U.S. House can curb online sexual exploitation of children by passing this bill

The March 18 editorial describes Congress as a “largely ineffective body” in taking action to protect children online. While this descriptor is sadly apt, several influential elected leaders in Washington are offering legislative solutions to keep kids safe on the internet, especially with the growing problem of online sexual exploitation of children.

One lawmaker from Illinois is doing his part. Sen. Dick Durbin, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, convened a powerful hearing on the topic of child sexual exploitation on Jan. 31 that featured testimony from executives of major U.S. technology companies. The Senate committee has also unanimously advanced multiple pieces of bipartisan legislation designed to address the proliferation of child sexual abuse material.

One of those bills, the Revising Existing Procedures on Reporting via Technology Act, passed the Senate by unanimous consent in December. If enacted, the bill would modernize how child sexual abuse material is stored and reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, enable children and trusted representatives to report the material, require online platforms to report child sex trafficking and online enticement to the center’s CyberTipline, and provide law enforcement more time to investigate child sexual exploitation crimes.

On March 21, the House Judiciary Committee also voted unanimously to advance the bill to the House floor. The members of the Illinois delegation to the House of Representatives should all support this bipartisan bill that will take meaningful steps to incentivize the technology sector to do more to combat online sexual exploitation, improve the reporting of suspected child sexual abuse material and give law enforcement much-needed time to do the investigative work required to protect children who may be in harm’s way.

Nate King, director of Congressional affairs, International Justice Mission, Arlington, Virginia

The sweet smell of Blommer

Visiting Chicago in January 1987, I was surprised by a deep snowfall overnight, which gleamed under bright blue skies the next day. Borrowing a pair of too-large boots, I trudged across the city, stopping on the Kinzie bridge. Braun Bottles still hunkered down on the river’s west side, while 333 W. Wacker reflected the sky and clouds. I watched the river flow beneath me and thought, “I can stay in New York and smell urine and garbage, or I can move here and smell … chocolate.” Farewell, Blommer. Thanks for everything.

Anne Morse, West Town

‘Bring Chicago Home’ question confused voters

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s latest failure is not something for his opponents to celebrate. Nor is it something his supporters should dismiss. It is a critical lesson for us at a pivotal moment in city (and national) politics: that one can be right and wrong at the same time.

One development from the recent influx of undocumented migrants is that unhoused people have become more visible, but Johnson and his base of liberal support have responsibly reminded us that homelessness is not a new problem. The urgency with which candidate Johnson sought to address homelessness in Chicago, or what he has called the “51st Ward,” is one of the several reasons I not only cast my vote for him but also knocked on doors on his behalf, something I’ve never done for any candidate.

Still, I found myself disappointed and confused by the vagueness and lack of transparency in his Bring Chicago Home initiative that failed on Tuesday. Like many Chicagoans, and I assume at least some of Johnson’s supporters, after reading the ballot initiative I found myself thinking, “Yes, of course we must do something about this, but I have absolutely no idea what this means.” This referendum offered voters no specific policy prescriptions besides the real estate transfer tax.

I hope Bring Chicago Home’s defeat prompts reflection by Johnson, although his promise after the news broke that he’d keep pushing it was ambiguous. His reaction stands in sharp contrast to that of Gov. J.B. Pritzker several years ago after the failure of the graduated income tax initiative, and since then he’s successfully grown into his role in Springfield and earned a national reputation as a progressive champion.

Chicagoans want to house the homeless, and I think most of them agree that the city’s wealthiest ought to bear the cost, but after decades of amorphous slush funds and empty rhetoric from City Hall, and blunder after blunder by the still young (but rapidly aging) Johnson administration, Bring Chicago Home as it appeared on our March 19 ballots failed to meet the moment.

Daniel Kassl, Ravenswood

Blagojevich has nerve

Rod Blagojevich’s representative’s comments about how it should be up to the people to decide who represents them is somewhat ironic. Back when he was trying to sell Obama’s vacated U.S. Senate seat, he did not seem to be too concerned for the people.

Tom DeDore, Garfield Ridge

Reduce carbon emissions

The world faces an existential threat in the form of climate change. The bottom line is we need to reduce carbon emissions. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2023 would do just that. It is estimated that if passed, this bill would decrease emissions in the U.S. by at least 40% in the first 12 years through technology innovation and ingenuity, and put money back into people’s pockets each month in the form of a carbon dividend. We must reduce carbon pollution or face the prospect of an earth that will someday become uninhabitable. It is our moral responsibility to do so.

Joseph Reitmeyer, Mount Prospect