Senate Passes Bill Requiring U.S. Amateur Athletic Organizations, Members to Report Sexual Abuse

Washington, D.C. -The U.S. Senate passed legislation led by Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) to require amateur athletics governing bodies to report sex-abuse allegations immediately to local or federal law enforcement, or a child-welfare agency designated by the Justice Department.

The bill further authorizes the United States Center for Safe Sport to ensure that aspiring U.S. Olympic athletes can report allegations of abuse to an independent and non-conflicted entity for investigation and resolution, and to make sure that all national governing bodies follow the strictest standards for child abuse prevention and detection.

The Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act stems from recent allegations of sexual abuse made against personnel involved with USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming and USA Taekwondo and follows hearings earlier this year before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee on athlete safety issues.

“Sexual abuse has absolutely no place in our society and must be eradicated,” said Senator Collins. “I have long worked to prevent sexual assault and ensure that survivors have access to every resource and support they need. By requiring amateur athletic governing organizations to promptly report every allegation of sexual abuse to the proper authorities, our legislation will help survivors obtain justice and protect more people from these repugnant crimes.”

“Sexual abuse is one of the most heinous crimes and our legislation will finally ensure that adults who are responsible for the safety of millions of young athletes will be held accountable for preventing abuse and reporting any allegation of abuse,” said Senator Feinstein. “Passage of our legislation wouldn’t have been possible without the courage of women who came forward to say ‘enough is enough.’ They shared deeply personal, horrific experiences to help prevent other young girls from having to ensure the same abuse and pain. Since I met with several brave women in February, I told them that I would work to pass this bill. Today is their day.”

The bill would amend the Ted Stevens Amateur and Olympic Sports Act, which governs amateur athletics governing bodies, to make it safe and easy for victims to report abuse and mandate oversight to ensure strong sexual-abuse prevention policies are implemented.

The bill also reforms the law that allows victims to sue sex-crime perpetrators by extending the statute of limitations because it’s often difficult for children to recognize that they have had crimes committed against them until much later on into adulthood.

The Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act is supported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), National Children’s Alliance, Rights4Girls, University of Utah Law Professor Paul Cassell, Child Sex Crime Victims’ Lawyer James Marsh, Crime Victims Expert Steve Twist, National Crime Victims Center, National Association of VOCA Administrators, Child USA, National Organization for Victim Assistance, ToPrevail, ChampionWomen, National Children Advocacy Center, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence and Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).

The legislation is also supported by organizations within the Olympic movement, including the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), the National Governing Body Council and the United States Center for Safe Sport.

Statements from athletes and supporters:

“Testifying before the Senate Judiciary committee on behalf of S. 534 was emotionally difficult but very empowering,” said Jessica Howard, U.S. National Champion. “It will help bring abusers to justice and give future generations of child athletes the protections we needed but did not have. I am so pleased that the full Senate got behind this important legislation and I encourage the House of Representatives to join with them.”

“This bill will go a long way towards protecting young athletes from sexual abuse and allow them to pursue their Olympic dreams in a safe environment. I thank the Senate for hearing our voices and I especially appreciate the leadership of my home state Senator Dianne Feinstein,” said Jamie Dantzscher, U.S. Olympic Bronze Medalist.

“I view the passing of this bill as a significant positive for all sports.  For too long, the system governing gymnastics has turned a blind eye to the egregious lack of safety and systematic abuse of our young athletes,” said Dominique Moceanu, U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist. “This bipartisan bill, authored by forward-thinking legislators, is a huge step in the right direction and provides a new level of safety our young athletes had not received previously.  It has been an honor to stand alongside the courageous women who have come forward to testify about their abuse and to be able to lend my own voice in support of such positive change.”

“We must be vigilant in our efforts to address and prevent abuse and continue to look for ways to protect our young athletes. S. 534 is a critical bill in achieving this mission by establishing clear obligations for organizations and adults in the amateur sports world, and by authorizing an independent entity to provide ongoing education and enforcement in this space,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun.

“This legislation takes important steps forward in protecting young athletes by mandating policies for all amateur sports organizations and authorizing the United States Center for Safe Sport,” said National Governing Body Council of the USOC Chair Max Cobb.