Mike Collins: “The bill under consideration today, the Kilah Davenport Child Protection Act of 2013, is named after a young girl from…”

“The bill under consideration today, the Kilah Davenport Child Protection Act of 2013, is named after a young girl from North Carolina who was brutally beaten by her stepfather last year. Her stepfather was charged with felony child abuse and awaits trial. Kilah, who was only 3 years old at the time of the attack, will face a lifetime of brain damage and paralysis at the hands of someone who was supposed to love and protect her. Stories like Kilah's are absolutely tragic, but they are not uncommon across our country. Approximately 3.5 million cases of child abuse involving 6 million children are reported every year in the United States. In my own State of Georgia, there were over 37,000 reports of child abuse and neglect with over 15,000 substantiated incidents of abuse in 2009 alone. And the rates of child abuse are even higher in Indian Country, where Indian children experience child abuse at a significantly higher rate than the rest of the population. Adding to those and these tragedies is the fact that child abuse cases are not always reported and oftentimes not prosecuted with the same vigor as other crimes. Studies have found that charges are less likely to be filed against perpetrators in child abuse cases than most other felonies, and these cases have lower incarceration rates than other crimes. H.R. 3627, introduced by Mr.…”