IB 

Union Calendar No. 85 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1973 

[Report No. 115–136, Part I] 

To prevent the sexual abuse of minors and amateur athletes by requiring 

the prompt reporting of sexual abuse to law enforcement authorities, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 6, 2017 

Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana (for herself, Ms. FRANKEL of Florida, and Mr. 

GOODLATTE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by 

the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

MAY 22, 2017 

Additional sponsors: Mrs. ROBY, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania, Ms. TENNEY, Mr. PAULSEN, Ms. BROWNLEY of 

California, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. KNIGHT, Mr. 

MESSER, Mrs. WALORSKI, Mr. GUTIE ́RREZ, and Mr. MEEHAN

MAY 22, 2017 

Reported from the Committee on the Judiciary with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

MAY 22, 2017 

The Committee on Education and the Workforce discharged; committed to the 

Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered 

to be printed 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 6, 2017] 


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A BILL 

To prevent the sexual abuse of minors and amateur athletes 

by requiring the prompt reporting of sexual abuse to 

law enforcement authorities, and for other purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Young Vic5 tims from Sexual Abuse Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REQUIRED REPORTING OF CHILD AND SEXUAL 

7 ABUSE AT FACILITIES UNDER THE JURISDIC8 TION OF AMATEUR SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS 

9 RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED STATES OLYM10 PIC COMMITTEE. 

11 (a) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Section 226 of the 

12 Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 13031) is 

13 amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)— 

15 (A) by striking ‘‘A person who’’ and insert16 ing the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) COVERED PROFESSIONALS.—A person who’’; 

18 and 

19 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(2) COVERED INDIVIDUALS.—A covered indi21 vidual who learns of facts that give reason to suspect 

22 that a child has suffered an incident of child abuse 

23 shall as soon as possible make a report of the sus24 pected abuse to the agency designated by the Attorney 

25 General under subsection (d).’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding 

2 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘subsection (a)’’ and in3 serting ‘‘subsection (a)(1)’’; 

4 (3) in subsection (c)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

6 the end; 

7 (B) in paragraph (8), by striking the period 

8 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

9 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(9) the term ‘covered facility’ means a facility 

11 over which a national governing body has jurisdic12 tion; 

13 ‘‘(10) the term ‘covered individual’ means an 

14 adult who is authorized by a covered facility or by a 

15 national governing body to interact with a minor or 

16 amateur athlete at the covered facility or at any event 

17 sanctioned by the covered facility; and 

18 ‘‘(11) the term ‘national governing body’ has the 

19 meaning given the term in section 220501(b) of title 

20 36, United States Code.’’; 

21 (4) in subsection (d), in the first sentence, by in22 serting ‘‘and for all covered facilities’’ after ‘‘reside’’; 

23 (5) in subsection (f), in the first sentence— 

24 (A) by striking ‘‘and on all’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘on all’’; and 


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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘and for all covered facili2 ties,’’ after ‘‘lands,’’; 

3 (6) in subsection (h), by inserting ‘‘and all cov4 ered individuals,’’ after ‘‘facilities,’’; and 

5 (7) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(i) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec7 tion shall be construed to require a victim of child abuse 

8 to self-report the abuse.’’. 

9 (b) PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO REPORT.—Section 

10 2258 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by insert11 ing after ‘‘facility,’’ the following: ‘‘or a covered individual 

12 (as described in subsection (a)(2) of such section 226) who’’. 

13 SEC. 3. CIVIL REMEDY FOR PERSONAL INJURIES. 

14 Section 2255 of title 18, United States Code, is amend15 ed— 

16 (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Any person who, while a minor, 

19 was a victim of a violation of section 1589, 1590, 1591, 

20 2241(c), 2242, 2243, 2251, 2251A, 2252, 2252A, 2260, 

21 2421, 2422, or 2423 of this title and who suffers personal 

22 injury as a result of such violation, regardless of whether 

23 the injury occurred while such person was a minor, may 

24 sue in any appropriate United States District Court and 

25 shall recover the actual damages such person sustains or 


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1 liquidated damages in the amount of $150,000, and the cost 

