Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) spoke on the House Floor in support of S. 2051, the Missing Children’s Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2023, which helps the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children better protect our nation's children. The bipartisan legislation’s companion bill, H.R. 5224, was introduced in the House by Reps. Aaron Bean (R-FL) and Joe Courtney (D-CT).

Chairwoman Foxx’s remarks (as prepared for delivery):

“I rise today in support of the Missing Children’s Assistance Reauthorization Act, which authorizes support for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC is the national clearinghouse and resource center for protecting missing and exploited children. 

“Protecting our country’s most vulnerable children has long been a national priority. That’s why Congress created the Missing Children’s Assistance Act (MCAA) in 1984 to provide federal coordination of state and local efforts to recover and support missing and exploited children.

“At the opening ceremony for NCMEC, President Reagan proclaimed, ‘All Americans, and especially our youth, should have the right and the opportunity to walk our streets, to play and to grow and to live their lives without being at risk.’

“Ever since, NCMEC has dutifully served as the national resource center to find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. Reauthorizing the MCAA is imperative in today’s times of unparalleled and evolving threats to children—both online and out in public.

“S. 2051, the Missing Children’s Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2023, is bipartisan legislation that renews the MCAA through Fiscal Year 2028 and takes critical steps in helping NCMEC better respond to crimes affecting children across the country. A companion bill, H.R. 5224, was introduced in the House by Reps. Bean and Courtney, and I thank them for their work on this important issue.

“S. 2051 would improve NCMEC’s ability to:

• assist law enforcement to identify, locate, and recover missing and exploited children;
• develop educational materials to reduce the risk of child sex trafficking, online enticement, sexual extortion, and cyberbullying;
• provide education and technical assistance for conducting background checks on individuals working with children;
• offer support services to missing and exploited children and their families; and
• facilitate requests to have child sexual abuse material removed from the internet.

“In fact, NCMEC’s commitment also extends globally, collaborating with international organizations to combat the issue of child exploitation. Such collaborations ensure a united effort against international trafficking threats, particularly in a world increasingly interconnected online and ever evolving with the advent of artificial intelligence.

“When President and CEO of NCMEC Michelle DeLaune was asked by the Education and the Workforce Committee at a recent hearing how concerned on a scale of 1 to10 she was about AI threats to children, DeLaune responded, an ‘11.’

“Earlier this year, Big Tech CEOs testified before the Senate and received sharp criticism for rampant child exploitation on their platforms.

“Those CEOs have blame to share, but the House of Representatives has a duty to fulfill.

“Passing the Missing Children’s Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2023 means we will ensure NCMEC has the tools needed to protect America’s most vulnerable children today, and in the future.”

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