[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 48 (Wednesday, April 4, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S3453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  STATEMENTS ON SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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       SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 31--COMMENDING CLEAR CHANNEL 
COMMUNICATIONS AND THE AMERICAN FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION FOR THEIR 
  DEDICATION AND EFFORTS FOR PROTECTING CHILDREN BY PROVIDING A VITAL 
    MEANS FOR LOCATING THE NATION'S MISSING, KIDNAPPED, AND RUNAWAY 
                                CHILDREN

  Mr. THOMPSON submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                            S. Con. Res. 31

       Whereas children are the Nation's greatest asset for the 
     future;
       Whereas more than 800,000 children disappear each year in 
     the United States, and the problem of missing, kidnapped, and 
     runaway children potentially affects every community in the 
     Nation;
       Whereas the United States is committed to the protection of 
     its children as essential for the Nation's strong and vital 
     growth;
       Whereas Clear Channel Communications and the American 
     Football Coaches Association are making the United States the 
     world leader in the protection of children by providing 
     60,000,000 Inkless Child Identification Kits for use by 
     parents;
       Whereas these kits allow parents to keep vital information, 
     current photographs, and fingerprints readily available to 
     provide to law enforcement agencies throughout the Nation in 
     the event of an emergency; and
       Whereas Clear Channel Communications and the American 
     Football Coaches Association, through the efforts of board 
     members, officers, employees, and subsidiary companies and 
     the leadership of Lowry Mays, Mark Mays, and Grant Teaff, 
     display an outstanding dedication to the children in 
     communities throughout the Nation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That the Congress commends Clear Channel 
     Communications and the American Football Coaches Association 
     for their dedication and efforts for protecting children by 
     providing a vital means for locating the Nation's missing, 
     kidnapped, and runaway children.

  Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce a resolution 
commending Clear Channel Communications and the American Football 
Coaches Association, AFCA, for their efforts to protect children by 
providing a vital means for locating America's missing, kidnapped, and 
runaway children.
  In 1997, the AFCA created the National Child Identification Program 
with a goal of fingerprinting 20 million children across the country. 
The AFCA began the program after discovering some startling statistics 
regarding missing children. The statistics showed that every year 
450,000 children run away, 350,000 are abducted by a family member, and 
over 4,500 are abducted by a stranger. A total of 800,000 children are 
missing somewhere in America each year, that is one child every 40 
seconds.
  The National Child Identification Program provides free inkless 
fingerprint kits for children. These kits allow parents to take and 
store their child's fingerprints in their own home. If ever needed, 
this fingerprint record can give authorities vital information to 
assist them in their efforts to locate a missing child. In its first 
year, the AFCA distributed 2.1 million child I.D. kits at college 
football games across the country. To date, there have been 12 million 
free child I.D. kits distributed.
  I am proud to say that many in Tennessee have contributed to this 
effort. Phil Fulmer, Head Football Coach at the University of 
Tennessee, has been an active participant in this program. With his 
help, the AFCA was able to distribute over 200,000 I.D. kits at 
University of Tennessee football games. Last year, Tennessee Governor 
Don Sundquist declared March 2000 as ``Child Identification Awareness 
Month'' and acknowledged that the program will affect the lives of 
children all over Tennessee.
  Last year, Clear Channel Communications, a Texas-based media company, 
partnered with AFCA to raise funds to provide 60 million schoolchildren 
with free I.D. kits. They have committed to raising $78 million over 
the next three years for this effort.
  This revolution gives special recognition to the American Football 
Coaches Association and Clear Channel Communications for their efforts. 
I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.

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