2 of the action, including reasonable attorney’s fees and other 

3 litigation costs reasonably incurred. The court may also 

4 award punitive damages and such other preliminary and 

5 equitable relief as the court determines to be appropriate.’’; 

6 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘filed within’’ 

7 and all that follows through the end and inserting the 

8 following: ‘‘file— 

9 ‘‘(1) not later than 10 years after the date on 

10 which the plaintiff reasonably discovers the later of— 

11 ‘‘(A) the violation that forms the basis for 

12 the claim; or 

13 ‘‘(B) the injury that forms the basis for the 

14 claim; or 

15 ‘‘(2) not later than 10 years after the date on 

16 which a legal disability ends.’’; and 

17 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(c) VENUE; SERVICE OF PROCESS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) VENUE.—Any action brought under sub20 section (a) may be brought in the district court of the 

21 United States that meets applicable requirements re22 lating to venue under section 1391 of title 28. 

23 ‘‘(2) SERVICE OF PROCESS.—In an action 

24 brought under subsection (a), process may be served 

25 in any district in which the defendant— 


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1 ‘‘(A) is an inhabitant; or 

2 ‘‘(B) may be found.’’. 

3 SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF AMA4 TEUR SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS RECOGNIZED 

5 BY THE UNITED STATES OLYMPIC COM6 MITTEE TO PREVENT THE ABUSE OF MINOR 

7 AND AMATEUR ATHLETES. 

8 (a) EXPANSION OF AUTHORITIES.—Section 220523(a) 

9 of title 36, United States Code, is amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 

11 inserting a semicolon; 

12 (2) in paragraph (7), by striking the period and 

13 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

14 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(8) develop training, oversight practices, poli16 cies, and procedures to prevent the abuse, including 

17 physical abuse and sexual abuse, of any minor or 

18 amateur athlete by any adult.’’. 

19 (b) ADDITIONAL DUTIES.—Section 220524 of such title 

20 is amended— 

21 (1) by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ before 

22 ‘‘For the sport’’; 

23 (2) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 

24 inserting a semicolon; 


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1 (3) in paragraph (9), by striking the period and 

2 inserting a semicolon; and 

3 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(10) develop and enforce policies, mechanisms, 

5 and procedures to prevent the abuse, including phys6 ical abuse and sexual abuse, of any minor or amateur 

7 athlete, including— 

8 ‘‘(A) requiring all adults authorized by a 

9 national governing body or a member of a na10 tional governing body to interact with a minor 

11 or amateur athlete at an amateur sports organi12 zation facility or at any event sanctioned by a 

13 national governing body or a member of a na14 tional governing body, to report facts that give 

15 reason to suspect child abuse, including sexual 

16 abuse, as required by relevant Federal or State 

17 law, to law enforcement authorities and other 

18 appropriate authorities, including an entity des19 ignated by the corporation to investigate and re20 solve such allegations; 

21 ‘‘(B) establishing a mechanism, approved 

22 by a trained expert on child abuse, that allows 

23 an individual to easily report an incident of 

24 child abuse as described in subparagraph (A) to 

25 the national governing body or another authorVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:21 May 22, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H1973.RH H1973

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1 ity, including an entity designated by the cor2 poration; 

3 ‘‘(C) procedures to ensure that covered indi4 viduals are instructed to avoid one-on-one situa5 tions with any amateur athlete who is a minor 

6 (other than such an athlete for whom the covered 

7 individual is a legal guardian) at an amateur 

8 sports organization facility, at any event sanc9 tioned by a national governing body, or any 

10 event sanctioned by a member of a national gov11 erning body, without being observable or inter12 ruptible by another adult; and 

13 ‘‘(D) oversight procedures, including regular 

14 and random audits, not to exceed once a year, 

15 conducted by subject matter experts unaffiliated 

16 with the national governing body, of all members 

17 and adults described in subparagraph (A) to en18 sure that policies and procedures developed 

19 under this paragraph are followed correctly and 

20 that consistent training is offered and given to 

21 all members regarding prevention of sexual 

22 abuse; and 

23 ‘‘(11) in the case of a national governing body 

24 with jurisdiction over more than one amateur sports 


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1 organization facility or event, establish a mechanism 

