[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 105 (Wednesday, August 3, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         TRAGEDY IN NEW JERSEY

  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I have another statement. 
Unfortunately, it deals with not too dissimilar a subject, and that is 
attacks on children.
  Mr. President, last week in New Jersey, a terrible tragedy took 
place, a tragedy so recent that the child who was killed has not yet 
had a funeral service for her burial.
  A 7-year-old girl, Megan Kanka, was sexually assaulted first and then 
brutally murdered. It was a despicable and horrifying crime that 
shocked people throughout my State and throughout the Nation. Our 
hearts go out to her parents and her family. We can only imagine the 
pain that they are going through. We all pray that we will never have 
to endure that kind of feeling.
  Mr. President, the man who has confessed to this outrageous killing 
already had been convicted of sexually related offenses. He spent a 
long time in confinement. Yet when he moved into Megan's community, 
nobody in the neighborhood was notified of his criminal history. So 
this convicted sex offender was free to mingle freely with the 
neighborhood children and to gain their trust. Meanwhile, the 
children's parents had no idea who he was, or the extreme danger he 
posed.
  This kind of situation is intolerable, Mr. President. Something is 
terribly wrong when a dangerous sex offender can move into a community 
filled with young children, without any of the neighbors even being 
notified of his presence.
  It is time we did something about this, Mr. President. It is long 
past time.
  In fact, last year, the Senate adopted as part of the crime bill a 
provision authored by the distinguished Senator from Washington [Mr. 
Gorton] which would have conditioned Federal funds on a State adopting 
a registry of sexual predators, and providing for community 
notification when a sex offender established a new residence.
  Senator Gorton's amendment was an important addition to the crime 
bill. Unfortunately, the proposal apparently has been weakened in 
conference. While the final language is not available, and I hope I am 
wrong, I have heard that the conference report does not provide for 
community notification when a dangerous sex offender gets out of 
prison.
  That is disturbing to me, Mr. President. In my view, when you're 
talking about dangerous sexual offenders moving into a community, the 
neighboring parents have a right to know. And we should use whatever 
resources we have to encourage States to provide for such notification.
  Mr. President, I know there are some who feel that once someone has 
served his or her sentence, they've repaid their debt to society and 
that's the end of it. But, Mr. President, it is just not that simple. 
Yes, even convicted people have rights. But communities have rights, 
too. Parents have rights. Young children have rights.
  And the bottom line for me, Mr. President, is that the rights of 
children like Megan Kanka simply must come first. In fact, for me, it 
is not even a close call. Because, when you get right down to it, 
nothing is more important than protecting our children. Nothing.
  So I look forward to working with Senator Gorton to continue the push 
for a community notification requirement, which already is now widely 
known in New Jersey as a Megan law.
  Because, at a minimum, parents have a right to know when their kids 
are going to be exposed to a dangerous sex offender. And we have a 
moral responsibility to help provide them with that information.
  Mr. President, I hope we will pass the Megan law, and do it soon.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________