[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 28034]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               INTRODUCTION OF SMART KIDS--SAFE KIDS ACT

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                         HON. ELLEN O. TAUSCHER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 2, 1999

  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a crucial piece 
of legislation designed to prevent abuse and abduction of our nation's 
children.
  As the mother of an eight-year-old, I know all too well the efforts 
we go through as parents to keep our children safe and protected. We 
worry about the times children may be unsupervised or find themselves 
in unfamiliar situations.
  In my district, there is a civic group called Smart Kids--Safe Kids 
that works to educate our children about the signs of abuse and who to 
talk to about abuse. Schools and community groups are trying to fight 
back against the horrors of child abuse and abduction, but 
unfortunately, they just do not have the resources they need to do so 
effectively.
  The Smart Kids--Safe Kids Act, which I am introducing with my 
Republican colleague Kevin Brady, will make specific child safety 
programs eligible for federal grants already available to school based 
organizations. These programs will teach students from preschool 
through grade 12 the skills to identify and cope with potentially 
dangerous and threatening situations. And it gives students guidance to 
encourage them to seek advice for anxiety, threats of abuse and actual 
abuse.
  When our children know the rules, they are smart kids; and Smart Kids 
can be Safe kids.

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