Senators Coons, Blunt celebrate House passage of legislation to protect victims of child abuse in NDAA

Press Release

U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), co-chairs of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, released the following statements after the House of Representatives passed their bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCAA) as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The law, first enacted in 1990, provides the only dedicated source of funding for Children's Advocacy Centers, which bring together teams of law enforcement, medical personnel, and service providers to ensure the best outcome for child victims and help hold perpetrators responsible for their crimes.

"I'm glad to see the House of Representatives pass the Victims of Child Abuse Act as part of this year's NDAA. This legislation will help protect children who have been abused, bring their abusers to justice, and provide resources so that Children's Advocacy Centers can provide a safe and supportive place for survivors of child abuse," said Senator Coons. "It also supports law enforcement so they can conduct investigations faster, more efficiently, and at lower cost. Now, the Senate must find a way to pass this critical legislation as well so we can provide needed support to victims of abuse across Delaware and our country."

"Last year, Children's Advocacy Centers served nearly 10,000 of Missouri's most vulnerable children, helping to keep kids safe and bring perpetrators to justice," said Senator Blunt. "I'm pleased to see the reauthorization of the Victims of Child Abuse Act included in the House-passed defense authorization bill. This provision will help ensure Children's Advocacy Centers and law enforcement continue to have the tools they need to coordinate the investigation, treatment, and prosecution of child abuse cases."

Senators Coons and Blunt have previously succeeded in reauthorizing VOCAA twice, first in 2014 and again in 2018. VOCAA programs are now set to expire next year without reauthorization, so it must again be extended by Congress.

VOCAA's key component is to funds Children's Advocacy Centers, which provide a skilled team of trained professionals to conduct forensic interviews of children who have been victims of abuse. Such interviews are intended to be used as evidence in court while also preventing children from being required to repeat their accounts multiple times. Children's Advocacy Centers allow for faster criminal charging decisions in sexual abuse cases, increased felony prosecutions of child sexual abuse, and lower average case costs.

In addition to Senators Coons and Blunt, cosponsors of the Senate bill introduced in March include Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.).

Source