Casey Following AG Report: Congress Must Act, Pass My Anti-Abuse Legislation
Philadelphia, PA – As evidenced by the report of the 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, sexual abuse continues to impact too many of our nation’s children. In a public event U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), joined by Executive Deputy Attorney General of the PA Office of the Attorney General Jennifer Selberr (representing PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro) and child protection advocates, called on his colleagues in Congress to swiftly act to pass his Speak Up to Protect Every Abused Kid Act (Speak Up) Act.
“The kinds of abuses that took place over decades in Pennsylvania should be the subject of continued scrutiny, review and transparency, and anyone who has abused a child or has been involved in covering it up must be held fully accountable.” said Senator Casey. “Congress can and must act to make sure the types of abuses reported by the Grand Jury never happen again. My legislation, the Speak Up Act, would strengthen standards relating to mandatory reporting and make it clear that suspected child abuse or neglect must be reported directly to the appropriate state authorities. It’s past time for Congress to take up and swiftly pass this measure.”
“I commend Senator Casey for introducing legislation that requires stronger standards for reporting child sexual abuse,” PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. “As we have learned through our investigation into child sexual abuse by priests in Pennsylvania, abuse often goes unreported and covered up, and victims are ignored. It’s important that we strengthen these reporting standards at the federal level to create a uniform approach to protect children from abuse throughout Pennsylvania and the United States.”
Casey and Selber were joined by child advocates from Public Citizens for Children and Youth and Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center.
More on the Speak Up Act:
The Speak Up Act would set a federal standard for which states must require adults with a professional to children to report instances of known or suspected child abuse, in order for states to receive funding through the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), the federal statute focused on child abuse and neglect prevention and response. The Speak Up Act also requires that these mandated reporters make their reports directly to the state authorities responsible for investigating child abuse and neglect.
Additionally, this legislation closes a loophole in existing law that can leave children in danger because their abuser is from another state, or because the child was visiting another state when he or she was abused. Under this bill, it is clear that the state where the incident occurred has the obligation to investigate that incident, and that other states must assist with the investigation and response.