Paris Hilton urges house members to pass child abuse bill after it gets unanimous support from the senate

Paris Hilton urges House leaders to take up and pass the child abuse bill before the session ends. The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act passed the US Senate, receiving unanimous support, last week on December 11 and is now waiting for the House vote.

Speaking to ABC News on Monday, December 16, Hilton urged House members to prioritize the bill and vote in favor of it "immediately." She said:

"We're just hoping and praying that they'll do the right thing. I just really hope that they, you know, don't let politics stand in the way of saving children's lives"

Paris Hilton mentioned that passing the bill in the House of Representatives is imperative before this year's session ends for the holiday break. Otherwise, the fight to get the legislation approved will be back to square one next year.

"This is so urgent, because the House of Representatives has to pass this bill in the next week before the end of this year's session, or else the bill will die. We would have to do it all over again," she added.

The bill, if passed, would address longstanding issues in youth treatment facilities, including emotional, physical, and s*xual abuse allegations. Paris Hilton has openly lobbied for the reform and previously shared her own mistreatment story during her stay at the Provo Canyon School in Utah when she was 17.

She recalled her experience as a teen at the infamous school in June in front of the House Ways and Means Committee. She previously shared the same in her 2020 documentary, This Is Paris.

Paris Hilton had reportedly gone to Washington to meet with policy staff as early as 2021 to lobby for the reform.

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Paris Hilton said pushing for the child abuse bill is her "lifelong mission" in life

As the US Senate unanimously passed the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act on December 11, Paris Hilton said that she was with her sister and they were having a "little gurls, sister holiday shopping." She told ABC News on Monday, December 16, that hearing about the bill passing the Senate on FaceTime got her bawling in tears.

While the business mogul is hopeful that the House of Representatives will get the reform approved before the 118th Congress adjourns for the year, she said that she will continue the fight no matter what. If the bill doesn't pass this session, Paris Hilton planned to continue fighting for the issue. She said:

"I won't stop fighting until change is made. This is my lifelong mission and I really believe it's my true purpose in life. I will not stop fighting for these children and being a voice for them."

Hilton also mentioned being proud of the work she's done in helping protect the children this far. She wanted it to be her legacy, saying:

"I am so proud of a lot of things in my life, but the work—my advocacy work that I'm going to protect children—is the thing that I'm most proud of, and this is what I want my legacy to be."

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There are only a couple of days until the legislative session adjourns. The bill's fate now lies in the members of the House of Representatives. Once it's approved, it will only need President Joe Biden's final approval.