S-539 : Still Just a Bill
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The PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act of 2025 aims to strengthen and reauthorize the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, which combats child exploitation. Key provisions of this bill include:
- National Strategy: Amends the national strategy for child exploitation prevention and interdiction, requiring updates every four years instead of two, and expanding its content to include more detailed analyses of trends, resource estimates, and reviews of federal efforts and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program.
- ICAC Task Force Program:
- Expands the scope of the program to include cooperation with Tribal and military law enforcement agencies and emphasizes the identification of child victims.
- Introduces limited liability protection for ICAC task forces and their personnel regarding prioritization decisions in investigating leads, with exceptions for intentional misconduct, gross negligence, or actions unrelated to their duties.
- Refines the purposes and duties of ICAC task forces to include proactive and reactive investigations, digital forensic examinations, and educating the judiciary on internet crimes against children.
- National ICAC Data System and Grants: Adjusts provisions for the National Internet Crimes Against Children Data System, making its establishment permissive rather than mandatory. It also modifies the ICAC Grant Program to allocate funds for training, technical assistance, tools, research, national law enforcement training, and wellness programs, and requires reporting on the number of child victims identified.
- Authorization of Appropriations: Authorizes specific funding levels for the program: $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2027, and $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2028.
- Other Amendments: Strikes Title II of the original Act, which pertained to Additional Regional Computer Forensic Labs, and enhances reporting requirements for providers by mandating the inclusion of all supplemental data in reports of child exploitation.