Representative Laurel Lee’s (R-FL) bill, the Revising Existing Procedures On Reporting via Technology (REPORT) Act, has been signed into law by President Joe Biden (D). The bill looks to change requirements regarding how electronic service providers submit reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) when they are alerted of violations involving the sexual exploitation of children online.
The legislation passed in the Senate with unanimous consent in December. It includes reforms to the CyberTipline such as increasing fines up to $850,000 for failing to report exploitive content, requiring social media platforms to report sex trafficking and enticement crimes, and lengthening CyberTipline’s preservation of evidence window to allow law enforcement more time to investigate and prosecute.
Rep. Lee released a statement surrounding the bill’s approval from the President.
“The REPORT Act will help fight against the exploitation of children online by strengthening existing reporting procedures and requiring companies to disclose crimes involving child sexual abuse to NCMEC,” said Rep. Laurel Lee. “I am glad to see this crucial piece of legislation make its way to the President's desk and be signed into law."
Before the bill came to a vote, Rep. Lee gave a stern speech on the topic.
Gaps in federal law prevent the preservation of reports for online child exploitation, hindering law enforcement from holding these criminals accountable.
Thank you to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for your support—the REPORT Act now heads to President Biden's desk. pic.twitter.com/eNhwLGb9B2
— Congresswoman Laurel Lee (@RepLaurelLee) April 30, 2024
“Reports of CSAM (child sexual abuse material) continue to grow exponentially, with 3,000 reports in 1998, growing to more than 1 million in 2014 and 36.2 million in 2023. We have gaps in federal law that prevent the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – or NCMEC – from preserving reports of CSAM, which hinders law enforcement from holding these predators accountable,” said Lee. “With the growing proliferation of CSAM on the internet, NCMEC, Homeland Security investigations, and other entities that protect children need additional support and investigative tools to bring these predators to justice.”
Afterward, it was passed by a voice vote without objection.
On the Senate side, the bill was introduced by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). It was co-sponsored by Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Mike Lee (R-UT), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), James Lankford (R-OK), and Marco Rubio (R-FL).
On the House side, the companion bill was sponsored by Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), and Susie Lee (D-NV) alongside Rep. Lee. Co-sponsors included Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Barry Moore (R-AL), Bill Posey (R-FL), Russell Fry (R-SC), Carlos A. Gimenez (R-FL), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (D-GA).
