I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5884 
To direct the Attorney General to convene a national working group to 
study proactive strategies and needed resources for the identification 
and rescue of children from sexual exploitation and abuse, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 4, 2021 
Ms. SPANBERGER (for herself, Mr. CLINE, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Mr. 
OWENS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To direct the Attorney General to convene a national working 
group to study proactive strategies and needed resources 
for the identification and rescue of children from sexual 
exploitation and abuse, 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 ‘‘National Response to 
Exploitation and Sexual abuse of Children in Unaddressed 
Emergencies Act’’ or the ‘‘Child RESCUE Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The growing international trade in child 
sexual abuse material creates demand and incentive 
for the sexual assault of children throughout the 
United States. 
(2) United States law enforcement efforts to 
combat child sexual exploitation have the potential 
to help multiple distinct groups of victims, includ-
ing— 
(A) children depicted in child sexual abuse 
material (CSAM) who are still being assaulted; 
(B) children and adults whose victimiza-
tion as a child continues to be viewed and 
shared online; and 
(C) children who are being sexually as-
saulted by adults who could be interdicted while 
accessing or sharing CSAM online. 
(3) In congressional hearings held by the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives in 2006, the Department of Justice, 
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and State law 
enforcement leaders estimated that hundreds of 
thousands of adults in the United States are engag-
ing in CSAM crimes. 
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(4) A growing body of research—including aca-
demic studies, analysis by the United States Sen-
tencing Commission, and findings by law enforce-
ment polygraphers—indicates that a majority of in-
dividuals possessing and sharing CSAM are ‘‘dual 
offenders’’ who possess illegal imagery and also com-
mit contact offenses. 
(5) According to a 2018 study by the National 
Center 
for 
Missing 
and 
Exploited 
Children 
(NCMEC), ‘‘in cases involving a single victim and 
single offender, actively traded cases were associated 
with having prepubescent victims. Actively traded 
cases were also associated with more egregious con-
tent in terms of sexual activity, and more likely to 
involve familial offenders, particularly nuclear family 
members.’’. 
(6) 
Law 
enforcement 
investigations 
of 
CyberTipline reports from the NCMEC frequently 
lead to the rescue of current child victims, thus ena-
bling law enforcement to interdict offenders who are 
abusing children by circulating CSAM and also com-
mitting contact offenses. In 2020, 21,700,000 
CyberTipline reports were submitted to NCMEC and 
approximately 200,000 CyberTipline reports were 
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made available to the 61 Internet Crimes Against 
Children (ICAC) units across the country. 
(7) United States law enforcement’s ability to 
detect and interdict online traffic in CSAM provides 
a historic opportunity to locate sexual predators and 
rescue children through victim-centric investigations. 
In 2020, the Internet Crimes Against Children Child 
Online Protection Services (ICACCOPS) and other 
law enforcement investigative systems detected more 
than 325,000 unique IP addresses in the U.S. that 
were associated with CSAM and made available to 
the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task 
Forces. 
(8) With inadequate resources, United States 
law enforcement agencies are increasingly unable to 
adequately respond to this rapidly growing number 
of CyberTips and other investigative leads, a prob-
lem which also reduces the number of proactive un-
dercover investigations and education activities they 
can conduct. 
(9) Investigations of these crimes are com-
plicated by the increasing prevalence of encryption 
and anonymizing services available to offenders. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) CHILD
SEXUAL
ABUSE
MATERIAL.—The 
term ‘‘child sexual abuse material’’ has the meaning 
given the term ‘‘child pornography’’ in section 2256 
of title 18, United States Code. 
(2) KNOWN TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.—The term 
‘‘known to law enforcement’’ means a Federal, 
State, or local law enforcement agency has evidence 
of a crime that can be attributed to a person or loca-
tion, including an email address, Internet Protocol 
address, screen name, computer global unique identi-
fier, phone number, or other information attrib-
utable to that person or location. 
