HELP COMMITTEE

Statement

On Tuesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Children and Families held a hearing on the importance of ensuring that children are free from abuse and neglect. As Ranking Member of this Subcommittee, I delivered opening remarks on the issue. To truly ensure our children are safe, both children and adults must break the silence of abuse. However, since children who are being abused live a life of fear and shame and are thus least able and likely to come forward, adults must be responsible for breaking the silence of abuse. As one of our witnesses said, "child…abuse is a grown-up problem.'

It is important for us to remember that most instances of abuse against kids, sexual or physical, occurs not across state lines or on the Internet but in our own neighborhoods and communities and by folks we know. Since the vast majority of abuse is occurring so close to home, it is critical that we train and empower adults to know the signs of abuse and to know what to do when they see it or suspect it.

This was a busy week for the Senate HELP Committee, and I was pleased that the Committee voted to strengthen our ability to respond to an attack or emergency by reauthorizing thePandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act on Wednesday. With reports that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is actively trying to produce toxic weapons, countries like Iran seeking weapons-grade nuclear technology, and potential homegrown terror threats, this bill is absolutely vital to America's national security. Since Congress passed the original PAHPA law in 2006, we have made great strides in getting our nation better prepared to handle a bioterror attack or public health emergency, but there is still much work to be done. This bill will enhance existing programs through improvements based on the lessons we have learned over the past five years, including from the H1N1 pandemic and disasters at home and abroad. In addition, the bill will strengthen medical countermeasures by ensuring that the FDA has the tools it needs to respond to modern day threats.

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