Tim Tebow, U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) reintroduced the bipartisan Renewed Hope Act of 2026 to the House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 12. The committee passed the bill unanimously, and it now heads to the House of Representatives for a vote.
“This bill would create and equip an army of analysts, investigators and forensic specialists to find and safeguard children who have been seen in sexually abusive images by law enforcement, but have not been protected yet,” said a press release announcing the reintroduction of the bill to the House Judiciary Committee.
Renewed Hope Act Heads to the House
Tim Tebow, a former professional athlete, a Heisman Trophy winner, and an activist, appeared before a House Judiciary subcommittee in March 2024 to aid in efforts to identify and rescue victims of child sexual abuse.
Tebow leads a foundation, the purpose of which is to “bring Faith, Hope and Love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need.” The Tim Tebow Foundation focuses on defending the “Most Vulnerable People in the world” (MVPs) in the following areas: special needs, profound medical needs, orphan care and prevention, and anti-human trafficking and child exploitation.
Since Tebow testified before the committee in 2024, there has been an “alarming surge in online child exploitation,” states the press release. For example, the number of unidentified children in child sex abuse images (CSAM) on the internet has grown from 57,000 to 89,000.
The scale of the problem is underscored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, which reported 20.5 million reports tied to 29.2 million suspected child sexual exploitation incidents in 2024. Law enforcement and experts are woefully underequipped to deal with this urgent need.
Speaking to Ainsley Earhardt on “Fox & Friends,” Tebow said the goal of the bill is to “build a bigger army” to protect children. He emphasized, as he has elsewhere, that this brutal abuse of children is happened “in our backyard.” He said there is reason to believe that about half of the unidentified 89,000 children are in the U.S.
“Children in our nation are right now living in the darkest of evils, crying out for help. Their pain must stir us to act,” Tim Tebow in the press release. “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.”
The Renewed Hope Act, reintroduced by Tim Tebow, U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee, and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is headed to the House of Representatives.Click to Post
