WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statements after the PROTECT Our Children Act, which would reauthorize the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program to combat child exploitation across the country, passed the House and is now headed to the President’s desk for signature: 

“Law enforcement officers need access to every available tool to prevent the perpetrators of online child exploitation from committing future abuse,” said Sen. Cornyn. “By providing the necessary resources to counter the pervasive threat of cyber-crimes, this bill would help law enforcement respond to the alarming number of children who are targeted, and I urge the President to sign this legislation into law as soon as possible.”  

“The PROTECT Our Children Act supports law enforcement by helping identify online child exploitation and investigate abusers and predators,” said Sen. Blumenthal. “Reauthorizing the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program is critical to this important mission.”

Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Charles Grassley (R-IA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) also cosponsored this legislation. Companion legislation in the House was led by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23), Steve Chabot (R-OH-1), Ann Kuster (D-NH-2), and Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14).

Background:

The PROTECT Our Children Act, originally passed in 2008, authorized the ICAC Task Force Program, a national network of 61 coordinated task forces that represent 3,500 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies engaged in reactive and proactive investigations across the country. The ICAC aids local and state law enforcement in the creation and implementation of effective responses to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and internet crimes against children. In order to develop effective response strategies to online child victimization, the ICAC offers guidance on victim support, forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, and prevention and community education. 

The PROTECT Our Children Act of 2022 is supported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), Rights 4 Girls, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), the Sergeants Benevolent Association NYPD, Raven, the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), and the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA). 

For a list of ICAC task forces across the United States, click here.