[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 51 (Monday, March 31, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     CHILD ABDUCTION PREVENTION ACT

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                               speech of

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 27, 2003

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1104) to 
     prevent child abduction, and for other purposes:

  Mr. MOORE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 1104, legislation 
that would improve our capacity to recover missing children with 
implementation of a national AMBER Alert program.
  The safe recovery of 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart in Utah recently 
brought this important issue to national attention. I am well aware of 
how important AMBER Alert systems can be to helping bring abducted 
children home safely, which is why I am an original cosponsor of H.R. 
412, the National AMBER Alert Network Act included in this bill, and 
supported the legislation introduced by Representatives Martin Frost 
and Jennifer Dunn in the 107th Congress.
  As Johnson County District Attorney for 12 years, I have seen child 
abduction cases that ended with the most horrible result--the death of 
a child. I helped bring AMBER Alert to Kansas City in 1999 and the 
system so far has contributed to the safe return of a 16-month-old 
child and a 4-year-old child. As a result, the state of Kansas 
implemented a statewide AMBER Alert program in October of 2002. 1 have 
since actively worked to bring the AMBER system nationwide.
  Earlier this month, I hosted a news conference in Kansas City, 
Missouri, with my colleague Representative Karen McCarthy, to raise 
awareness about AMBER procedures and the need for a national program. 
We joined with local police to publicize AMBER Alert and expressed our 
support for immediate passage of this bill. Cases like Elizabeth Smart 
demonstrate the urgency for recovering missing children, and although 
the Smart family was incredibly lucky, many others are not.
  Mr. Chairman, I am disappointed that we have not seen the AMBER Alert 
legislation come to the floor as a stand alone bill, as I called for 
many months ago. I believe that saving children should be above 
partisan politics and that Congress should be able to unite in favor of 
increasing measures to help our kids. While I rise in support of H.R. 
1104, 1 do want to express my dissatisfaction that we could not follow 
the model of our Senate counterparts who passed AMBER Alert without 
additional provisions that likely will delay enactment.
  I hope that you will join with me to pass H.R. 1104, however, to 
improve the safety of our children.




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