[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 103 (Thursday, July 25, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H5460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PREVENTING CHILD ABDUCTIONS

  (Mr. LAMPSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, we continue to see a great deal about child 
abductions in the news. That is good. Not all children have to be 
abducted, and all of the abductions do not have to end in the 
difficulties that we have seen in our news recently. So I rise today to 
urge parents to make sure that they know how to prevent child 
abductions and what to do when they occur. On May 23, the National 
Missing Children's Day, the National Center for Missing and Exploited 
Children and its partner, ADVO, released a survey that showed some 
parents lack information critical to recovering children who have been 
abducted. The survey showed results that many parents are missing 
opportunities to help prevent those abductions.
  According to law enforcement officials, information such as height, 
weight, eye color and a recent photograph are critically important when 
searching for a missing child.
  However, the survey shows that 22 percent of parents do not know the 
height, weight and eye color for their children. In the event of an 
emergency, it is critical for parents to have readily available their 
child's accurate physical description and a recent photograph so law 
enforcement can act immediately and effectively.
  I would like to emphasize that parents should make sure that they 
have a portrait ID-like photo, and I encourage parents throughout the 
Nation to take a moment and make sure that they have this vital 
information readily available, in the unlikely event their child should 
go missing.

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