{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=D43A443D-BA25-45CA-ADE1-36F65B41DF0F", "Heller-Backed Bill to Protect Children from Online Predators Signed Into Law", "2017-11-03", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "NV", "Dean Heller", "H001041", "www.heller.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013The President signed into law the PROTECT Our Children Act, a bipartisan bill cosponsored by U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) and introduced by U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). This legislation will reauthorize the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program, a national network of 61 coordinated task forces representing 3,500 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies that combat online child exploitation across the country. \u201cI applaud the President for signing our bill to help protect children from predators,\u201d said Sen. Heller. \u201cThis bipartisan legislation will empower local law enforcement \u2013 like police departments across Nevada \u2013 with the tools they need to more effectively pursue criminals who abuse and exploit children. I thank Senators Cornyn and Blumenthal for their leadership on this proposal, and I\u2019m honored to have been part of the team to push it over the finish line.\u201d \u201cEquipping law enforcement with the tools they need is vital to protecting our most vulnerable online,\u201d Sen. Cornyn said. \u201cI\u2019m grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and to the President for supporting victims and the law enforcement agencies that combat and prevent these crimes.\u201d \u201cThe PROTECT Act reauthorizes critical task force programs \u2013 empowering state and local law enforcement to combat child abuse, protect survivors, and prosecute perpetrators who prey on the vulnerable. This significant bipartisan bill is a solid step forward in the fight against predators and the horrific crime of child exploitation \u2013 and a warning against any criminal who would exploit our children online. I am proud to see this critical measure become law,\u201d said Sen. Blumenthal. \u201cAs a former prosecutor, I know the importance of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program for our law enforcement officials,\u201d Sen. Klobuchar said. \u201cThis law will help us continue this critical collaborative effort to protect children from predators on the internet.\u201d\r\nBackground: \r\nThe PROTECT Our Children Act, originally passed in 2008, authorized the ICAC Task Force Program, a coordinated group of task forces representing 3,500 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies engaged in reactive and proactive investigations across the country.\u00a0 This legislation built upon work Senator Cornyn began as Texas Attorney General, when he created the Texas Internet Bureau to fight internet crimes like child pornography. The ICAC Task Force Program helps local and state law enforcement respond to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and internet crimes against children, and offers guidance on victim support, forensic investigative components, training and technical assistance, and prevention and community education. Organizations who supported the PROTECT Our Children Act include the National Association to Protect Children (PROTECT), the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), the National Children\u2019s Alliance, Rights4Girls, Shared Hope, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, the Major County Sheriffs of America, the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, the National Sheriffs Association, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the National District Attorneys Association, the National Criminal Justice Association, and the Major City Chiefs Police Association.\u00a0\r\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://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=D43A443D-BA25-45CA-ADE1-36F65B41DF0F"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5992128755897284, "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"}