Kristen's Act Reauthorization of 2008

National Silver Alert Act -

Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish a national Silver Alert communications network to assist regional and local search efforts for missing seniors; (2) assign a Department of Justice officer to serve as the Silver Alert Coordinator to coordinate the network with states; and (3) award grants to states for support of Silver Alert plans and the network. Defines "missing senior" as any individual who is reported as missing to or by a law enforcement agency and who meets state requirements for designation as a missing senior.

GovTrack.us. H.R. 6064--110th Congress (2008): Kristen's Act Reauthorization of 2008, GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation) (accessed Sep 22, 2008)

President Bush signs HR 4472

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Thursday signed legislation that will establish a national sex offender registry and try to make it harder for sexual predators to reach children on the Internet.

The legislation, called the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, is named for Adam Walsh, a 6-year-old boy who was abducted 25 years ago on July 27, 1981, and eventually killed.

Read more

Bill expected to be signed today

President Bush is expected to sign a bill into law today designed to keep children across the country safer from child predators. One of the major advocates of the bill has been John Walsh. The bill is named "The Adam Walsh Child Protection Act of 2006", in memory of his son Adam who was murdered 25 years ago.

"...The bill still needs to have funding passed separately, Walsh says. "Legislation without oversight and without money is just a photo-op."

Projected cost $1.2 billion for the first couple years. The bill calls for:

• 500 new U.S. marshals. "They will only look for rapists and sexual predators of children," Walsh says.

• 35 new FBI agents, "dealing with only with cyber crimes over the Internet."

• Expanded efforts to catch pedophiles who use the Internet. Walsh credited NBC's "Dateline" and Oprah Winfrey for demonstrating the size of the problem.

• A standardized sex offender registry in each state.

• The collection of DNA from all convicted sex offenders.

• A requirement that convicted pedophiles submit a new photo to authorities every three months..."

Read the entire article

‘‘Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006’’.

H.R. 4472 ‘‘Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006’’.

You know the old saying, “…To many Chef’s can spoil the broth…”? Read through this 164 page PDF, and perhaps it will help explain why it took so long to pass and could take three years to implement.

However this is one broth that in the end we trust will turn out well for the victims of these crimes.

Was the voice vote unanimous and the reason no representatives position was kept?

Votes on Passage

Mar 8, 2006: This bill passed in the House of Representatives by voice vote. A record of each representative's position was not kept.

Jul 20, 2006: This bill passed in the Senate by Voice Vote. A record of each representative's position was not kept.

Hurry up and wait.

Thursday the senate voted to approve the creation of a national sex offender registry. The House should vote this upcoming week. There is a possibility the President will sign it into law on July 25th if approved.

Why will it be required to be up and running within three years. Wonder what the statistics published concerning offenses committed during this time frame will be?

If each state maintains these records on-line now, why will it take three years to ensure implementation? Is it possible each state doesn't keep accurate records now and needs three years to "find" sex offenders?

What are the penalties to each state if they don't comply? We know what it can be for society.

Book of lists

If you believe the wheels of justice turn slowly, you might want to read about the National Sex Offender Registry bills introduced over a year ago. Expected to be voted on today, it could be signed into law July 27th.

Library of Congress

S.1086 Title: A bill to improve the national program to register and monitor individuals who commit crimes against children or sex offenses. Sponsor: Sen Hatch, Orrin G. [UT] (introduced 5/19/2005) Cosponsors (42) Related Bills: H.R.2423 Latest Major Action: 5/8/2006 Held at the desk.

H.R.2423 Title: To improve the national program to register and monitor individuals who commit crimes against children or sex offenses. Sponsor: Rep Foley, Mark [FL-16] (introduced 5/18/2005) Cosponsors (86) Related Bills: S.1086 Latest Major Action: 6/9/2005 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Subcommittee Hearings Held.

According to Congressman Mark Foley (FL-16), "...there are currently over 500,000 registered sex offenders in the United States – with 24,000 of them living in North Carolina and Virginia alone. Of that, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, we are missing between 100,000 to 150,000 of these predators.

What may be even more surprising to you is that there is a 200,000 person difference between all of the state registries and the federal National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR).
The House and Senate may vote today on the proposed bill which would make it a crime for sex offenders not to register with their state and would require states to share information when an offender moved to a new state...:

If approved, the new sex offender registry would replace the state-by-state system now in place. Under current law, offenders usually report once a year. Failure to report is a misdemeanor.

Could bill have helped Destiny Norton?

They care....but not that much

Are you aware of the Child Abduction Prevention Act?

The following is a brief summary of the Act introduced in 2003 as HR 1104 Child Abduction Prevention Act.

“…Child Abduction Prevention Act - Title I: Sanctions and Offenses - (Sec. 101) Amends the Federal criminal code to:

(1) make the authorized term of supervised release after imprisonment any term of years or life, and to require a sentence to include a term of supervised release of at least five years, for kidnaping involving a minor and for other specified felony offenses (aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact, sexual exploitation of children, selling or buying of children, certain activities relating to material involving the sexual exploitation of minors and material constituting or containing child pornography, production of sexually explicit depictions of a minor for importation into the United States, transportation for illegal sexual activity, coercion and enticement to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity or in a sexual act with a juvenile, or use of interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor with intent to solicit any person to engage in criminal sexual activity) (listed offenses);

(2) include aggravated child abuse and child torture murders within the scope of the definition of first degree murder; and

(3) increase penalties for sexual exploitation and other abuse of children, for transportation for illegal sexual activity and related crimes, and for kidnapping children…”

Why would you, if you were a member of Congress, either vote No or Not vote at all?

Votes by Political Party

Democratic
No
John Conyers, Jesse Jackson, Stephanie Jones, Barbara Lee, Jim McDermott, Alan Mollohan, James Oberstar, Martin Sabo, Robert Scott, Pete Stark, Maxine Waters, Melvin Watt

Not voting
Corrine Brown, William Clay, Richard Gephardt, Karen McCarthy, George Miller

Independent
No
Bernard Sanders

Republican
No
Ron Paul

Not Voting
Steve Buyer, Larry Combest, Ernest Fletcher, Henry Hyde, Thad McCotter

Read more at HR1104 SN00151