Reps. Poe and Kuster Legislation to Protect Youth Athletes Included in Government Funding Bill

Press Release

Today the Keep Young Athletes Safe Act introduced by, Representatives Ted Poe (R-TX) and Annie Kuster (D-NH) was passed by the House of Representatives as part of the omnibus appropriations bill. The Keep Young Athletes Safe Act provides resources to develop educational materials, and investigate and adjudicate instances of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse in youth sports. The bill authorizes the Department of Justice to provide grants for nonprofit, nongovernmental entities to support oversight of the United States Olympic Committee, its national governing body, and each Paralympic sports organization.

"The Keep Young Athletes Safe Act is critical in protecting our young athletes from sexual abuse," said Rep. Poe. "The horrific exploitation of hundreds of young women by Larry Nassar underscores why this legislation is so important. This legislation takes important steps to protect our athletes from abuse and funds oversight efforts to ensure that our Olympic athletes are trained in a lawful, safe atmosphere. We owe this to the survivors of Larry Nassar and our future Olympic athletes."

"The young athletes who have spoken out about the abuse of Larry Nassar have demonstrated incredible strength, courage and determination," said Rep. Kuster. "We cannot allow other young athletes to suffer the abuses faced by these brave survivors. Passage of this legislation will help ensure that young men and women can train in a safe, supportive environment. I will continue to advocate on behalf of survivors of sexual violence and work to hold perpetrators of such acts responsible."

"The U.S. Center for SafeSport applauds the efforts of Representatives Annie Kuster (D-NH) and Ted Poe (R-TX) as they support athlete well-being by securing the inclusion of the Keep Young Athletes Safe Act in the omnibus" said the U.S. Center for SafeSport. "This bipartisan legislation creates funding that will be used to protect athletes against bullying, hazing, emotional, physical and sexual abuse. The U.S. Center for SafeSport supports any legislation that upholds its mission of making athlete well-being the centerpiece of our nation's sports culture through abuse prevention, education, and accountability."

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