Memphis Standard

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn, John Cornyn, Richard Blumenthal, and three of their Senate colleagues have introduced the PROTECT Our Children Act. This legislation aims to reauthorize and modernize the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program.

Senator Blackburn stated, "For more than 15 years, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program has helped law enforcement agencies protect innocent children from sexual predators who wish to exploit them online." She emphasized that the new act would continue this critical work against technology-facilitated crimes targeting children.

Senator Cornyn highlighted the program's longstanding impact: "For decades, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program has played an invaluable role in helping federal, state, and local law enforcement work together to fight child exploitation and put vicious predators behind bars." He added that extending and modernizing this program is essential for safeguarding future generations in a digital age.

Senator Blumenthal remarked on the urgency of addressing child exploitation: "We must save children who are victims of the most ongoing vile, stomach-churning crimes because child sexual abuse goes unstopped." He stressed that protecting these victims is imperative and requires providing necessary tools and resources. The proposed act would help law enforcement combat serious online dangers effectively.

The ICAC Task Force Program supports state and local law enforcement in responding to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation. It includes forensic investigations, training, victim services, and community education. The network consists of 61 coordinated task forces involving over 5,400 federal, state, and local agencies engaged in various investigative activities.

Since its inception in 1998, ICAC Task Forces have trained over 826,700 professionals and reviewed more than 1.4 million reports of online child exploitation. These efforts have led to over 123,790 arrests.

The PROTECT Our Children Act proposes several updates:

- Modernizing requirements for the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention.

- Providing liability protection for ICAC Task Forces during criminal investigations.

- Implementing technical improvements aligned with current technology needs.

- Focusing on both proactive and reactive investigations.

- Reauthorizing the ICAC Program through 2027 with an escalator authorization.

Endorsements for this legislation come from multiple organizations including NCOSE, RAINN, National Children's Alliance, NCMEC among others. Co-sponsors include Senators Josh Hawley, Dick Durbin, Amy Klobuchar along with Representatives Nathaniel Moran and Debbie Wasserman Schultz introducing companion legislation in the House.