Gymnasts testify before Congress about sex abuse claims The gymnasts spoke out before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

 -- “They were in control of taking my dream away in a second.”

That’s what Jamie Dantzscher, a former U.S. gymnastics member who won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics, said today of the psychological, emotional and sexual abuse she claims she suffered at the hands of some coaches and doctors with the USA Gymnastics group, the official American governing body for the sport.

Dantzscher and two other gymnasts, Jessica Howard and Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, telling their stories and expressing support for a bill that the committee hopes will stop alleged abuse in the future.

Dantzscher and Howard claim they were sexually assaulted, repeatedly, by Dr. Larry Nassar, a doctor employed by USA Gymnastics at the famous Karolyi Ranch in Huntsville, Texas, where the most elite American gymnasts train.

They also claim to have suffered verbal and emotional abuse from coaches that screamed at them for the slightest mistake.

Nassar was charged in February in Michigan with 22 counts of criminal sexual conduct, five of which, according to prosecutors, relate to victims who were under 13 years old.

The charges relate to Nassar’s time when he was a faculty member at Michigan State University, from 1997 to when the university fired him in 2016 after allegations surfaced. He has pleaded not guilty.

While he was on staff at Michigan State, Nassar was the chief medical coordinator of the USA Women’s gymnastics team, and now, many of the athletes he treated are coming forward with allegations, saying they were so young when he abused them that they didn't understand what he was doing.

More than 80 victims have reported allegations of sexual assault against Nassar, according to the MSU Police Department.

Some, like Dantzscher are also suing Bela and Marta Karolyi, gymnastics coaches and owners of the Karolyi ranch, saying they created an environment there that allegedly gave Nassar the opportunity to abuse young gymnasts under the guise of medical procedures.

A spokesman for the Karolyis told ABC News that they “deny the existence of a ‘toxic’ environment,” and that the Karolyis say they “were never aware that Dr. Nassar would be performing any procedures which are now the subject of the present litigation.”

Today's Senate hearing was focused on what can be done to prevent sexual assaults from not being reported.

“Dr. Nassar acted as the good guy, supporting me emotionally and promising me relief from the pain," Howard told the committee. "Now I know in actuality he expertly abused me under the guise of treatment.”

Dantzscher and Howard both said they did not realize that Nassar had been abusing them until last summer. Nassar had established their trust such that they believed he was acting as a medical professional, they said.

“Now I know that I am not alone," Howard said. "More than 100 women have come forward and shared stories that are shockingly similar to mine."

USAG did not send a representative to the hearing today, which several senators decried during and after the hearing.

In a statement to ABC News earlier this week, USAG said they were “outraged that a physician would exploit his patient in the alleged manner” and reiterated that they dismissed Nassar when they learned of the accusations and reported him to the FBI.

The bill under consideration by the Judiciary Committee would require anyone with suspicions of abuse to report it immediately, with penalties for not doing so. It would also prevent perpetrators from simply moving on to a different gym.

Speaking in a press conference after the hearing, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., had a message for whomever is replacing Steve Penny, who stepped down from USAG only earlier this month.

“Whoever is the new head of USAG has to know that the United State Senate is going to be watching. Because it will be a federal crime not to report,” Feinstein said.

Dantzscher told ABC News after testifying that she is committed to helping other young girls, including her six nieces, stay safe in the sport she loves so much.

“I can't get back my childhood, and obviously I'm working on my issues from the result of all the abuse every day,” she said. “But the start of my healing process is making sure I keep speaking up and I'm committed to bring awareness and even bring awareness about the bill and sexual abuse."

Dantzscher continued, "I'm going to keep fighting so that this doesn't happen to other little girls.”

ABC News' Linzie Janis, Jackie Jesko, Michelle Kessel, Lauren Effron, Catherine Thorbecke and Katie Kindelan contributed to this report.