WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) introduced the Generate Recordings of All Child protective Interviews Everywhere (GRACIE) Act, which would incentivize states to require the recording of all Child Protective Services (CPS) interviews with children and adults. Modernizing CPS interview protocols would increase the likelihood that child trafficking victims will be identified and removed from dangerous situations, including sex and labor trafficking, domestic violence, physical and emotional abuse, and other forms of violence.

“Children are often silenced by their abusers, and we need to do everything in our power to ensure that does not happen,” said Senator Blackburn. “The GRACIE Act would help give more children a voice, increase domestic violence reporting, and strengthen the foster care system.”

“We can never do enough to support vulnerable children in Georgia and across the country,” said Senator Ossoff. “Senator Blackburn and I are introducing this new bipartisan bill to strengthen transparency in State child protective agencies and help States better fund their operations.”

BACKGROUND

• In the U.S., it is estimated 37.4% of children will be interviewed by CPS at some point in their childhood. These initial interviews can be traumatic, so we must do everything we can to ensure transparency and accountability during the process. CPS is the gateway to the foster care system, and approximately 60% of U.S. domestic child sex trafficking victims have engaged with the foster care system. Many of them undergo multiple interviews without one CPS staffer identifying them as child trafficking victims or removing them from real-time trafficking violence.

• CPS has a history of distorting the testimony of children who are trying to speak out about abuse and trafficking. As a result, children can remain in abusive and dangerous situations. CPS interview protocols are broken, and mandating all CPS interviews be recorded would be a good first step toward fixing this broken system.

• The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has required recordings of all interrogations for nearly a decade, and state law enforcement departments often require police body cameras. Similar accountability measures are long overdue in the child protection space. It is imperative that federal and state legislation require at least audio recording – if not video recording, too – of all CPS interviews.

THE GRACIE ACT

• The GRACIE Act would create a program within the DOJ to award states that require the recording of all CPS interviews with children and adults. This legislation includes provisions to protect the privacy and security of those recordings, so they are not shared with anyone outside of a law enforcement investigation. They would also only be retained for the amount of time needed to deal with the case.

Click here for bill text. 

ENDORSEMENTS

This legislation is endorsed by Street Grace, No Trafficking Zones, Pearl at the Mailbox, The Foundation United, Rights for Girls, 3Strands Global, Engage Together, Interparliamentary Taskforce on Human Trafficking, and Paving the Way Foundation. 

“As an organization dedicated to stopping the exploitation of children, we have seen firsthand the urgent need for reform—especially at the intersection of child protection and foster care. The GRACIE Act is a crucial step toward ensuring that every child’s voice is heard and that those on the frontlines of working with exploited children are held to the highest standards of accountability. This legislation closes a critical gap, providing necessary safeguards to protect vulnerable youth from further harm.” – Bob Rodgers, CEO of Street Grace