[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 10 (Thursday, January 25, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E96-E97]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORY OF AMBER HAGERMAN

                                 ______


                           HON. MARTIN FROST

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 25, 1996

  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a few moments to apprise 
my colleagues of a tragic incident which recently occurred in my 
congressional district.
  Earlier this month, Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl from Arlington, 
was kidnaped and murdered. The autopsy has not yet been completed; 
however, it is likely that Amber was sexually assaulted.
  The crime has sparked national outrage over the brutality of the 
incident. Amber was 

[[Page E97]]
kidnaped from the parking lot of a vacant shopping center on January 
13. For a week, volunteers and police searched the city of Arlington 
hoping that they would find her safe and sound. Her body was found 
almost a week later on January 17. The authorities are still searching 
for her killer.
  Arlington citizens, deeply disturbed by the incident, have held 
numerous community meetings and are urging passage of more State and 
Federal laws to strengthen prosecution of sex offenders.
  I share the concerns of my constituents and agree that there is an 
urgent need to toughen the sentences for sex offenders.
  I urge my colleagues to support legislation addressing these types of 
crimes. It is high time that we lock up these repeat sex offenders and 
throw away the key. Stricter sentencing laws can prevent sex offenses 
and protect our citizens from such heinous crimes.

                          ____________________