What Has Joe Biden Done? Co-Sponsored the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008

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Nati Harnik/AP
Nati Harnik/AP

The PROTECT Our Children Act became law in 2008. The bill was co-sponsored by Senator Biden.

The law focuses on eliminating cyber threats to children and addressing the danger of online child exploitation. To do so, it created a nationwide network of officers trained specifically in these types of threats to track down offenders and bring them to justice.

The legislation authorized millions of dollars in funding for:

1) State-local task forces: The law tripled the size of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) program, supporting networks critical to stopping child exploitation.

2) The establishment of a force of federal agents dedicated only to investigating crimes against children.

3) The development of dedicated crime labs to decrease the backlog facing overwhelmed child exploitation investigators.

4) A requirement that the Department of Justice develop and implement a National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction and designate a responsible official to be accountable to Congress.

5) Protecting the ICAC Data Network

At the time, Senator Biden was the chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs. In a statement about the law, he wrote, “At the same time when the Internet has given children access to the world – it has also given a dangerous world access to our kids. Protecting them requires constant vigilance – in our neighborhoods, in our homes and on-line. Finally we have a law that will give law enforcement the funds and the tools to pull the plug on Internet predators.”

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Fact Quotes

Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to Our Children Act of 2008 or the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008 – Title I: National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction – (Sec. 101) Directs the Attorney General to create and implement a National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction

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