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[Page S5725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Jenna Quinn Law
Madam President, there is no question that 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
42 million adult survivors of child sexual abuse nationwide. As Jenna
says, child sexual abuse is a silent epidemic. One in four girls and
one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. Those are
shocking numbers. Sadly, these victims often stay silent for months,
years, some for even a lifetime. As a result, they and countless other
victims continue to be subject to abuse.
Interrupting this cycle of sexual abuse is Jenna's mission and one
she has devoted her life to pursuing. She was the driving force behind
what is now known as Jenna's Law in Texas, which requires training for
teachers, caregivers, and other adults who work with children on how to
recognize and report child sexual abuse.
The signs of child sexual abuse are unique from other forms of abuse,
and correctly identifying these signs is integral to bringing children
out of a sexually abusive situation.
After the Texas law passed in 2009, a study found that educators
reported child sexual abuse at a rate almost four times greater after
training than during their pretraining career--four times greater. It
was one of the first child sexual abuse prevention laws in the United
States to mandate this kind of training.
Now, more than half of all the States have adopted a form of Jenna's
Law, but many States, including my State, which have passed these laws
don't provide the funding for the training. Thanks to the legislation
that passed the Senate unanimously last week, that is one step closer
to occurring.
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. It will still allow current grant funds from 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.
This legislation also encourages States with similar laws to
implement innovative programs to address and discourage 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.
My partner in this bipartisan effort was Senator Hassan from New
Hampshire, and I appreciate her help in moving this bill through the
Senate. I hope our colleagues in the House will quickly take it up and
pass the Jenna Quinn law so we can get it to the President's desk as
soon as possible.
The COVID-19 crisis has underscored the urgency of this legislation.
In April of this year, nationwide reports of abuse or neglect dropped
by an average of 40 percent compared to the same time last year.
Normally, this type of drop in reporting would be great news, but based
on everything we know about the stresses and circumstances created by
this pandemic, I fear that there is actually an increase in abuse. It
just isn't being recognized or reported. We need to make investments
now in the health and safety of our children and bring this silent
epidemic to an end.
Speaker Pelosi has made clear that the House will stay in session
until an agreement is reached on COVID-19 relief so there is no reason
for the House not to be able to act on this consensus legislation. 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.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic whip