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New Mexico Representative Yvette Herrel Votes YES for Bi-Partisan S. 4926: Respect for Child Survivors Act. The bill, entitled Respect for Child Survivors Act, was led by Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn and co-sponsored by Democrat Delaware Senator Chris Coons, Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.
The bill, which was supported by multiple charities and think tanks including Child USA, addressed how the FBI handles sexual abuse cases with children. Under the now-passed legislation, victims will be interviewed by those with expertise that appropriately addresses their trauma.
The FBI would then be required to form multi-disciplinary teams when investigating child sexual exploitation or abuse, trafficking and those used for child sexual abuse material.
These experts would include investigative personnel, mental health professionals, medical personnel, family advocacy workers, child advocacy workers and prosecutors.
According to the Child USA think tank, the current problem is the FBI has previously mishandled cases of sexual abuse, most notably accusations against the now-imprisoned USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
The motion was passed with a total of 385 votes in favor of the bill. This included 215 Democrats and 170 Republicans. There were 18 Representatives who did not vote on the bill.
Text to the bill is located at https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/s4926/text
There were 28 Republicans who voted against the bill and a total of 170 voted for it in bipartisan support.
Here is the full list of Republican Representatives who voted against the bill.
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass Dec 21, 2022, 10:06 p.m. Passed 385/28
Complete bill details: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/4926/actions