[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

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEVIN BRADY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 2, 1999

  Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to announce that over 30 
members will join Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher and myself in 
introducing the Smart Kids--Safe Kids Act. This bipartisan legislation 
is designed to help prevent the abuse and abduction of children.
  In every city in every congressional district across the nation, our 
children are being led into harms way. While a majority of child 
abductions are by non-custodial parents, many are not. And helping 
prevent these kind of tragedies from occurring in the future is 
something we should all work towards. Unfortunately, this is a threat 
that knows no boundaries and can happen anytime.
  For example, on September 12, 1995, in Conroe, Texas, 12-year-old 
Samuel McKay Everett was lured from home by a family friend on the 
pretext that his mother and father had been in an awful accident. McKay 
was then forced into the trunk of a car and driven 300 miles to 
Louisiana. Tragically, McKay was brutally murdered. Since the time of 
McKay's abduction, I have worked with his family and friends to help 
prevent this type of tragedy from happening again.
  Smart Kids/Safe Kids will amend the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities Act to help make specific safety programs available to our 
children. It will authorize grants for age--appropriate, 
developmentally based, or community oriented safety programs for all 
students, from preschool level through grade 12, that address 
prevention and education of child abuse and abduction. These programs 
will focus on teaching students the skills to identify and cope with 
potentially dangerous and threatening situations. They will also 
provide guidance to students that encourages them to seek advice for 
anxiety, threats of abuse, or actual abuse and to confide in a trusted 
adult regarding an uncomfortable or threatening situation.
  We can arm our children with effective tools to avoid potentially 
dangerous situations. When our children know the rules, they are smart 
kids; and Smart Kids can be Safe Kids. I urge my colleagues to support 
this legislation.

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