2 by which— 

3 ‘‘(A) the national governing body can— 

4 ‘‘(i) receive a report of suspected sexual 

5 misconduct by an adult authorized by a na6 tional governing body or a member of a na7 tional governing body to interact with a 

8 minor or amateur athlete at an amateur 

9 sports organization facility or at any event 

10 sanctioned by a national governing body or 

11 a member of a national governing body; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(ii) confidentially share a report re14 ceived under clause (i) with each of the 

15 other amateur sports organizations, facili16 ties, or members under the jurisdiction of 

17 the national governing body; and 

18 ‘‘(B) an amateur sports organization, facil19 ity, or member under the jurisdiction of the na20 tional governing body can— 

21 ‘‘(i) review the reports received by the 

22 national governing body under subpara23 graph (A)(i) to assess any allegations of 

24 sexual misconduct made in such reports; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) withhold providing to an adult 

2 who is the subject of an allegation of sexual 

3 misconduct in a report reviewed under 

4 clause (i) authority to interact with a 

5 minor or amateur athlete at such organiza6 tion, facility, or event until the resolution of 

7 such allegation. 

8 ‘‘(b) LIMITED LIABILITY FOR THE UNITED STATES

9 OLYMPIC COMMITTEE, NATIONAL GOVERNING BODIES, AND

10 AN ENTITY DESIGNATED BY THE UNITED STATES OLYMPIC

11 COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE AND RESOLVE SEXUAL MIS12 CONDUCT ALLEGATIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para14 graphs (2), no civil or criminal action may be 

15 brought in any Federal or State court against the 

16 United States Olympic Committee, a national gov17 erning body, or an amateur sports organization, facil18 ity, or event under the jurisdiction of a national gov19 erning body, or an entity designated by the United 

20 States Olympic Committee to investigate and resolve 

21 sexual misconduct allegations described in subsection 

22 (a)(11), including any director, officer, employee, or 

23 agent of such entity, if the action arises from the exe24 cution of the responsibilities or functions described in 

25 subsection (a)(11). 


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1 ‘‘(2) INTENTIONAL, RECKLESS, OR OTHER MIS2 CONDUCT.—Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a civil 

3 or criminal action if the United States Olympic Com4 mittee, a national governing body, an amateur sports 

5 organization, facility, or event under the jurisdiction 

6 of a national governing body, or an entity designated 

7 by the United States Olympic Committee to inves8 tigate and resolve sexual misconduct allegations de9 scribed in subsection (a)(11), or a director, officer, 

10 employee, or agent of such entity acted or failed to 

11 act— 

12 ‘‘(A) with reckless disregard for a risk of 

13 causing injury; or 

14 ‘‘(B) for a purpose unrelated to the per15 formance of any responsibility or function de16 scribed in subsection (a)(11). 

17 ‘‘(3) LIMITED EFFECT.—Nothing in this section 

18 shall apply to any act or omission arising out of any 

19 responsibility or function not described in subsection 

20 (a)(11).’’. 

21 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Section 220522 of such 

22 title is amended by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in subsection 

24 (a) shall be construed to limit the ability of a national gov25 erning body to develop a policy or procedure to prevent an 


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1 individual who is the subject of an allegation of sexual mis2 conduct from interacting with a minor or amateur athlete 

3 until such time as the national governing body, or an entity 

4 with applicable jurisdiction resolves such allegation.’’. 

5 (d) REVIEW OF RECOGNITION OF AMATEUR SPORTS

6 ORGANIZATIONS AS NATIONAL GOVERNING BODIES.—Sec7 tion 220521(d) of title 36, United States Code, is amended 

8 by striking ‘‘may’’ each place it appears and inserting 

9 ‘‘shall’’. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 85 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1973 

[Report No. 115–136, Part I] 

A BILL 

To prevent the sexual abuse of minors and amateur 

other purposes. ual abuse to law enforcement authorities, and for athletes by requiring the prompt reporting of sexMAY 22, 2017 

Reported from the Committee on the Judiciary with an 

amendment 

MAY 22, 2017 

The Committee on Education and the Workforce disprinted House on the State of the Union and ordered to be charged; committed to the Committee of the Whole 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS