Sec. 202. Designation of the United States Center for Safe Sport
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Chapter 2205 of title 36, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: The United States Center for Safe Sport shall— serve as the independent national safe sport organization and be recognized worldwide as the independent national safe sport organization for the United States; exercise jurisdiction over the corporation, each national governing body, and each paralympic sports organization with regard to safeguarding amateur athletes against abuse, including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, in sports; maintain an office for education and outreach that shall develop training, oversight practices, policies, and procedures to prevent the abuse, including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, of amateur athletes participating in amateur athletic activities through national governing bodies and paralympic sports organizations; maintain an office for response and resolution that shall establish mechanisms that allow for the reporting, investigation, and resolution, pursuant to subsection (c), of alleged sexual abuse in violation of the Center's policies and procedures; and ensure that the mechanisms under paragraph
(4)provide fair notice and an opportunity to be heard and protect the privacy and safety of complainants. The policies and procedures developed under subsection (a)(3) shall apply as though they were incorporated in and made a part of section 220524 of this title. The Center may, in its discretion, utilize a neutral arbitration body and develop policies and procedures to resolve allegations of sexual abuse within its jurisdiction to determine the opportunity of any amateur athlete, coach, trainer, manager, administrator, or official, who is the subject of such an allegation, to participate in amateur athletic competition. Nothing in this section shall be construed as altering, superseding, or otherwise affecting the right of an individual within the Center’s jurisdiction to pursue civil remedies through the courts for personal injuries arising from abuse in violation of the Center’s policies and procedures, nor shall the Center condition the participation of any such individual in a proceeding described in paragraph
(1)upon an agreement not to pursue such civil remedies. Except as provided in paragraph (2), an applicable entity shall not be liable for damages in any civil action for defamation, libel, slander, or damage to reputation arising out of any action or communication, if the action arises from the execution of the responsibilities or functions described in this section, section 220542, or section 220543. Paragraph
(1)shall not apply in any action in which an applicable entity acted with actual malice, or provided information or took action not pursuant to this section, section 220542, or section 220543. In this subsection, the term applicable entity means— the Center; a national governing body; a paralympic sports organization; an amateur sports organization or other person sanctioned by a national governing body under section 220525; an amateur sports organization reporting under section 220530; any officer, employee, agent, or member of an entity described in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), (D), or (E); and any individual participating in a proceeding pursuant to this section. The Center shall— develop training, oversight practices, policies, and procedures for implementation by a national governing body or paralympic sports organization to prevent the abuse, including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, of any amateur athlete; and include in the policies and procedures developed under section 220541(a)(3)— a requirement that all adult members of a national governing body, a paralympic sports organization, or a facility under the jurisdiction of a national governing body or paralympic sports organization, and all adults authorized by such members to interact with an amateur athlete, report immediately any allegation of child abuse of an amateur athlete who is a minor to— the Center, whenever such members or adults learn of facts leading them to suspect reasonably that an amateur athlete who is a minor has suffered an incident of child abuse; and law enforcement consistent with section 226 of the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 ( 34 U.S.C. 20341 ); a mechanism, approved by a trained expert on child abuse, that allows a complainant to report easily an incident of child abuse to the Center, a national governing body, law enforcement authorities, or other appropriate authorities; reasonable procedures to limit one-on-one interactions between an amateur athlete who is a minor and an adult (who is not the minor’s legal guardian) at a facility under the jurisdiction of a national governing body or paralympic sports organization without being in an observable and interruptible distance from another adult, except under emergency circumstances; procedures to prohibit retaliation, by any national governing body or paralympic sports organization, against any individual who makes a report under subparagraph
(A)or subparagraph (B); oversight procedures, including regular and random audits conducted by subject matter experts unaffiliated with, and independent of, a national governing body or a paralympic sports organization of each national governing body and paralympic sports organization to ensure that policies and procedures developed under that section are followed correctly and that consistent training is offered and given to all adult members who are in regular contact with amateur athletes who are minors, and subject to parental consent, to members who are minors, regarding prevention of child abuse; and a mechanism by which a national governing body or paralympic sports organization can— share confidentially a report of suspected child abuse of an amateur athlete who is a minor by a member of a national governing body or paralympic sports organization, or an adult authorized by a national governing body, paralympic sports organization, or an amateur sports organization to interact with an amateur athlete who is a minor, with the Center, which in turn, may share with relevant national governing bodies, paralympic sports organizations, and other entities; and withhold providing to an adult who is the subject of an allegation of child abuse authority to interact with an amateur athlete who is a minor until the resolution of such allegation. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the ability of a national governing body or paralympic sports organization to impose an interim measure to prevent an individual who is the subject of an allegation of sexual abuse from interacting with an amateur athlete prior to the Center exercising its jurisdiction over a matter. The Center shall keep correct and complete records of account. The Center shall submit an annual report to Congress, including— an audit conducted and submitted in accordance with section 10101; and a description of the activities of the Center. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Center $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021. . Section 220501(b) of title 36, United States Code, is amended— by redesignating paragraphs
(4)through
(8)as paragraphs
(6)through (10), respectively; and by inserting after paragraph (3), the following: Center means the United States Center for Safe Sport designated under section 220541. child abuse has the meaning given the term in section 212 of the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 ( 34 U.S.C. 20302 ). . The table of contents of chapter 2205 of title 36, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: Subchapter III — United States Center for Safe Sport 220541. Designation of United States Center for Safe Sport. 220542. Additional duties. 220543. Records, audits, and reports. 220544. Authorization of appropriations. .
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