WASHINGTON –Today on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) spoke about Senate passage of the Jenna Quinn Law, a bill named after a Texan survivor of child abuse which he introduced based on successful reforms in Texas to identify, report, and prevent child abuse. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.
“There is no question this has been a difficult year for our country, with division and disagreement taking center stage. That changed for a moment last week when the Senate unanimously passed a bill that I had introduced called the Jenna Quinn Law to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our country.”
“This bill carries the name of an inspiring young Texan who is one of forty-two million adult survivors of child sexual abuse nationwide. As Jenna says, ‘Child sexual abuse is a silent epidemic.’”
“The Jenna Quinn Law will take the successful reforms in Texas and other states and finally back them with some federal funding for that essential training. This bill will allow current grant funds to the Department of Justice, for example, to be used for specialized training for students, teachers, and caregivers to learn how to identify, safely report, and hopefully prevent future child sexual abuse.”
“It is a critical step to interrupting this cycle that is impacting children across the country and preventing more children from enduring this trauma.”
“We need to make investments now in the health and safety of the our children and bring this silent epidemic to an end.”
“I urge the House to take it up and pass it, which has received unanimous support in the Senate, and support America’s children at a critical time like this.”