Child Predators Accountability Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Raskin for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6715, the Child Predators Accountability Act of 2025.

The safety of our children is foundational to a secure and just society. Yet this foundation is broken every time a child is victimized.

Due to narrow interpretations, prosecutors have sometimes been required to prove that a child was visibly, actively participating in sexual conduct in order to bring charges, but exploitation doesn't always look the same. A child does not have to be visibly active for harm to be real, lasting, and devastating.

Tell me, what would it mean for the child victims if we required more?

The properly named Child Predators Accountability Act makes an important and very necessary clarification for a circuit split that could allow predators to evade justice. By making it uniformly illegal to depict a minor in sexually explicit material, regardless of whether that child appears to be actively participating, this change strengthens the law so that predators can no longer hide behind technical loopholes while continuing to exploit our children, making sure that anyone who dares to prey on the most vulnerable will face consequences for their crimes. This legislation would clarify Federal standards nationwide and restore consistency in how these horrific offenses are prosecuted, ensuring that justice does not depend solely on geography or jurisdiction.

The protection of our children from monstrous crimes transcends political television. I call on each and every one of my colleagues to pass this legislation and send a very clear and strong message that the exploitation of children will be met with the full, unyielding, inescapable force of justice. This bill empowers law enforcement and prosecutors by giving them unified and stronger tools to pursue cases and dismantle these exploitation efforts.

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Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, when the law is clear, justice can move more swiftly and more effectively, allowing victims to begin the long process of healing with the knowledge that their government is standing with them and for them.

This legislation is about protecting the most vulnerable among us.

The time for action is now. I support the Child Predators Accountability Act, and I urge all my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. HARRIS of North Carolina. Lee).

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