[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 16, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H7537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING JOAN D'ALESSANDRO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Garrett) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GARRETT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Joan 
D'Alessandro and to recognize her mother, Rosemarie, for her tireless 
dedication to victims' rights and child safety.
  In 1973, Joan D'Alessandro was sexually molested and murdered by her 
neighbor, Joseph McGowan, after she simply went to his house to deliver 
Girl Scout cookies. Joan's body was found 3 days later, on Easter 
Sunday, in New York States' Harriman State Park. Joseph McGowan was 
later convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
  Joan was 7 years old when she was murdered. This month, she would 
have celebrated her 49th birthday. In the four decades since her death, 
her mother, Rosemarie, has used the tragedy of her daughter's death as 
a motivation to ensure the protection of other children.
  She has mounted several successful campaigns to keep her daughter's 
killer behind bars, and she has worked tirelessly to strengthen laws 
against child predators.
  In the 1990s, Rosemarie launched a grassroots movement to pass what 
is called Joan's Law. This legislation imposes a life without parole 
sentence on anyone convicted of molesting and murdering a child under 
14. Governor Christine Todd Whitman signed the bill into law in 1997. 
President Clinton signed a Federal version of this law in 1998.
  Even with these successes, Rosemarie continues to do even more. 
Earlier this year, she unveiled a butterfly sculpture and garden in 
Hillsdale, New Jersey. This sculpture is a tribute to Joan's life. It 
also serves as a reminder to each and every one of us to be diligent 
about keeping our own children safe.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in coming together to 
remember Joan's birthday; moreover, I ask you to join me in thanking 
Rosemarie for all she has done to protect countless other children.
  We will never fully understand the grief that she has suffered all 
these years, but we hope that she finds comfort in knowing that we are 
inspired by her determination to make the world a safer place.

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