S. 539 · On the floor · Crime and Law Enforcement

PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act of 2025

Sponsor: John Cornyn (R-TX)

What it does

• Reauthorize the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction through fiscal year 2028, extending the strategy's mandate.
• Revise the Department of Justice's National Strategy update cycle from every two years to every four years, and consolidate required elements from 19 to 9.
• Require ICAC task forces to increase investigative capacity to identify child victims and report victim identification numbers in annual reports.
• Grant liability protection to ICAC task forces for civil or criminal claims arising from decisions regarding internet crime against children leads.

Official summary

PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act of 2025 This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and updates (1) the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction (National Strategy), and (2) the National Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program. With respect to the National Strategy, current law requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to update the strategy every two years and include 19 specific elements in the strategy (e.g., long-range goals, annual measurable objectives, and future trends). This bill requires DOJ to update the National Strategy every four years. The bill also revises and consolidates the 19 required elements into 9 required elements, including an analysis of current trends and challenges as well as the overall magnitude of the threat of child exploitation. The ICAC Task Force Program is a national network of task forces that support state and local efforts to investigate and prosecute the online sexual exploitation of children. This bill requires ICAC task forces to increase the investigative capacity of law enforcement to identify child victims and report the number of child victims identified in their annual reports. The…

Latest action

May 20, 2025: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 80.

Committee: Senate Judiciary