S. 539: PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act of 2025

This bill, known as the PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act of 2025, aims to extend and enhance the initiatives established by the original PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008. The legislation focuses on improving efforts to prevent and combat child exploitation and internet crimes against children. Below are the core elements of what the bill proposes:

Reauthorization of National Strategy

The bill mandates the establishment of a national strategy for preventing child exploitation, which will now be reviewed and updated every four years instead of every two years. This strategy will include:

• An analysis of current and future trends in child exploitation.
• Goals and plans for interagency coordination and cooperation with law enforcement.
• Legislative recommendations to enhance combating child exploitation.
• Identification of resources needed to counter these crimes effectively.
• A comprehensive review of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) Program.

Strengthening ICAC Task Forces

The legislation emphasizes the importance of ICAC task forces in handling crimes against children. Key changes include:

• Expanding the scope of task forces to include Tribal and military law enforcement agencies.
• Mandating that task forces be evaluated for effectiveness.
• Creating limited liability protections for task force participants to encourage action against potential claims, unless there is misconduct.

Enhanced Duties for Task Forces

Task forces will have broadened responsibilities, including:

• Improving training needs assessments for task force personnel.
• Prioritizing investigations based on their potential to rescue child victims.
• Conducting digital forensic examinations to support investigations.

Data System for Child Exploitation

The bill allows the creation of an optional national data system tailored to facilitate coordinated efforts against child exploitation. This system aims to track data related to child exploitation cases more effectively.

Grant Funding for Resources

It establishes a grant program to provide funding for ICAC task forces, ensuring that a minimum percentage of funds are allocated for training, technical assistance, and development of new tools to combat child exploitation.

Increased Funding Authorization

The bill specifies increased funding for fiscal years 2026 through 2028, starting with $70 million in 2026 and escalating to $90 million by 2028 to support the implementation of the provisions outlined in the bill.

Reporting Requirements for Providers

It also updates reporting requirements for organizations providing data on child exploitation, enhancing accountability and transparency regarding their role in reporting incidents.

Relevant Companies

None found