[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 48 (Wednesday, April 20, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3959-S3960]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               DRU'S LAW

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, last week I introduced legislation in the 
Senate dealing with a critically important subject. I am proud to say 
that the Senator from Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter, joined me as 
cosponsor of this legislation. It deals particularly with the murder of 
young women in this country by sexual predators.
  We all know the story recently about the murder of Jessica Lunsford. 
Jessica Lunsford was a 9-year-old young girl abducted in February from 
the bedroom of her home in Florida. Her body was found a month later. 
The crime was allegedly committed by a 46-year-old convicted sex 
offender with a 30-year criminal history.
  More recently, we all remember the April 9 abduction of Sarah 
Michelle Lunde from her family's mobile home south of Tampa, FL. A 
convicted sex offender who had once had a relationship with the girl's 
mother has now confessed to killing her.
  In March, Jetseta Gage of Cedar Rapids, IA, was abducted, sexually 
assaulted, and murdered. A convicted sex offender on Iowa's sex 
offender registry was charged with that crime and arrested for that 
crime.
  In August of last year, a 6-year-old Nebraska girl whose name has 
been withheld was sexually assaulted by a 39-year-old convicted sex 
offender.
  We all remember the case of Polly Klaas, the 12-year-old who was 
kidnapped and murdered by a previously diagnosed sex offender.
  There was a young woman in my State named Dru Sjodin who was murdered 
in late 2003. Walking out of the

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shopping center into a parking lot about 5 in the afternoon, she 
apparently was abducted by a formerly convicted sex offender who has 
now been charged with this crime.
  Dru Sjodin was a wonderful young woman. She was, as has been the case 
with these other circumstances, the innocent victim of a sex offender. 
Alfonso Rodriguez has been charged in her case. Alfonso Rodriguez 
served 23 years in prison as a violent sexual predator. He was deemed 
by prison officials to be a high-risk offender who would reoffend when 
released. He was nonetheless released from prison, and within 6 months 
he allegedly murdered Dru Sjodin.
  I have introduced a law called ``Dru's Law.'' It is supported by Mr. 
Lunsford, Mr. Klaas, and so many other families who have been visited 
by these tragedies.
  Dru's Law does three things. First, it says there should be a 
national registry of convicted sex offenders. There is not one now. 
There are State registries but not a national registry. Many Americans 
live near a State border. If they check their State registry of who the 
violent sex offenders are in their region, they will find out who is in 
their State but not who is 5 or 20 miles away across the border. There 
should be a national registry of convicted sex offenders, No. 1.
  No. 2, if a high-risk sex offender is about to be released from 
prison and if that person is deemed to be at high risk for committing 
another violent offense, the local State's attorneys must be notified 
that this high-risk sex offender is about to be released so they can 
seek further civil commitment if they believe it appropriate.
  No. 3, if, in fact, a high-risk sex offender is released from prison 
and there is no further civil commitment, there must be monitoring of 
that sex offender upon release. There cannot be at the prison door a 
wave and say: So long, you served your 23 years, have a good life. 
There must be high-level monitoring.
  It is unbelievable to me that we know the names of these people who 
are committing these murders because they have been behind bars and 
they are released despite the fact that psychiatrists, psychologists, 
and others judge them to be at high risk for reoffending. I don't want 
to see the list of victims, which includes Dru Sjodin, Polly Klaas, 
Jessica Lunsford, and Sarah Lunde, get longer. We can do something 
about this. We can pass this legislation.
  Incidentally, this legislation which I reintroduced now with Arlen 
Specter was passed by unanimous consent last year. We did not get it 
through the House, but I have now reintroduced it. I am going to try 
again, and I hope this time that this legislation gets to the 
President's desk for signature. It is long past the time that we do 
what is necessary to save lives. We ought not any longer accept the 
status quo. Violent sexual predators need to be identified, need to be 
on a national registry, and need to be either recommitted, if they are 
at high risk for reoffending, or there needs to be high-level 
monitoring when they are released. That is simply the case.
  How much time have I consumed?
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from North Dakota has 
consumed 6 minutes.

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