Reschenthaler Reintroduces Bipartisan END Child Exploitation Act

Press Release

Today, Representatives Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Anthony Gonzalez (OH-16), Annie Kuster (NH-02), and Lucy McBath (GA-06), along with U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), reintroduced the END Child Exploitation Act. This legislation extends the period of time that technology companies are required to preserve information about child sexual abuse images they report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

"The COVID-19 pandemic has increasingly intertwined our daily lives with technology, making it more important than ever before to protect children from the growing prevalence of online child exploitation in our nation," said Rep. Reschenthaler. "The END Child Exploitation Act will provide law enforcement more time to identify predators and hold them accountable for their heinous crimes. I am proud to join with Representatives Gonzalez, Kuster, and McBath and Senators Blackburn and Cortez Masto to stop these perpetrators, protect our nation's children, and keep our communities safe."

The END Child Exploitation Act was first introduced in December 2019 following the release of a New York Times investigative report highlighting disturbing growth in online child exploitation across the country. The report found that technology companies reported more than 69 million images and videos depicting abuse in 2019. Currently, these companies are required to retain information on these images for 90 days after reporting the material to NCMEC; however, this time is often not enough for habitually under-resourced law enforcement to conduct the necessary investigative process. The END Child Exploitation Act doubles this time frame to 180 days and ensures these companies are legally able to retain the material longer if needed to prevent the proliferation or spread of child exploitation material.

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