Washington, DC – Today, Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) and Acting Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources Erik Paulsen (R-MN) released the following statement thanking actor Tamara Tunie, spokesperson for the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths, for her support of the bipartisan proposal to reduce child deaths due to abuse and neglect.

“Child deaths resulting from abuse and neglect are simply tragic.  We would like to thank Tamara Tunie and the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths for raising awareness about these tragedies and for the work they have done to save children’s lives.  We would also like to thank Ms. Tunie and the Coalition for lending their support to the bipartisan proposal in Congress to reduce the occurrence of these senseless deaths.  It is our hope that our colleagues in Congress join us in our efforts to pass this legislation as soon as possible.”

Ms. Tunie’s statement of support follows:

“Chairman Paulsen, Congressman Doggett, Members of the Committee: I am Tamara Tunie, national spokesperson for the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths. I also am an actor who appears in the television drama Law & Order: SVU. Our show tries to capture each week the challenges facing victims of crime and the law enforcement officials whose job is to protect them and to bring perpetrators of crime to justice. But however realistic our work, it isn’t the same as the real-life experiences of the thousands of young children killed each year—more than 2,000—by family caretakers.
 
“Our Coalition applauds the Committee for holding a hearing on this important legislation. The bill before you establishes a national commission to examine this horrific problem, and to recommend a national strategy for finally confronting it.  Established by the Congress, and with appointments to the Commission to be made by the Congress and the President, it will receive the sustained press and public attention this problem urgently needs if we are to stop the killing.
 
“Thank you for considering this non-partisan legislation. We hope it will pass the House and the Congress before Christmas. Our Coalition stands ready to help get this bill passed—and to begin working with a newly established commission after the first of the year to stop the senseless killing of our littlest citizens.”