{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/president-signs-gabbard-s-talias-law-strengthen-protections-military-children", "President Signs Gabbards Talia's Law to Strengthen Protections for Military Children", "2016-12-27", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Tulsi Gabbard", "G000571", "gabbard.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Honolulu, HI\u2014Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) released the statement below after \u201cTalia\u2019s Law\u201d was signed into law by President Obama:\n\u201cMore than a decade after Talia Williams\u2019s tragic death, there have been more than 29,000 cases of child abuse and neglect in military homes. Until now, the same gaps in the military\u2019s reporting requirements that failed to protect Talia and so many other military children remained.\u00a0Enactment of Talia\u2019s Law closes these gaps by requiring the same protections that exist for any other child to also protect children in military families. While this cannot right the wrongs that failed to protect Talia, Talia\u2019s Law honors her life by helping to get military children, and their families, the support and care they need and deserve,\u201d said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.\u00a0\n\u201cMy daughter went through so much pain and agony and I am so proud that Talia\u2019s Law will prevent other kids from experiencing what my daughter went through. I am thankful and honored that my daughter\u2019s legacy will live on through Talia\u2019s Law, and I am grateful for everyone who played a part in getting her law passed, moving one step forward to saving a child\u2019s life,\u201d said Tarshia W. Hampton, Talia Williams\u2019 mother who wrote the original concept of Talia\u2019s Law. Tarshia brought the concept to Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to introduce in Congress.\n\u201cProtection and early intervention can prevent situations like what Talia faced from happening again. By passing Talia\u2019s Law, Child and Family Service (CFS) anticipates that all military personnel will become more empowered to follow all of the child welfare reporting mandates without fear of retaliation from their command, that child abuse and neglect will no longer be underreported, and that reporting will no longer be discouraged by the military\u2019s chain of command,\u201d said Amanda Pump, Program Administrator for Child & Family Service.\n\u201cTalia\u2019s Law will create a further safety net to prevent a child from going through what happened to Talia. An issue of child abuse or neglect that goes unreported or underreported is a failure to allow for a child\u2019s right to safety and a healthy childhood. Abuse of any household member is simply unacceptable. Talia\u2019s Law will enforce early identification and response which is critical to the protection from further abuse. Thank you Congresswoman Gabbard for standing up for our children to assure that their safety and their basic needs are preserved,\u201d said Ryan Kusumoto, President/CEO of Parents And Children Together.\nBackground: In 2005, five year old Talia Williams was beaten to death by her father, who was a soldier stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawai\u02bbi. Leading up to her death, Talia suffered months of abuse from her father and stepmother. Despite multiple reports made to military officers, the case stayed within the military\u2019s chain of command, and nothing was done to take Talia out of harm\u2019s way.\nOutside of the military, mandated reporters (generally, professionals that come into contact with children such as physicians, psychologists, social workers, teachers, and others) are required to report any suspected cases of child abuse and neglect directly to State Child Protective Services. However, the military\u2019s reporting requirements do not currently require the same direct reporting requirements to state authorities.\nTo close the communications gap that may exist between mandated reporters and those who may report to the State on their behalf, Talia\u2019s Law:\n Requires servicemembers and their dependents to immediately report known or suspected instances of child abuse and neglect to their installation Family Advocacy Program Office. These offices are tasked with the prevention, education, intervention, and investigation of spouse and child abuse.\n\tAdditionally requires servicemembers and their dependents to report any known or suspected child abuse directly to State Child Protective Services, or another appropriate state agency.\n In February, the House of Representatives unanimously passed Talia\u2019s Law (H.R. 3894), introduced by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Senator Mazie Hirono worked to include Talia\u2019s Law in this year\u2019s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was signed into law by President Obama on December 23.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/president-signs-gabbard-s-talias-law-strengthen-protections-military-children"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7264839261770248, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}