Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to Our Children Act of 2022

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, S. 4834 reauthorizes the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction for an additional 2 years.

In 2008, Congress passed the PROTECT Our Children Act, which required the attorney general to develop and implement a National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction.

The PROTECT Our Children Act formally authorized the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces. These task forces support State and local law enforcement agencies in combating online enticement of children and the proliferation of online child sexual abuse material.

Since its inception, nearly 90,000 individuals have been arrested because of complaints reviewed by these task forces. They not only put the dangerous criminals behind bars, but they also provide outreach to communities to spread awareness about and, hopefully, prevent internet crimes against kids.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record: ``Houston ICAC Task Force Records Nine Arrests for Child Exploitation'' showing that there is true evidence that this program works. [From the Texas News, July 7, 2022] Houston ICAC Task Force Records 9 Arrests for Child Exploitation (By Amy Gordon)

During the weeks of June 2022, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office (MCDAO) Cybercrimes Against Children (ICAC) Division, part of the Houston Metro ICAC Task Force, conducted a multi-day interagency operation targeting individuals who were actively children sought sexual exploitation via the Internet in Montgomery County. Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the operation including the Montgomery County Attorney's Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Texas Department of Public Safety, Houston Police Department, Conroe Police Department, Montgomery County Pct. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3 and pt. 5 Police Departments, Humble Police Department, Ft. Bend County Sheriff's Office, Missouri City Police Department and the Spring Branch Independent School District Police Department.

The Houston Metro ICAC Taskforce is part of a national network of 61 coordinated task forces representing over 4,500 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies dedicated to investigating and prosecuting those who attempt to sexually exploit children via the Internet.

During this multi-day operation, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office ICAC section, moderated by Constable Ryan Gable and Montgomery County Constable's Office Precinct 3 deputies, conducted a proactive chat operation in southern Montgomery County. Task Force members also obtained an arrest warrant for Thomas J. Manno of Clarion County, Pennsylvania, and provided local authorities with essential information to execute a search warrant on his home.

Task Force members contributed to the following arrests during the operation:

Thomas J. Manno--39--Shippenville, Pennsylvania--Promotion of Child Pornography (F2)

Robert Clarence Clayton--27--Channelview, Texas--Online Ad by a Minor (F2)

Isaac Anthony Marino--30--Houston, Texas--Online solicitation by a minor (F2)

Francisco Xavier Garza--29--Spring, Texas--Online solicitation by a minor F2) // Possibly with intent to supply--Methamphetamine (F1)

Elijah Charles Lewis--24--Houston, Texas--Online Solicitation by a Minor (F2)

Ahsan Shah--36--Houston, Texas--Online solicitation by a minor (F2)

Lawrence Clayton Hopkins--55--Baytown, Texas--Online solicitation by a minor (F2)

Edward Stewart Geddes--42--Houston, Texas--Online solicitation by a minor (F2) // Evidence tampering (F3)

Clinton Brian Harvey--44--Dickenson, Texas--Soliciting a Minor Online (F3) // Unlawful Carrying of a Gun (MA)

The above accused are still under investigation and additional charges may be brought at a later date. All accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

During the investigation of Lawrence Clayton Hopkins, officers learned that Hopkins may have worked as a youth pastor in Midlothian, College Station and Baytown, Texas prior to his arrest.

During the investigation of Clinton Brian Harvey, officers learned that Harvey worked as an officer at the Montgomery County Juvenile Detention Center.

As our children are more exposed to the internet than ever before, the ICAC section of the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office and the Houston Metro ICAC Task Force encourage parents to be diligent in monitoring their children's online activities and raise concerns with law enforcement agencies and the National Center for to report Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Concerned parents and guardians should contact local law enforcement in the event of an emergency by dialing 911. Parents and guardians can also contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or through their website at CyberTipline.org for more information and resources.

Lt. Michael Atkins, Montgomery County Constable's Office Precinct 3, shared: ``The Internet provides criminals with an often unsupervised avenue to exploit child sacrifice. As parents, we need to carefully monitor our children's online activities and talk to them about the dangers they may face online.''

Shanna Redwine (MCDAO), Head of Special Victims Division, stated: ``We know the internet can be a dangerous place for children. The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office are committed to making it legally dangerous for adults who seek to harm them. We ask parents and carers to support us in this effort by closely monitoring children and speaking with them about online risks, of which there are many.''

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I am looking forward to this legislation passing. Again, I emphasize that anything to protect our children is crucial.

Mr. Speaker, there are thousands of children exploited on the internet each and every day. As the global online community continues to grow, so do the very real dangers facing our Nation's children.

I do want to state that Ms. Wasserman Schultz has really developed this legislation and worked very hard on it. We have applauded her work starting in 2008. This will be a major, if you will, addition and asset to fighting the scourge that goes against our innocent children.

So we have developed a vast and effective program that has continued to evolve and improve our fight against online child exploitation. Let's continue this program. We cannot allow this program to die. We must pass the PROTECT Our Children Act to reauthorize these task forces and to allow them to continue their brave and crucial work that keeps our children safe.

Wasserman Schultz) who has worked so hard on this legislation since 2008.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bill before the House today because at this very moment, thousands of children are waiting to be saved.

The internet can be a dangerous neighborhood for anyone, but especially vulnerable children. The ever-expanding reach of the internet has fueled an exploding multibillion-dollar market for child pornography.

Tragically, this market exploits the graphic images that result from the horrific sexual assault of more children. The pandemic only exacerbated the problem, as our world shifts more online.

But these are not just heinous online images, they are crime scene photos created by a thriving industry that uses children as sexual commodities.

Almost 15 years ago, I introduced the Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to Our Children Act of 2007. With the support of Mr. Jordan at a House Judiciary hearing on that bill, we heard from a very brave young woman, Alicia Kozakiewicz. She was abducted by an internet predator at just 13, held captive in his dungeon basement, and sexually tortured for 4 days.

The FBI found Alicia because the Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, or ICAC, had the technology to lift the digital fingerprints of this perpetrator's crimes.

They were able to discover the location where he held her captive, chained to the floor, connected to a collar around her neck. Internet crimes officers tracked the IP address back to his door, and literally rescued her from death.

I remember her testimony like it was yesterday. It moved many of the members of that committee, including myself, to tears.

In the 20 years since her abduction and torture, Alicia still shares her personal nightmare to help protect other young people.

Over that next year, we learned a lot about these offenders: who they are, how they operate, and most important, where they are. We saw detailed law enforcement maps that showed the locations of hundreds of thousands of sexual predators, 5 percent of whom had actual child victims waiting to be rescued.

It was a truly harrowing environment they described.

And Congress acted.

With then-Senator Joe Biden as my Senate partner, we passed legislation establishing the National Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program, or ICAC, a specialized group of law enforcement officials dedicated to the protection of children.

The task forces grew from 42 to 61, and arrests and child rescues doubled. They doubled. Literally thousands more predators were apprehended and children rescued. An untold number of sexual assaults were prevented.

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