Taxpayers Protection Alliance Applauds Introduction of the Invest in Child Safety Act

For Immediate Release

Contact: Kara Zupkus, (224)-456-0257

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), alongside Reps. Don Bacon (R-Ne.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), reintroduced the Invest in Child Safety Act, which would take bold steps to investigate and prosecute predators who share online child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Its core provisions would direct $5 billion towards these efforts, create a new White House Office to Enforce and Protect Against Child Sexual Exploitation to coordinate federal CSAM efforts, and establish a grant fund to support victims of child sexual exploitation. It would also modernize the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)’s CyberTipline and require tech companies to hold evidence longer.

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance’s (TPA) Executive Director, Patrick Hedger, offered the following comment:

“TPA is proud to support the Invest in Child Safety Act, which will provide law enforcement with the resources needed to protect children from online predation. This bill will enable authorities to deal with the root of the problem and arrest offenders, which will deter future offenders and prevent more children from being harmed. It is a common-sense measure that will do tremendous good to make the internet a safer place.

“In 2008, then-Senator Joe Biden (D-Del.) sponsored and passed the PROTECT Our Children Act, which directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat online CSAM crimes. However, DOJ has never faithfully implemented PROTECT. The agency failed to submit statutorily required reports to Congress and did not to appropriately request and spend funds to combat the growing abuse of children in the technological age. Despite this failure, Congress has increased funding for the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force within the DOJ from $34.73 million (2020) to $40.8 million (2023). During that period, reports to NCMEC’s CyberTipline went from 21.7 million (2020) to 32 million (2022). Clearly, the federal response is not working.

“Electronic service providers (ESPs), including tech platforms, account for 99 percent of CSAM reports. The Invest in Child Safety Act will bolster coordination and partnerships between law enforcement and ESPs to investigate and prosecute offenders. Contrastingly, proposals such as the EARN IT Act condition tech platforms’ Section 230 liability protection upon their willingness to serve as pseudo-government agencies, creating significant and pervasive civil rights concerns that would ultimately hamper the prosecution of criminals.

“Congress must take swift action to protect the most vulnerable in our society. By organizing and bolstering law enforcement, the Invest in Child Safety Act will do just that. We encourage all members to support this important legislation.”