U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., is pushing a proposal to “help end the online exploitation of children.”
At the end of July, Lee introduced the “Revising Existing Procedures On Reporting via Technology (REPORT) Act,” and she showcased the proposal in recent days.
“The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline is the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children, allowing electronic communication service providers to make reports of activities such as child sex trafficking, enticement of children for sexual acts, and unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child,” Lee’s office noted. “The bipartisan bill would provide much needed reforms to the CyberTipline, such as:adding sex trafficking of children and enticement crimes to reporting obligations by websites and social media platforms; ncreasing penalties for failure to report exploitative content (fines up to $850,000); requires websites and social media platforms to report violations of federal trafficking and enticement; increases the time evidence that has been submitted to the CyberTipline is preserved by websites and social media platforms to give law enforcement more time to investigate and prosecute.”
Lee offered her reasons for offering the proposal.
“Today, more and more children are using technology which has unfortunately made them vulnerable to exploitation by online predators. The REPORT Act will help fight against the exploitation of children online by strengthening existing reporting procedures and requiring companies to disclose crimes involving child sexual abuse to NCMEC,” said Lee. “I am proud to champion this bipartisan legislation that will help law enforcement quickly identify and prosecute perpetrators to protect our children from threats online.”
U.S. Reps. Madeline Dean, D-Penn., Susie Lee, D-Nev., and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, are co-sponsoring the vill.
“Nevada has one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the nation, and a sickening number of those crimes involve children,” said Susie Lee. “We must have zero tolerance for those who target innocent children for abuse. That’s why we need critical tools like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline to use the most state-of-the-art technology, alongside robust reporting requirements and serious penalties. I’m proud to work with Congresswoman Laurel Lee to introduce this bipartisan legislation to protect our children, crack down on human trafficking, and hold those accountable who turn a blind eye to these sickening crimes.”
“We must create a safe environment for children to access the internet without fear of exploitation,” said Miller-Meeks. “I am proud to support the REPORT Act, which strengthens policies that shield children from unwanted and coerced interactions online.”
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the International Justice Mission (IJM) are backing the proposal.
The bill was sent to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced the bill in February with the support of U.S. Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Bob Menendez, D-NJ, and Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. The bill cleared the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee at the start of June but not has received a floor vote yet.
