John Rice Carter: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Stop Institutional Child Abuse…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, which I am proud to lead with Senator Merkley and Representative Khanna. Before I begin, I will start by thanking Paris Hilton for her hard work, her bravery, and her vulnerability in sharing her story about abuse at the hands of a youth residential treatment facility. This truly was a courageous act on her part. Mr. Speaker, Paris is already making a difference, and I applaud her for using her voice to advance such a critical cause. When Paris first met with me last Congress and shared her story about being in institutional care as a child, I will be quite honest, I was horrified. I believe the words out of my mouth were: This sounds like it is being run by the cartel. {time} 1745 Let me tell you, everything that I have heard since that meeting-- from policy experts, advocates, and survivors--has confirmed this terrifying truth. One child, just one child experiencing abuse, is too many. Thousands of children are being funneled into seemingly safe institutional care facilities only to be dehumanized and abused in a crisis, one that I am so glad there is bipartisan and bicameral support to address. There are as many as 200,000 minors in youth residential programs or facilities across the country. At their best, youth residential programs provide counseling, treatment, and care for struggling teens and children.…”