This bill would reauthorize and change the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008. It updates the national strategy on child exploitation so it is prepared every four years and adds many required topics the strategy must cover, such as current and future trends, goals for prevention and interdiction, coordination plans, and estimates of resources needed across Federal and task force agencies. The bill revises the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) program rules to explicitly include Tribal and military partners, add victim identification to ICAC goals, require evaluations of task force effectiveness, and allow continuation of existing task forces. It creates a limited legal immunity for ICAC task forces and participating agencies against most civil or criminal claims about how they prioritize leads, with exceptions for intentional misconduct or certain reckless or malicious acts. The bill changes some duties of task forces (for example, adding reactive work, digital forensic exams, and clearer lead investigation language), makes the national ICAC data system optional instead of required, adjusts membership and support rules, requires providers to include supplemental data in certain reports, and strikes a prior statutory title that added regional computer forensic labs. It also sets specific authorized funding levels for fiscal years 2026–2028 and requires at least 20 percent of certain grant funds be used to support the ICAC Task Force Program for training, technology, research, and wellness support.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.