[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 129 (Friday, October 4, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1749]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON MISSING, EXPLOITED, AND RUNAWAY CHILDREN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM MATHESON

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 2, 2002

  Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the efforts 
that the President has taken in organizing the White House Conference 
on Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children. As you know, our country 
has been especially affected by the seemingly large number of child 
abductions over the summer. I am proud to say that I am an original 
cosponsor of Representatives Frost and Dunn's National AMBER Alert 
Network Act, which was passed earlier this year by the US Senate.
  Mr. Speaker, over 58,000 children were reported missing in 1999 
according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 
While this number represents only non-family kidnappings, the anguish 
that parents and loved ones go through when any child becomes missing 
is indescribable.
  Today, both the House of Representatives and the President took a 
leap forward in protecting our youth. The Judiciary Committee passed 
the Child Abduction Prevention Act, which significantly enhances the 
ability of our nation's law enforcement community to not only find 
missing children, but also prosecute their abductors. This bipartisan 
approach will improve the AMBER Alert programs in many states and 
establish a national coordinator to set up minimum standards for 
relaying information about abductions in a quick and efficient manner.
  The bill also strengthens penalties for violence against children, 
including automatic first degree murder charges for child abuse and 
child torture murders, severe penalties for sexual abuse, kidnapping 
and sex tourism, and a ``two strikes you're out policy'' mandating life 
in prison for repeat violators.
  Today the President hosted a White House Conference where he 
announced a new national standard for rapid-response electronic 
notifications. He also pre-empted Congress by creating a new 
coordinator at the Department of Justice tasked with improving 
coordination and cooperation between federal, regional, state, and 
local law enforcement communities.
  I am very pleased the government and private organizations are 
realizing that they can help prevent kidnappings. On Tuesday, I was 
happy to hear that AOL will begin using the AMBER Alert system to 
notify more than 26 million subscribers in states and cities all over 
the country. This effort is to be applauded by Congress and the country 
and will hopefully encourage other businesses to begin taking a 
proactive approach to helping communities solve these crimes early and 
prevent kidnappings.
  Mr. Speaker, while the role of the federal government in preventing 
these heinous crimes is very important, I must also say that I am proud 
of the efforts that communities have made. The outpouring of support 
for the families of those who have lost their children is exceptional. 
The AMBER Alert system only works when the community is involved. A 
number of kidnappings were foiled this year specifically because 
regular citizens paid attention and helped catch criminals.

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