[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 12, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CONGRESS MUST WORK SERIOUSLY ON THE ISSUE OF CHILD ABUSE

  (Mr. FOLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I welcome to the Chamber many people from the 
safety patrols from around our Nation's Capital.
  I urge our colleagues to work seriously on the issue of child abuse. 
Not a day goes by we are not reading another detail of the sad, tragic 
ending of JonBenet's life, JonBenet Ramsey's life in Colorado, and 
daily we read in our newspapers about the violence that affects our 
children: sexual violence, physical violence, a lack of a decent home.
  If there is a plague on America, it is our treatment of our children 
and our lack of response for our children. So I urge my colleagues 
today, as we build this bipartisan Congress, that we focus on children. 
On education, yes, but also their safety; that they are not intruded 
on, that they are not the victims of a nasty crime of sexual abuse, and 
that we look out for the young people of our communities to make 
certain that they will grow to be productive leaders in the future.

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