Congresswoman Lee Reintroduces Bipartisan Renewed Hope Act to Help Child Exploitation Victims

Washington, D.C.- Today, Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL) reintroduced the Renewed Hope Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen the federal government's ability to identify children depicted in child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and bring perpetrators to justice. The bill is co-led by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and will be considered in a House Judiciary Committee markup next week.

The Renewed Hope Act increases the hiring and retention of specialized victim identification personnel at the Department of Homeland Security, expanding the capacity of law enforcement to identify and rescue children trapped in ongoing sexual exploitation.

"The scale and severity of online child exploitation continues to grow at an alarming rate," said Congresswoman Laurel Lee. "Since 2024, the number of unidentified children depicted in sexual abuse material has risen from 57,000 to more than 89,000. Each number represents a child who has not yet been found, rescued, or protected. The Renewed Hope Act ensures that federal law enforcement has the trained professionals and resources necessary to identify these victims and stop these crimes."

"Children must be protected from the staggering rise in digital predators who seek to exploit them. That means expanding efforts to identify and support these child victims of online abuse," said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. "Mounting evidence points to a disturbing escalation of extreme, violent online content. I'm proud to join my colleagues to introduce this bipartisan legislation to increase capacity to identify victims of child sexual exploitation, and invest in front-line, dedicated professionals who can find predators and save innocent lives."

"For too long, hundreds of thousands of girls and boys have endured horrific abuse - often at the hands of adults who are supposed to protect them," said Tim Tebow. "Children in our nation are right now living in the darkest of evils, crying out for help. Their pain must stir us to act. This is why we're calling on Congress to pass legislation to strengthen our nation's response to identifying and rescuing these boys and girls. Because even with law enforcement and organizations working around the clock to rescue these children, it's just not enough. I'm deeply grateful to our leaders for shining a light on this bipartisan issue so that we can build a stronger rescue team of analysts, investigators, and law enforcement as we unite to find and safeguard every child in our nation suffering this great evil."

The need for expanded victim identification capacity has become increasingly urgent. In the last year alone, more than 55,000 children in the United States have been victims of sextortion, with over 40 children dying by suicide as a result. In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline received 20.5 million reports involving 29.2 million suspected incidents of child sexual exploitation, underscoring the overwhelming volume facing investigators.

Additionally, in just the last six months, law enforcement identified over 338,000 unique U.S.-based IP addresses trading child sexual abuse material across peer-to-peer networks, highlighting the scale of criminal activity and the need for sustained federal action.

The Renewed Hope Act builds on recommendations from victim identification experts and global law enforcement partners, reinforcing Congress's responsibility to ensure that the United States remains a leader in combating child sexual exploitation and rescuing victims. It is also supported by a broad coalition of organizations dedicated to protecting children and combating exploitation, including the Tim Tebow Foundation, Rights4Girls, the National Children's Alliance, the Center for Counter Human Trafficking at CPAC, the Child Rescue Coalition, and the International Justice Mission.