Political Quotes

“I rise today to join my colleague from Arizona, Senator Sinema, in introducing legislation to support the ongoing operation of the national child abuse hotline, which is currently operated by Childhelp, a national non-profit. Of all the major national help hotlines, the crisis line for child abuse and neglect is the only one without a Federal authorization and dedicated funding. Our bill, the National Child Abuse Help Hotline Act of 2021, would give the Administration for Children and Families the authority to award funding to increase Federal support for this important hotline. Tragically, on average, five children die every day from child abuse and neglect. According to the most recent Department of Health and Human Services' Child Maltreatment Report, 656,000 children were victims of child abuse and neglect in 2019, and a heartbreaking 1,770 children died--including three young children in Maine. The many stresses created by the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated the risks for vulnerable children, and I fear that the data from 2020 and 2021 will show a worsening crisis. According to the CDC, ``heightened stress, school closures, loss of income, and social isolation resulting from . . . . the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the risk for child abuse and neglect.'' As Michelle Fingerman of Childhelp, the current operator of the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, details: ``There is a wide range of fallout from pandemic anxiety and school shutdowns.…”