Washington, DC – Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI), Subcommittee on Human Resources Acting Chairman Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Subcommittee on Human Resources Ranking Member Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) issued the following statements after the Senate passed the “Protect our Kids Act of 2012,” H.R. 6655, by unanimous consent.  The legislation establishes a commission to study data on child fatalities from abuse and neglect, review current prevention methods and best practices, and evaluate the adequacy of current programs in order to recommend a comprehensive strategy to reduce fatalities from child abuse and neglect.

Chairman Camp stated, “Today the Senate took an important step to reduce child fatalities by approving the House-passed Protect our Kids Act of 2012, sending it to the President for his signature.  This bill establishes a commission that will develop recommendations to reduce the number of child deaths from abuse and neglect, and I applaud my Senate colleagues who came together to pass this bill unanimously.  I look forward to working with the President and House and Senate leaders who will select members of the commission so they can begin their important work as soon as possible.”

Acting Chairman Paulsen remarked, “With the Senate passage of the Protect our Kids Act, we take an important step forward in reducing the number of children who lose their lives at the hands of those who are supposed to protect them. I applaud the actions of my Senate colleagues, and look forward to working with the President and all stakeholders in implementing the commission and finding solutions to reduce the number of child deaths from abuse and neglect.”

Ranking Member Doggett said, “As the grandfather of three little girls who bring our family such joy, it is painful to imagine any child dying from neglect or maltreatment.  The Protect our Kids Act will help provide thoughtful consideration of the steps we can take to better protect vulnerable children.  It represents an improvement on legislation that I introduced a year ago.  Working together in a bipartisan way, we can make meaningful progress on this troubling issue.”