The bill, entitled Respect for Child Survivors Act, was led by Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn and co-sponsored by Democrat Delaware Senator Chris Coons, Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.
The motion was passed with a total of 385 votes in favor of the bill. This included 215 Democrats and 170 Republicans. There were 18 Representatives who did not vote on the bill.
There were 28 Republicans who voted against the bill. Their names have begun to circulate on social media.
The bill, which was supported by multiple charities and think tanks including Child USA, addressed how the FBI handles sexual abuse cases with children.
According to the Child USA think tank, the current problem is the FBI has previously mishandled cases of sexual abuse, most notably accusations against the now-imprisoned USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
“The FBI knew of the allegations against him in 2015 but failed to act, allowing the abuse to continue,” the think tank said in a press release on the bill.
Retired gymnast McKayla Maroney, a victim of Nassar, has spoken about her treatment from the FBI regarding the accusations and said she was shocked by the agency’s silence and disregard.
Under the now-passed legislation, victims will be interviewed by those with expertise that appropriately addresses their trauma.
The FBI would then be required to form multi-disciplinary teams when investigating child sexual exploitation or abuse, trafficking and those used for child sexual abuse material.
These experts would include investigative personnel, mental health professionals, medical personnel, family advocacy workers, child advocacy workers and prosecutors.
The hope is that the combined efforts of these experts and the FBI can ensure accountability, prevent retraumatization and stop cases being dropped or forgotten.
Here is the full list of Republican Representatives who voted against the bill.
Andy Biggs - Arizona’s 5th DistrictDan Bishop - North Carolina’s 9th DistrictLauren Boebert - Colorado’s 3rd DistrictMo Brooks - Alabama’s 5th DistrictMichael Cloud - Texas’ 27th DistrictAndrew Clyde - Georgia’s 9th DistrictJames Comer - Kentucky’s 1st DistrictRick Crawford - Arkansas’ 1st DistrictByron Donalds - Florida 19th DistrictVirginia Foxx - North Carolina’s 5th DistrictLouie Gohmert - Texas’ 1st DistrictBob Good - Virginia’s 5th DistrictPaul Gosar - Arizona’s 4th DistrictMarjorie Taylor Greene - Georgia’s 14th DistrictJody Hice - Georgia’s 10th DistrictClay Higgins - Louisiana’s 3rd DistrictRonny Jackson - Texas’ 13th DistrictThomas Massie - Kentucky’s 4th DistrictTom McClintock - California’s 4th DistrictBarry Moore - Alabama’s 2nd DistrictTroy Nehls - Texas’ 22nd DistrictRalph Norman - South Carolina’s 5th DistrictScott Perry - Pennsylvania 10th DistrictMatt Rosendale - Montana at-largeChip Roy - Texas’ 21st DistrictJohn Rutherford - Florida’s 4th DistrictAustin Scott - Georgia’s 8th DistrictJeff Van Drew - New Jersey’s 2nd District.
