Doggett Moves To Create Commission To Reduce Child Fatalities, Develop Coordinated, National Response To Maltreatment

Press Release

Today, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Human Resources, introduced legislation to create a presidentially-appointed commission to develop a national strategy to reduce child fatalities that are the result of abuse and neglect. U.S. Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

Earlier this summer at a Human Resources Subcommittee hearing on child deaths due to maltreatment, Tamara Tunie, the spokesperson for the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths who plays Dr. Melinda Warner on "Law and Order Special Victims Unit," testified about real children who are dying at the hands of those who are supposed to love and protect them.

"The need for action is critical," Tunie said in her testimony. "Unfortunately the most startling truth about death from child abuse is how common it is… an estimated 2,500 children die each year from abuse and neglect, that's 7 children a day. The first step in ending child abuse and neglect deaths is awareness of the problem, including accurate collection of data regarding the number and circumstances of child deaths from maltreatment."

"Each weekend that my wife and I are back in Texas, we try to devote a little time to our three preschool granddaughters. The joy of being with them, witnessing their growth, their learning, their creativity, and also their innocence and vulnerability, makes it hard to imagine how some can be treated so cruelly," said Ranking Member Doggett. "In order to begin to address this kind of tragedy, we must begin to improve our understanding of the causes of abuse and neglect and determine what steps we can take to prevent this kind of maltreatment. This bipartisan commission is the first step in developing a coordinated, national response

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