Memphis Standard

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn, John Cornyn, Amy Klobuchar, Chuck Grassley, and Richard Blumenthal announced that their Project Safe Childhood Act has been signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. This legislation aims to enhance the investigation and prosecution of online child exploitation.

Senator Blackburn emphasized the importance of protecting children in today's digital age, stating, “Kids need more protections in this rapidly increasing digital age, and the Project Safe Childhood Act will modernize how we investigate and prosecute online child predators by giving state and local law enforcement the federal support and training they need.”

Senator Cornyn highlighted the strategic improvements provided by the new law: “This law will make key strategic improvements to give law enforcement officers and federal prosecutors the tools to go after online child predators.”

Senator Klobuchar stressed the necessity of equipping law enforcement with adequate resources: “By modernizing the Project Safe Childhood program, our bipartisan legislation will ensure that law enforcement has the tools and resources it needs to rescue victims.”

Senator Grassley pointed out that empowering local authorities is crucial for justice: “By empowering local law enforcement and federal prosecutors to take down online predators, we can protect vulnerable kids.”

Senator Blumenthal remarked on the significance of this legislative step: “The Project Safe Childhood Act takes a major step forward in the fight to protect children from horrendous crime.”

The Project Safe Childhood initiative was originally launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation. The new act requires coordination between federal prosecutors, DOJ officials, and experts to develop strategies for identifying victims swiftly.

The bill is supported by several organizations including RAINN, Fraternal Order of Police, Rights 4 Girls, National Children’s Alliance, among others. It also received backing from a bipartisan group of senators including Chris Murphy, Lindsey Graham, Jon Ossoff, Thom Tillis, Peter Welch among others.