[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1274]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



   RECOGNIZING AND SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO ENHANCE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF 
               SOCIAL PROBLEM OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT

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                               speech of

                            HON. BOB CLEMENT

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 14, 2000

  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a member of the Missing and 
Exploited Children's Caucus in strong support of H. Con. Res. 76. This 
common sense resolution expresses our support for a ``Day of Hope'' for 
abused and neglected children and urges us to remember these young 
victims of violence.
  Child abuse and neglect are serious issues which we must address as a 
community. Over 3 million American children are reported as suspected 
victims of child abuse and neglect annually and more than 500,000 
American children are unable to live safely with their families and are 
placed in foster homes. The cycle of child abuse and neglect all to 
often leads to crime and delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic 
violence and welfare dependency. We can and must do something to break 
this vicious cycle. I urge my colleagues to not only join me in 
supporting this resolution but also to actively work with our 
constituents to bring an end to child abuse and neglect.

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