S. 1170 would authorize appropriations totaling $62 million for each year from 2023 through 2028 for the Project Safe Childhood program administered by the Department of Justice (DOJ). That amount comprises $29 million annually for case coordination of child sexual exploitation crimes and training and technical assistance for law enforcement, $4 million annually for a public awareness campaign with regards to threats posed to children online, and $29 million annually for the hiring of 20 federal prosecutors to work on those issues.
Project Safe Childhood is an initiative that combats the online sexual exploitation of children through intergovernmental partnerships. The program coordinates child sexual exploitation investigations and prosecutions across federal, state, and local law enforcement; provides training to law enforcement on best practices; and supports public education programs. The underlying authorization for Project Safe Childhood expired in 2012; however, the Congress has continued to allocate funding for the program’s activities.
CBO assumes the bill will be enacted late in fiscal year 2023. Based on historical spending patterns for those activities, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1170 would cost $295 million over the 2024-2028 period and $15 million after 2028, assuming appropriation of the amounts authorized from 2024 through 2028. CBO does not estimate any additional spending from the authorization for 2023 because appropriations for 2023 have already been provided.
