Amateur athletic organizations would be required to report sexual abuse under bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) on Monday.
Collins and Ernst joined a bipartisan group of 14 senators who introduced the bill in response to sexual abuse allegations made against personnel associated with USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming and USA Taekwondo teams.
“Sexual abuse is a heinous crime that must be eradicated in every corner of our society,” Collins said. “I have long worked to prevent sexual assault and ensure that survivors have access to the resources and support they need. By requiring amateur athletic governing organizations to promptly report every allegation of sexual abuse to the proper authorities, this legislation will help survivors receive justice and protect more people from becoming victims.”
In addition, the measure would amend the Ted Stevens Amateur and Olympic Sports Act to make it safer and easier for victims to report abuse and require oversight to ensure abuse prevention policies are implemented.
“This legislation safeguards our athletes by strengthening mandatory reporting of sexual assault allegations and requiring amateur sports organizations to develop and enforce policies to prevent these horrendous crimes from happening in the first place,” Ernst said. “Combatting and preventing sexual assault is a bipartisan issue, and we must work to ensure there is zero tolerance for sexual assault in all facets of our society.”
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who joined the lawmakers in introducing the bill, said there should be no excuse for anyone, especially for those in positions of power over young athletes, to fail to report sexual abuse allegations.
“Recent revelations about the USA Gymnastics program are deeply troubling, and it’s clear we must do more to strengthen protections for young athletes, ensure victims receive justice, and hold predators accountable,” Rubio said.
According to an investigation by the Indianapolis Star, more than 360 gymnasts have reported some form of sexual abuse by adults involved in gymnastics over the past 20 years.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) said, “This will force the U.S. Olympic Committee and their national athletic governing bodies to do something they should have been doing all along: developing and enforcing strict policies that protect athletes from sexual abuse. It’s inexcusable that responsible adults looked the other way while terrible crimes were committed.”