Political Quotes

“In 2005, 5-year-old Talia Williams was beaten to death by her own father, who was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii at the time. Talia suffered through months and months of abuse from her father and her stepmother, which ultimately led to her death. Why didn't someone do something? Why was this allowed to occur? Why didn't someone take action to stop this horrific abuse that was visible to so many who knew Talia? There were multiple reports that were made to military officials, but when it came right down to it, nothing was done to take Talia out of harm's way. I am rising today to ask my colleagues to support my bill, H.R. 3894, Talia's Law, because more than 10 years after Talia's tragic death, the same gaps in the military's reporting requirements that failed to protect Talia remain unchanged. In fact, over the last decade, there have been 29,000 cases of child abuse and neglect in military homes. Now, outside of the military, in the civilian world, doctors, psychologists, social workers, teachers, or other professionals who work closely with children are required to report any suspected cases of child abuse and neglect directly to that State's Child Protective Services. But the military's reporting requirements do not require that direct reporting to State authorities. So reports of Talia's suspected abuse never reached the Hawaii Child Protective Services.…”