(3) 
PROACTIVE
POLICING.—The 
term 
‘‘proactive policing’’ means a specialized, covert, or 
undercover investigation conducted by a law enforce-
ment agency that involves a person or organization 
that the law enforcement agency believes is engaging 
in a violation or violations of child sexual abuse, 
child exploitation, or child sex trafficking crimes. 
(4) WORKING
GROUP.—The term ‘‘Working 
Group’’ means the United States Working Group on 
Children in Imminent Danger established under sec-
tion 3(a). 
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SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF WORKING GROUP. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall 
establish a national working group, to be known as the 
‘‘United States Working Group on Children in Imminent 
Danger’’, to study victim-centric policing strategies and 
resource needs to rescue children in the United States who 
are— 
(1) victims of child sexual abuse material; or 
(2) victims of sexual abuse by individuals who 
are also engaged in child sexual abuse material 
crimes. 
(b) PRIORITY.—In carrying out the study under sub-
section (a), the Working Group shall give priority to inves-
tigative leads that indicate the possibility of identifying or 
rescuing child victims of sexual abuse or child sexual abuse 
material crimes. 
SEC. 5. DUTIES OF THE WORKING GROUP. 
In carrying out the study under section 4, the Work-
ing Group shall— 
(1) develop estimates of the total number of 
adults in the United States who are committing 
crimes involving the production, distribution, receipt, 
or possession of child sexual abuse material, includ-
ing the number of such individuals who— 
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(A) could be interdicted by Federal, State, 
or local law enforcement agencies if sufficient 
funding resources were available; and 
(B) are committing crimes involving sexual 
contact with children; 
(2) develop estimates of the total number of 
minor victims of child sexual abuse in the United 
States, disaggregated by age range, who— 
(A) could be located and protected from 
further abuse through the interdiction of indi-
viduals committing offenses described in para-
graph (1); or 
(B) are likely to become victims of contact 
sexual offenses by adults committing offenses 
described in paragraph (1) during the 10-year 
period beginning on the date of enactment of 
this Act; 
(3) develop estimates and descriptions of the 
funding, resources, and proactive and reactive strat-
egies necessary for Federal, State, and local law en-
forcement agencies to successfully locate and protect 
minor victims described in paragraph (2); 
(4) develop estimates of the number of child 
sexual abuse offenses that are reported annually in-
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volving adults in a position of trust or authority in-
cluding— 
(A) the total number of such offenses an-
nually known to social service agencies and 
other non-law enforcement child abuse inves-
tigators, and whether or not those reports re-
ceived a concurrent law enforcement investiga-
tive response; and 
(B) potential strategies and resources that 
could be used to ensure that offenders reported 
to social service agencies alleged to have com-
mitted contact sexual offenses are also inves-
tigated for potential child sexual abuse material 
crimes; and 
(5) provide additional analysis and nonduplica-
tive estimates of— 
(A) the number of adults who were ar-
rested by Federal, State, and local law enforce-
ment agencies during the 5-year period ending 
on the date of enactment of this Act, by year, 
for any of the offenses described in paragraphs 
(1) and (4); 
(B) the number of adults who were pros-
ecuted at the Federal or State level during the 
5-year period ending on the date of enactment 
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of this Act, by year, for any of the offenses de-
scribed in paragraphs (1) and (4); 
(C) the estimated number of unidentified 
victims depicted in child abuse imagery that is 
known to the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children; and 
(D) the estimated number of cases that re-
ceive no investigative follow-up and the under-
lying reasons for that outcome. 
SEC. 6. MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) ATTORNEY
GENERAL
DISCRETION.—The 
Working Group shall be composed of such represent-
atives of Federal departments and agencies, non- 
Federal law enforcement agencies, nongovernmental 
organizations, and subject matter experts as the At-
torney General considers appropriate. 
