2022: Fitzpatrick Voted To Require FBI Investigations Of Child Sexual
Or Trafficking Crimes To Include A Multidisciplinary Team And A Trained
Child Adolescent Forensic Interviewer. In December 2022, according to
Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted for the Respect for Child
Survivors Act, which would "require FBI investigations of child sexual
or trafficking crimes to include a multidisciplinary team and a trained
FBI child adolescent forensic interviewer, including by coordinating
with children's advocacy center-based multidisciplinary teams." The vote
was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 385 -- 28, thus
the bill was sent to President Biden and it ultimately became law.
[House Vote 534,
12/21/22; Congressional
Quarterly, 12/21/22;
Congressional Actions, S.
4926]
The Bill Required The FBI To Make Children's Advocates Available
To Child Sex Abuse Or Child Trafficking Victims. According to
Congressional Quarterly, "It would require the FBI to make advocates
available to each child sexual abuse or child trafficking victim in
connection with an FBI investigation." [Congressional Quarterly,
12/21/22]
The Bill Provided $40 Million Annually For FY 2022 Through FY
2028 For Local Children's Advocacy Centers To Establish A Care
Network For Child Abuse Victims, Including Investigation,
Prosecution And Intervention. According to Congressional
Quarterly, "Among other provisions, the bill would authorize $40
million annually for fiscal years 2022 through 2028 for grants to
states for local children's advocacy centers to establish and
maintain a network of care for child abuse victims that includes
ongoing investigation, prosecution and intervention activities."
[Congressional Quarterly,
12/21/22]
The Bill Was Introduced In The Wake Of The Investigation On Dr.
Larry Nassar's Sexual Abuse Of Young Girls In The U.S. Women's
National Gymnastics Team. According to HuffPost, "The bipartisan
bill was introduced in the House of Representatives in the wake of
the investigation of Larry Nassar, the longtime doctor for the U.S.
women's national gymnastics team. Multiple reports of Nassar's
sexual abuse of children and young women on the team were ignored
for years." [HuffPost,
12/22/22]
The Bill Required The FBI To Use Multidisciplinary Teams Of
Trained Professionals During Investigations Of Sex Abuse To Address
Poor Interviews And The Re-Traumatizing Of Victims. According to
HuffPost, "Through this legislation, the FBI would be required to
use multidisciplinary teams of trained professionals in
investigations of sexual abuse to address the problems of poorly
conducted interviews and the re-traumatizing of survivors."
[HuffPost,
12/22/22]
2018: Fitzpatrick Voted For The $1.3 Trillion FY 2018 Omnibus
Spending Deal Which Raised Spending By $138 Billion Over FY 2017
Levels; Bill Included The Keep Young Athletes Safe Act. In March 2018,
Fitzpatrick voted for the FY 2018 Omnibus spending bill. According to
Congressional Quarterly, "Combined, the spending measures would provide
about $1.3 trillion in discretionary spending, with $1.2 trillion
subject to discretionary spending caps, and $78.1 billion designated as
Overseas Contingency Operations funds. The measure's spending levels
are consistent with the increased defense and non-defense budget caps
set by the two-year budget deal agreed to last month. That agreement
increased the FY 2018 defense cap by $80 billion and the non-defense
cap by $63 billion. Given that the previous caps were set to reduce
overall discretionary spending by $5 billion, the net increase provided
by the omnibus is $138 billion over the FY 2017 level." The vote was on
the motion to concur in the Senate Amendment with an Amendment. The
House agreed to the motion, thereby passing the bill, by a vote of 256
to 167. The Senate later agreed to the legislation, sending it to the
president, who signed it into law. [House Vote 127,
3/22/18; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/22/18; Congressional
Actions, H.R.
1625]
Bill Authorized The DOJ To Give Grants To A Non-Profit Group To
Oversee The USOC And Individual Sport National Governing Bodies Over
Abuse. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The measure permits
the Justice Department to issue grants to a nonprofit entity to
support oversight of the U.S. Olympic Committee, individual sport
national governing bodies and paralympic sports organizations, to
safeguard amateur athletes against abuse --- including emotional,
physical and sexual abuse in sports. Under the measure, $2.5
million a year through FY 2022 would be authorized for grants, and
grant recipients must have expertise in preventing and investigating
emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and have the capacity to
oversee regular and random audits at the organizations being
monitored. The grants could also be used to develop and test new
training materials for emotional, physical, and sexual abuse
prevention and identification, for staff and related salaries, and
to oversee administration of random audits." [Congressional
Quarterly, 3/22/18]
USA Gymnastics Former Doctor Larry Nassar Was Accused By More Than
150 Women Of Abuse. According to Vox, "Halicek is one of more than
150 women who came forward with harrowing testimony at the
sentencing hearing for Nassar, a former doctor for USA Gymnastics
and sports medicine physician at Michigan State University who has
pleaded guilty to charges of criminal sexual conduct and federal
child pornography charges." [Vox,
2/8/18]
2019: Fitzpatrick Voted To Reauthorize The Violence Against Women Act,
Which Included A Provision Making It A Crime For Police Officers To
Sexual Assault Those Under Arrest. In February 2019, Fitzpatrick voted
for legislation reauthorizing VAWA. According to Congressional
Quarterly, "This bill reauthorizes through FY 2024 programs enacted
under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and it modifies the
programs to further help state and local governments improve strategies
to combat violent crimes against women and to strengthen victim
services. It makes it a crime for police officers to sexually assault
those under arrest; it increases prison sentences for those who stalk
minors and applies domestic violence penalties against those who commit
violence against a current or former dating partner; it allows the
victims of domestic violence to terminate a housing lease without
penalty and requires federal housing officials to provide emergency
transfers to different housing units if an individual believes he or she
is threatened with imminent harm or a sexual assault recently occurred
on the property; and it prohibits individuals from begin denied
unemployment benefits solely because they lost or left their job due to
domestic violence, sexual assault or other harassment. The measure also
expands existing prohibitions on the ability of individuals to purchase
firearms if they have been convicted of domestic violence by including
those who abused dating partners as well as individuals subject to
temporary court restraining orders, and it allows certain VAWA grant
monies to be used toward efforts to recover and store firearms from
individuals convicted of domestic violence." The vote was on passage.
The House passed the legislation by a vote of 263 to 158. [House Vote
156, 4/4/19;
Congressional Quarterly,
3/29/19;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
1585]
2022: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Requiring A Study On
Assault And Sexual Assault Incidents Between Rideshare And Taxi
Passengers And Drivers And The Background Checks And Safety Measures
Taken By Rideshare And Taxi Companies. In December 2022, according to
Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted against the "automatic
passage of / agreement to: [...] a bill (HR 1082) related to rideshare
safety; [...] HR 1082 would require the Government Accountability
Office, within one year of enactment and every two years thereafter, to
conduct a study and report to Congress on incidents of assault and
sexual assault between rideshare and taxi passengers and drivers and
assaults perpetrated by individuals posing as rideshare drivers, as well
as information on background checks and additional safety measures taken
by rideshare, taxi and other for-hire vehicle companies." The vote was
on the adoption of the rule and automatic passage of the bill. The House
adopted the rule and passed the bill by a vote of 215-206. The Senate
passed the bill, sent it to President Biden, and it ultimately became
law. [House Vote 547,
12/23/22; Congressional
Quarterly, 12/23/22;
Congressional Actions, H.Res.
1531;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
1082]