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Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act

Public Law 118-194 · S. 1351 · 118th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Dec 23, 2024 · Families

Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

Cosponsors (23): Sen. John Cornyn,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 373 yea, 33 nay373–33
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

This act requires the Department of Health and Human Services to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study and make recommendations about various aspects of youth residential programs.

Specifically, the National Academies must identify the nature, prevalence, severity, and scope of child abuse, neglect, and deaths in youth residential programs.

The National Academies must make recommendations to improve coordination and the implementation of best practices of regarding the health, safety, care, and treatment of youth in youth residential programs. The National Academies also must make recommendations about education and training resources for personnel in health care, law enforcement, the judiciary, social work, and child protection.

In carrying out these requirements, the National Academies must consult with various experts in the field, including local, state, and federal agencies.

The National Academies must submit the report not later than three years after enactment of this bill and biennially thereafter for a period of 10 years.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 118th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 373 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

373 yea33 nay23 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(197)

Republicans who voted yea(176)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 1230 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 2955Identical bill

    Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.

  1. Dec 23, 2024Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 118-194.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 18, 2024FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 373 - 33 (Roll no. 512).House roll call 512
  6. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  7. Dec 17, 2024FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  8. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1351.
  9. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  10. FloorFloor · Mr. Guthrie moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  11. Dec 12, 2024FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  12. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  13. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  14. Dec 11, 2024FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  15. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  17. Apr 27, 2023CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  18. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 3316SenateSen. Jeff MerkleyD-OR· offered Dec 11, 2024Agreed to

    In the nature of a substitute.

    Dec 11, 2024: Amendment SA 3316 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to
Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.