[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 254 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 254

 Recognizing the ``Code Adam'' child safety program, commending retail 
businesses and public establishments that have implemented programs to 
protect children from an abduction or lost scenario, and urging retail 
  businesses and public establishments that have not implemented such 
                     programs to consider doing so.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2003

Mr. Pallone (for himself, Mr. Lampson, Mr. Foley, Mr. Acevedo-Vila, Ms. 
   Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Frost, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Ms. 
    Kaptur, Mr. Payne, Mr. Rothman, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Wilson of South 
Carolina, and Mr. Wexler) submitted the following resolution; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the ``Code Adam'' child safety program, commending retail 
businesses and public establishments that have implemented programs to 
protect children from an abduction or lost scenario, and urging retail 
  businesses and public establishments that have not implemented such 
                     programs to consider doing so.

Whereas protecting children is one of society's greatest responsibilities;
Whereas child abduction, an unconscionable and horrendous crime, has received 
        much media attention;
Whereas parents, and all other adults, must be ever vigilant in public places to 
        protect children, who by their very nature are trusting and 
        unsuspecting, from those depraved and vile individuals who would prey on 
        them;
Whereas recognizing the risk of child abduction, some retail businesses, 
        libraries, museums, hospitals, and other public and private 
        establishments have developed safety procedures and programs designed to 
        prevent abductors from using crowds of people as cover for nefarious 
        acts;
Whereas one of the most successful programs to prevent child abduction is the 
        ``Code Adam'' alarm developed in 1994 and implemented by Wal-Mart stores 
        and SAM'S Clubs throughout the Nation;
Whereas the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has been 
        instrumental in helping to implement the ``Code Adam'' child safety 
        program at retail and businesses and public establishments; and
Whereas, named in tribute to 6-year-old Adam Walsh who was abducted from a 
        shopping mall in the State of Florida and murdered in 1981, the ``Code 
        Adam'' alarm signals that there is a missing child and alerts designated 
        employees in the affected retail business, public establishment or 
        library to abandon their normal responsibilities and, in a coordinated 
        and prearranged organized manner, to begin searching for the child and 
        monitoring the establishment exits to ensure that the child is not 
        removed from the establishment: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the ``Code 
Adam'' child safety program, commends all retail businesses and public 
establishments that have implemented such programs to protect children 
from an abduction or lost scenario, and urges retail business and 
public establishments that have not implemented such programs to 
consider doing so.
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