Missing Children's Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2023

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2051. All children deserve a safe, loving home and to have their basic needs met.

When a child goes missing or suffers abuse, families experience unimaginable pain and horror. For children, the trauma is much worse. Many survivors of exploitation or abuse suffer physical and mental harm that can impact them for the rest of their lives.

This pain has grown in recent years. We have seen a disturbing exponential rise in reported exploitation and child abuse cases, particularly online. For example, in 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NCMEC, received a staggering 36 million reports of child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation from public and electronic service providers, such as Facebook or Google on its CyberTipline.

Members from both sides of the aisle have long agreed that NCMEC is essential to protecting and supporting exploited children, as well as restoring hope to parents and loved ones. Today, NCMEC is working diligently to keep pace with innovative technology and get ahead of evolving threats to our children's safety.

I am grateful that our colleagues Representatives Courtney and Bean came out together to introduce the Missing Children's Assistance Reauthorization Act, which makes several improvements to NCMEC that the Chairwoman outlined a few minutes ago.

The bottom line is that we are working to renew the authorization of NCMEC's grant program and to ensure that they have the necessary tools to protect America's most vulnerable children.

Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I support the legislation and urge my colleagues to support it.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia.

Vulnerable youth are at heightened risk of endangerment. Additionally, LGBTQ+ youth face disproportionate rates of experiencing homelessness, often caused by fleeing abuse or rejection by family members. No child should be in harm's way or exploited because of who they are. The majority of missing child cases reported to NCMEC involve endangered runaways.

Importantly, NCMEC works with a diverse group of stakeholders, uses trauma-informed practices, and uses a case management approach to ensure that it meets the needs of each child individually, taking into consideration their diverse needs.

I am grateful to Representatives Courtney and Bean for introducing the House companion bill. This legislation makes several important improvements to NCMEC's grant program and, importantly, reauthorizes it. I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source