I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1973 
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 Edu-
cation and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Young Vic-
tims from Sexual Abuse Act of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. REQUIRED REPORTING OF CHILD AND SEXUAL 
ABUSE AT FACILITIES UNDER THE JURISDIC-
TION OF AMATEUR SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS 
RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED STATES OLYM-
PIC COMMITTEE. 
(a) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Section 226 of the 
Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 13031) 
is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘A person who’’ and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(1) COVERED
PROFESSIONALS.—A person 
who’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) INDIVIDUALS AT COVERED FACILITIES.—A 
covered individual who, while engaged in any activity 
sanctioned by a covered facility, learns of facts that 
give reason to suspect that a child has suffered an 
incident of child abuse, including sexual abuse, shall 
as soon as possible make a report of the suspected 
abuse to the agency designated by the Attorney Gen-
eral under subsection (d).’’; 
(2) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding 
paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘subsection (a)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘subsection (a)(1)’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
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(A) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) in paragraph (8), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) the term ‘covered facility’ means a facility 
over which a national governing body has jurisdic-
tion; 
‘‘(10) the term ‘covered individual’ means an 
adult who is authorized by a covered facility or by 
a national governing body to interact with a minor 
or amateur athlete at the covered facility or at any 
event sanctioned by the covered facility; and 
‘‘(11) the term ‘national governing body’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 220501(b) of 
title 36, United States Code.’’; 
(4) in subsection (d), in the first sentence, by 
inserting ‘‘and for all covered facilities’’ after ‘‘re-
side’’; 
(5) in subsection (f), in the first sentence— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and on all’’ and inserting 
‘‘on all’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘and for all covered facili-
ties,’’ after ‘‘lands,’’; and 
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(6) in subsection (h), by inserting ‘‘and all cov-
ered individuals,’’ after ‘‘facilities,’’. 
(b) PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO REPORT.—Section 
2258 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by in-
serting ‘‘or while engaged in a professional capacity or ac-
tivity at a covered facility as described in subsection (a)(2) 
of such section 226’’ after ‘‘facility’’. 
SEC. 3. CIVIL REMEDY FOR PERSONAL INJURIES. 
Section 2255 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Any person who, while a minor, 
was a victim of a violation of section 1589, 1590, 1591, 
2241(c), 2242, 2243, 2251, 2251A, 2252, 2252A, 2260, 
2421, 2422, or 2423 of this title and who suffers personal 
injury as a result of such violation, regardless of whether 
the injury occurred while such person was a minor, may 
sue in any appropriate United States District Court and 
shall recover the actual damages such person sustains or 
liquidated damages in the amount of $150,000, and the 
cost of the action, including reasonable attorney’s fees and 
other litigation costs reasonably incurred. The court may 
also award punitive damages and such other preliminary 
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and equitable relief as the court determines to be appro-
priate.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘filed within’’ 
and all that follows through the end and inserting 
the following: ‘‘file— 
‘‘(1) not later than 10 years after the date on 
which the plaintiff discovers the later of— 
‘‘(A) the violation that forms the basis for 
the claim; or 
‘‘(B) the injury that forms the basis for 
the claim; or 
‘‘(2) in the case of a person under a legal dis-
ability, not later than 10 years after the date on 
which the disability ends.’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) VENUE; SERVICE OF PROCESS.— 
‘‘(1) VENUE.—Any action brought under sub-
section (a) may be brought in the district court of 
the United States that meets applicable require-
ments relating to venue under section 1391 of title 
28. 
‘‘(2) SERVICE
OF
PROCESS.—In an action 
brought under subsection (a), process may be served 
in any district in which the defendant— 
‘‘(A) is an inhabitant; or 
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‘‘(B) may be found.’’. 
SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF AMA-
TEUR SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS RECOGNIZED 
BY THE UNITED STATES OLYMPIC COM-
MITTEE TO PREVENT THE ABUSE OF MINOR 
AND AMATEUR ATHLETES. 
(a) 
EXPANSION
OF
AUTHORITIES.—Section 
220523(a) of title 36, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 
inserting a semicolon; 
(2) in paragraph (7), by striking the period and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(8) develop training, oversight practices, poli-
cies, and procedures to prevent the abuse, including 
physical abuse and sexual abuse, of any minor or 
amateur athlete by any adult.’’. 
(b) ADDITIONAL DUTIES.—Section 220524 of such 
title is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 
inserting a semicolon; 
(2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period and 
inserting a semicolon; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(10) develop and enforce policies, mechanisms, 
and procedures to prevent the abuse, including phys-
ical abuse and sexual abuse, of any minor or ama-
teur athlete, including— 
‘‘(A) requiring all members of the national 
governing body or a facility under the jurisdic-
tion of the national governing body and adults 
authorized by such members to interact with 
minor or amateur athletes, to immediately re-
port all allegations of sexual abuse to law en-
forcement authorities and other appropriate au-
thorities whenever such members or adults 
learn of facts leading them to reasonably sus-
pect that a minor or amateur athlete has suf-
fered an incident of sexual abuse; 
‘‘(B) establishing a mechanism, approved 
by a trained expert on child abuse, that allows 
a complainant to easily report an incident of 
sexual abuse committed by a member or adult 
described in subparagraph (A) to interact with 
a minor or amateur athlete, to the national gov-
erning body or another authority; 
‘‘(C) procedures to ensure that each ama-
teur athlete who is a minor is prevented from 
being in a one-on-one situation with an adult 
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(who is not the minor’s legal guardian) at a fa-
cility under the jurisdiction of the national gov-
erning body without being in an observable and 
interruptible distance from another adult; and 
‘‘(D) oversight procedures, including reg-
ular and random audits conducted by subject 
matter experts unaffiliated with the national 
governing body, of all members and adults de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) to ensure that poli-
cies and procedures developed under this para-
graph are followed correctly and that consistent 
training is offered and given to all members re-
garding prevention of sexual abuse; and 
‘‘(11) in the case of a national governing body 
with jurisdiction over more than one athletic facility, 
establish a mechanism by which— 
‘‘(A) the national governing body can— 
‘‘(i) receive a report from one of such 
facilities regarding a case in which an 
adult authorized by the facility to interact 
with a minor or amateur athlete at such 
facility is expelled from or leaves such fa-
cility for sexual misconduct, including be-
cause of a mere allegation of sexual mis-
conduct; and 
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‘‘(ii) share a report received under 
subparagraph (A) with each of the other 
athletic facilities under the jurisdiction of 
the national governing body; and 
‘‘(B) an athletic facility under the jurisdic-
tion of the national governing body can— 
‘‘(i) review the reports received by the 
national governing body under subpara-
graph (A)(i) to assess any allegations of 
sexual misconduct made in such reports; 
and 
‘‘(ii) withhold providing to an adult 
who is the subject of an allegation of sex-
ual misconduct in a report reviewed under 
clause (i) authority to interact with a 
minor or amateur athlete at such facility 
until such time as the facility determines 
that there is no risk to a minor or amateur 
athlete at such facility.’’. 
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Section 220522 of 
such title is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in para-
graph (a) shall be construed to limit the ability of a na-
tional governing body to develop a policy or procedure to 
prevent an individual who is the subject of an allegation 
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of sexual misconduct from interacting with a minor or 
amateur athlete until such time as the national governing 
body, or any person under the jurisdiction of the national 
governing body, determines that there is no risk to the 
minor or amateur athlete by allowing the individual to 
interact with the minor or amateur athlete.’’. 
Æ 
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