[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 135 (Thursday, October 2, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1901-E1902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




JACOB WETTERLING CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN AND SEXUALLY VIOLENT OFFENDERS 
                 REGISTRATION IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JENNIFER DUNN

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 30, 1997

  Ms. DUNN. Madam Speaker, it is the responsibility of our Nation to 
make our communities safer. It is our responsibility to give 
communities and families the tools to protect women and children from 
sexual predators. Everything we can do to improve our laws and sharpen 
these tools is a top priority.
  The Jacob Wetterling Improvements Act does just that. It improves 
upon existing sexual offender registration laws in order to ensure that 
sexual predators who may run, can no longer hide.
  In 1994, Congress enacted The Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against 
Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act. This act 
requires certain offenders to register their addresses and other 
pertinent information with local law enforcement upon release from 
prison. The Wetterling Improvements Act tightens this prudent law to 
prevent violent sex offenders from falling through the cracks.
  In my home State of Washington, residents take sex offender 
registration laws very seriously. Legislators have enacted a new law 
which makes it a felony for sex offenders to ignore registration 
requirements. Violating the new law carries a penalty of up to 5 years 
in prison. A special police task force has been given the authority to 
track down and arrest sex offenders who fail to register their 
whereabouts with law enforcement.
  Madam Speaker, these are the types of creative solutions that we need 
to protect our families and neighborhoods from sexual predators. The 
Jacob Wetterling Improvements Act

[[Page E1902]]

provides States with the flexibility and freedom to design their own 
registry programs, instead of implementing a one-size-fits-all plan.
  I applaud the improvements in this legislation and am proud to be an 
original cosponsor of the Jacob Wetterling Improvements Act. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in supporting this prudent measure.

                          ____________________