Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Senate yesterday passed bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), along with Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) that would require amateur athletics governing bodies to report sex-abuse allegations immediately to local or federal law enforcement, or a child-welfare agency designated by the Justice Department.
Donnelly said, “Amateur athletics governing bodies like USA Gymnastics have an obligation to athletes, parents, and the sport to ensure that athletes are safe. This bipartisan bill aims to help prevent the sexual abuse of athletes and would require prompt reporting of abuse to authorities. I have been pushing Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics for answers and accountability from the beginning and Senate passage of our legislation is an important step forward.”
Young said, “Sexual misconduct is grossly reprehensible. This legislation will help protect young athletes in USA Gymnastics and other U.S. Olympic organizations by requiring stringent standards for reporting abuse and holding abusers accountable.”
The bill would further authorize the United States Center for Safe Sport to ensure that aspiring U.S. Olympic athletes can report allegations of abuse to an independent and non-conflicted entity for investigation and resolution, and to make sure that all amateur athletics governing bodies follow the strictest standards for child abuse prevention and detection.
The Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act stems from recent allegations of sexual abuse made against personnel involved with USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming and USA Taekwondo and follows hearings earlier this year before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee on athlete safety issues.
Feinstein said, “Sexual abuse is one of the most heinous crimes and our legislation will finally ensure that adults who are responsible for the safety of millions of young athletes will be held accountable for preventing abuse and reporting any allegation of abuse. Passage of our legislation wouldn’t have been possible without the courage of women who came forward to say ‘enough is enough.’ They shared deeply personal, horrific experiences to help prevent other young girls from having to ensure the same abuse and pain. Since I met with several brave women in February, I told them that I would work to pass this bill. Today is their day.”
Thune said, “Combining the best of two proposals, this legislation makes institutional changes within the U.S. Olympic movement and sets stringent new criminal reporting requirements to protect young athletes from sexual abuse. The horrendous crimes of adults entrusted with the care of young athletes prompted this legislation.”
Nelson said, “It’s a stain on our country that many of our own young Olympic athletes were sexually abused for years by the very adults they entrusted to train them and keep them safe. No aspiring athlete deserves to have their dream or moment of Olympic gold stolen from them by the actions of a sexual predator. These heinous crimes and the culture that allowed them to go undetected for so long must come to an immediate end.”
Collins said, “Sexual abuse has absolutely no place in our society and must be eradicated. I have long worked to prevent sexual assault and ensure that survivors have access to every resource and support they need. By requiring amateur athletic governing organizations to promptly report every allegation of sexual abuse to the proper authorities, our legislation will help survivors obtain justice and protect more people from these repugnant crimes.”
Warren said, “Children everywhere deserve to be protected from sexual predators. By establishing new safeguards, this legislation will help curb abuses of power and send a clear message that sexual abuse of young athletes will not be tolerated.”
The bill would amend the Ted Stevens Amateur and Olympic Sports Act, which governs amateur athletics governing bodies, to make it safe and easy for victims to report abuse and mandate oversight to ensure strong sexual-abuse prevention policies are implemented.
The bill also would reform the law that allows victims to sue sex-crime perpetrators by extending the statute of limitations because it’s often difficult for children to recognize that they have had crimes committed against them until much later on into adulthood.
The Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act is supported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), National Children’s Alliance, Rights4Girls, University of Utah Law Professor Paul Cassell, Child Sex Crime Victims’ Lawyer James Marsh, Crime Victims Expert Steve Twist, National Crime Victims Center, National Association of VOCA Administrators, Child USA, National Organization for Victim Assistance, ToPrevail, ChampionWomen, National Children Advocacy Center, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence and Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).
The legislation is also supported by organizations within the Olympic movement, including the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), the National Governing Body Council and the United States Center for Safe Sport.
