NOW LAW: Lee-Led Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Online Child Abuse and Trafficking Signed into Law

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee’s (NV-03) bipartisan Revising Existing Procedures On Reporting via Technology (REPORT) Act to crack down on online child abuse was signed into law by President Biden. The bipartisan legislation was co-led by Congresswomen Laurel Lee (FL-15), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), and Madeleine Dean (PA-04).

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 social media companies and other online platforms to make reports of activities such as child sex trafficking, enticement of children for sexual acts, and unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child.  

In 2022, over 4,000 CyberTipline reports were made available to law enforcement in Nevada relating to child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). Currently, tech companies are only required to report clear instances of CSAM, but not imminent crimes associated with it such as sex trafficking or enticement. 

The bipartisan bill will 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. 
• Increasing 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. 

Text of the bill can be found here. 

The REPORT Act passed unanimously in the Senate, led by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA), before passing with overwhelming support out of the U.S. House of Representatives last week. 

“Nevada has one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the nation, and a sickening number of those crimes involve children,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee. “Abuse of children online must be met with swift and complete justice. This includes implementing the most state-of-the-art reporting technology, requiring Big Tech to report all instances of child abuse, and increasing penalties for those who fail to report these crimes against children. I’m proud to have worked with Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate to lead this legislation to protect our children, crack down on human trafficking, and hold those accountable who turn a blind eye to these sickening crimes.”  

“Sex trafficking of children is one of the more abhorrent criminal acts that law enforcement faces. The REPORT Act, which will enhance the addition of sex trafficking of children and enticement crimes to current reporting obligations, as well as beefing up guidelines for mandatory reporters, and increasing penalties for failure to report exploitative activities, is an important step toward combating these unconscionable crimes,” said Rick McCann, Government Affairs Director of the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers and the Nevada Law Enforcement Coalition. “That’s why our combined organizations fully support Congresswoman Susie Lee’s championing of this act, and we urge its passage and signing by President Biden.”  

“We work with children every day who have been exploited on the Internet and we continually witness the devastating effects of CSAM. Reporting is crucial if we are going to stop this abuse and punish those responsible. The REPORT Act provides both clarity on reporting and the tough penalties necessary to ensure reports are made, and made timely. Street Grace is proud to support the REPORT Act,” said Bob Rodgers, President and CEO of Street Grace.  

"With passage of the REPORT Act, we are taking critical steps to combat the heinous crime of sex trafficking of children, and the proliferation of exploitative content online," said Stefan Turkheimer, vice president of public policy for the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN). "By mandating reporting obligations for sex trafficking and enticement crimes, increasing penalties for failure to report, and extending the retention period for CyberTipline reports, this bill strengthens our ability to identify and prosecute offenders. We encourage President Biden to urgently sign this important child protection bill into law." 

“With a stark increase in crimes against children occurring online, it is imperative that we respond with modernized methods of reporting and information sharing. The REPORT act will allow for just that, and an increase of available resources for victims. We must hold online platforms accountable for safety on their domains. This bill is a giant step towards fighting online sexual exploitation and trafficking. Hope for Justice is pleased to support the REPORT Act.” said Sarah Butler, US Programs Director of Hope for Justice. 

“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 Rep. Laurel Lee. “I applaud both the House and Senate for passing this crucial legislation that will help law enforcement quickly identify and prosecute perpetrators to protect our children from threats online." 

“I am pleased that my bipartisan REPORT Act has passed the House and is heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law. Children are increasingly looking at screens, and the reality is that the internet and social media leaves more innocent kids at risk of online exploitation. Under this new law, big tech companies will now be required to report when children are being trafficked, groomed or enticed by predators,” said Senator Marsha Blackburn. 

The bipartisan bill is endorsed by the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers and the Nevada Law Enforcement Coalition, the Fraternal Order of Police, Street Grace, ECPAT-USA, International Justice Mission, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, RAINN, Wired Human, and Google. 

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