Victims of Child Abuse Act Reauthorization Act of 2013

Floor Speech

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Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1799, the Victims of Child Abuse Act Reauthorization Act of 2013.

This bill, as has been noted by the previous speakers, is the Senate companion to H.R. 3706, which I sponsored, along with Congressman Ted Poe of Texas and Congressman Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. Congressman Ted Poe and I cochair the Victims' Rights Caucus that we organized some 9 years ago. He wanted to be here today to express his deep support for this legislation.

As has been noted, the children in our society are the most dear and precious to all of us, and they are also the most vulnerable. As a society, therefore, we must do all we can to ensure the protection of these children. Tragically, the physical or sexual abuse of a child is a horrific crime that touches, sadly, every community in America. In response to these unconscionable acts, Congress passed the Victims of Child Abuse Act in 1990 to provide funding for a network of Children's Advocacy Centers across the country, which do great work--over 700 of them.

These centers are essential tools to allow communities to care for our children when they are harmed and to deliver justice for the child abusers. Children's Advocacy Centers are a unique model and focus on teamwork. They bring together law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and child service professionals under one roof to do what is best for the child. The Community Action Partnership of Madera County, in my district, is an accredited child advocacy center in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. I have visited with them. I have met with those who work there together to help our children. I know of the good work they do.

The Madera Community Action Partnership--or ``Madera CAP'' as they like to refer to themselves--depends on funding from the Victims of Child Abuse Act to care for victims and bring justice to the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. However, this important law expired in 2005, and the President has eliminated or reduced the funding for these centers in the last three budgets. Yet Congress, on a bipartisan basis, has chosen to continue to provide funding. That is why Senator Coons of Delaware, Senator Blunt of Missouri, Congressman Poe, Congressman Fitzpatrick, and I have introduced the legislation to reauthorize the Victims of Child Abuse Act and to, therefore, protect these Children's Advocacy Centers across the country. The bill includes strong accountability language to improve the oversight of the program, and it ensures that the money from the Crime Victims Fund is spent only for victim assistance purposes.

The bill before us today, once again, is a product of a bipartisan and bicameral negotiation, and I thank my colleagues again--Senators Coons and Blunt and Congressmen POE and Fitzpatrick--for their hard work and for that of their staffs on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, finally, I want to urge all of our colleagues to strongly support S. 1799. Let's do the right thing by our Nation's children and swiftly send this bill to the President's desk.

I thank Congressman Scott, and I thank Congressman Franks for their time and their effort today.

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