WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Children and Families, celebrated the passage of the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act (SICAA) in the House of Representatives. The legislation, which passed the Senate last week by unanimous consent, will head to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
Last week, Sen. Tuberville thanked Paris Hilton for her work on the legislation on the Senate floor.
“I dedicated my life to mentoring young people because they are the most precious commodity that we have. If we get everything else right, but neglect our young people, our country has no future. There’s an old saying that sunlight is the best disinfectant. We need some more sunlight on these facilities so we can put a stop to the waste, and the fraud, and abuse in the system. I’m proud to support the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act and stand with our kids,” said Senator Tommy Tuberville.
Senator Tuberville was joined by U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in leading the effort in the Senate.
U.S. Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA-01) and Ro Khanna (D-CA-17) led the effort in the House of Representatives.
Full text of the legislation can be found here.
BACKGROUND:
In recent years, residential care facilities have come under fierce scrutiny for abuses that have occurred behind closed doors. Paris Hilton, a residential care facility abuse survivor and fierce advocate for kids in these facilities, has been working closely with advocacy groups and lawmakers in D.C. Hilton has been a leading force shining a light and increasing awareness of the prevalence of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of youth in these programs, which often leads to hospitalizations, prolonged trauma, and even deaths.
SICAA will provide greater oversight and data transparency for institutional youth treatment programs, improve information sharing systems between the states, and disseminate best practices for preventing institutional child abuse.
In April 2023, Sen. Tuberville joined his colleagues in holding a press conference introducing and promoting the bill.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
###
