislation will 
establish the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect 
Fatalities.
  The commission will be comprised of a variety of professionals with 
diverse experience and perspectives. They will be charged with 
developing a national strategy for reducing child abuse and neglect 
fatalities, and provide comprehensive recommendations for all levels of 
government. It will analyze the effectiveness of existing programs 
designed to prevent or identify maltreatment deaths and learn more 
about what works and what doesn't. Child abuse fatalities are a 
national crisis that requires a collective solution. Once the 
commission completes their work any relevant agency will report to 
Congress regarding their response to the commission recommendations.
  The loss of just one child to abuse is one child too many. I 
appreciate the work of a number of organizations that have been 
integral to the development of the legislation and have endorsed it, 
including the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths, whose 
members include the National Association of Social Workers, NASW; the 
National Center for the Review and Prevention of Child Deaths, NCRPCD, 
National Children's Alliance, NCA; Every Child Matters Education Fund, 
ECMEF; and the National District Attorney's Association (NDAA).
  I look forward to our continued progress in developing a more 
effective approach to improving child welfare. I thank Chairman Baucus 
and Senator Collins for their leadership on this important issue and I 
ask all of my colleagues to support this important bipartisan 
legislation.

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