Senate Passes Senators Hassan & Cornyn’s Bipartisan Bill to Help Prevent Child Abuse

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate passed Senators Maggie Hassan’s (D-NH) and John Cornyn’s (R-TX) bipartisan legislation to help prevent child abuse by training students and individuals who work with children in a professional or volunteer capacity on how to prevent, recognize, and report child sexual abuse. The bill is named for Jenna Quinn, a Texan and child abuse survivor, and is modeled after successful reforms passed in Texas.

“The Jenna Quinn Law takes significant steps forward in our efforts to help prevent child sexual abuse,” said Senator Hassan. “This bipartisan bill will help ensure that adults working with children can spot the signs of abuse – and act to address it – and help young people know what to do if they are experiencing abuse or hear that a friend is in trouble. Our bill will help to save children’s lives, and I urge the House to quickly pass this bill.” 

“For over a decade in Texas, Jenna’s Law has been crucial to training students, teachers, and caregivers to better identify and prevent child sexual abuse,” said Senator Cornyn. “The increase in reporting of these cases is why I am proud to partner with advocates and Texans like Jenna Quinn to ensure that these resources are available nationwide, and I strongly urge the House to pass this legislation and send it to the President’s desk without delay.”

The Jenna Quinn Law  would:

• Authorize federal grants to eligible entities for increasing evidence-based or informed training on sexual abuse prevention education and reporting to teachers and school employees, students, caregivers, and other adults who work with children.
• Ensure these grant recipients coordinate with local educational agencies to train students, professionals and volunteers who work with students on sexual abuse prevention, recognition and reporting.

Senator Hassan is working to provide support to survivors of sexual harassment and violent crimes. Last year, the President signed into law bipartisan legislation supported by Senator Hassan to strengthen support for victims of violent crimes by preventing deep cuts to programs that provide critical support and compensation to survivors of violent crimes, including survivors of child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking, through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). Senator Hassan also successfully worked with her colleagues to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, including her bipartisan bill to help victims who have intimate images shared non-consensually (sometimes called “revenge porn”) seek compensation and relief in federal court.

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