(2) SPECIFIED MEMBERS.—The Attorney Gen-
eral shall appoint representatives of the following 
agencies and nongovernmental organizations to the 
Working Group: 
(A) Three representatives from State or 
local grantees of the Internet Crimes Against 
Children Task Force program with extensive, 
direct experience conducting both CyberTipline 
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investigations and proactive, online undercover 
investigations, including use of specialized tools 
for peer-to-peer investigations. 
(B) A Chief or Deputy Chief of the Child 
Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the 
Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. 
(C) The National Coordinator for Child 
Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction of the 
Department of Justice. 
(D) A representative of the Behavioral 
Analysis Unit of the United States Marshals 
Service with subject matter expertise in child 
exploitation offenders who also commit contact 
offenses. 
(E) A special agent of Homeland Security 
Investigations 
with 
expertise 
in 
both 
CyberTipline investigations and proactive online 
investigations. 
(F) A subject matter expert within Home-
land Security Investigations with expertise in 
child victim identification. 
(G) A special agent of the Federal Bureau 
of 
Investigation 
with 
expertise 
in 
both 
CyberTipline investigations and proactive online 
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SEC. 7. STAFF OF WORKING GROUP; EXPERTS AND CON-
SULTANTS. 
(a) STAFF.—The Chairperson of the Working Group 
may appoint and fix the pay of additional personnel as 
the Chairperson considers appropriate. 
(b) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—The Chairperson 
of the Working Group may procure temporary and inter-
mittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United 
States Code. 
(c) DETAILEES.—Upon request of the Chairperson of 
the Working Group, the head of any Federal department 
or agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the 
personnel of that department or agency to the Working 
Group to assist in carrying out the duties of the Working 
Group under this Act. 
SEC. 8. POWERS OF WORKING GROUP. 
(a) HEARINGS AND SESSIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Working Group may, 
for the purpose of carrying out this Act, hold hear-
ings, sit and act at times and places, take testimony, 
and receive evidence as the Working Group considers 
appropriate. 
(2) WITNESSES.—The Working Group may ad-
minister oaths or affirmations to witnesses appear-
ing before the Working Group. 
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(b) POWERS OF MEMBERS AND AGENTS.—Any mem-
ber or agent of the Working Group may, if authorized by 
the Chairperson, take any action that the Working Group 
is authorized to take under this section, including request-
ing information. 
(c) OBTAINING OFFICIAL INFORMATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Working Group may se-
cure directly from any department or agency of the 
United States information necessary to enable the 
Working Group to carry out this Act. 
(2) FURNISHING INFORMATION.—Upon request 
of the Chairperson of the Working Group for infor-
mation under paragraph (1), the head of the depart-
ment or agency of the United States shall furnish 
that information to the Working Group. 
(d) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES.—Upon 
the request of the Working Group, the Administrator of 
General Services shall provide to the Working Group, on 
a reimbursable basis, the administrative support services 
necessary for the Working Group to carry out the respon-
sibilities of the Working Group under this Act. 
SEC. 9. REPORT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 365 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Working Group shall 
submit to the Attorney General, the Committee on the Ju-
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diciary of the Senate, the Committee on Appropriations 
of the Senate, the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
House of Representatives, and the Committee on Appro-
priations of the House of Representatives, a report that 
contains— 
(1) a detailed statement of the findings and 
conclusions of the Working Group, together with 
recommendations for legislation; and 
(2) a summary of the support, documents, and 
witnesses to the Committee provided by the Depart-
ment of Justice to the Working Group. 
(b) MATERIAL INCLUDED.—A majority vote of the 
members of the Working Group shall determine the find-
ings, conclusions, and recommendations included in the re-
port submitted under subsection (a). 
SEC. 10. TERMINATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Working Group shall termi-
nate 120 days after submission of the report under section 
9, unless the Attorney General determines that such ter-
mination is not appropriate. 
(b) RECONVENING GROUP.—If the Working Group 
terminates under subsection (a), the Attorney General 
may reconvene the Working Group in accordance with this 
Act. 
Æ 
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