[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9884-9887]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 COMMENDING CLEAR CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS AND AMERICAN FOOTBALL COACHES 
  ASSOCIATION FOR THEIR DEDICATION AND EFFORTS FOR PROTECTING CHILDREN

  Mr. OSBORNE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 100) commending Clear Channel 
Communications and the American Football Coaches Association for their 
dedication and efforts for protecting children by providing a vital 
means for locating the Nation's missing, kidnapped, and runaway 
children, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 100

       Whereas children are the Nation's greatest asset for the 
     future and are essential for the Nation's strong and vital 
     growth;
       Whereas more than 800,000 children disappear each year in 
     the United States, and the problem of missing, kidnapped, and 
     runaway children potentially affects every community in the 
     Nation;
       Whereas the United States is committed to the protection of 
     its children;
       Whereas the American Football Coaches Association is a 
     leader in the protection of children and has provided 60 
     million Inkless Child Identification Kits for use by parents;
       Whereas these kits allow parents to keep vital information, 
     current photographs, and fingerprints readily available to 
     provide to law enforcement agencies throughout the Nation in 
     the event of an emergency; and
       Whereas the American Football Coaches Association displays 
     outstanding dedication to the children in communities 
     throughout the Nation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That the Congress commends the American Football 
     Coaches Association for its dedication and efforts to protect 
     children and locate the Nation's missing, kidnapped, and 
     runaway children.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).


                             General Leave

  Mr. OSBORNE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
on House Concurrent Resolution 100.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Nebraska?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent 
Resolution 100 which recognizes the American Football Coaches 
Association for its dedication and efforts to protect children by 
providing inkless child identification kits for use by parents. In the 
past 4 years, over 4.2 million identification kits have been passed out 
at college football stadiums. As a member of the American Football 
Coaches Association and a former football coach, I have participated in 
this program myself and know that the kits can be useful tools for 
parents. My former university, the University of Nebraska, has 
participated in this program since the program's inception in 1997. In 
the spring of 1999, 60,000 ID kits were distributed to Nebraska's 
school children in grades kindergarten through the fourth grade.
  Statistics about missing children in the United States are 
staggering. According to the FBI and the National Center for Missing 
and Exploited Children, 750,000 children were reported missing last 
year. Approximately 450,000 of these children ran away, an additional 
350,000 were abducted by a family member, and over 4,500 were abducted 
by a stranger. This works out to be about 2,100 children missing each 
day. In 1999, the last year with statistics available, almost 3,000 
cases of online child exploitation were prosecuted.
  No place in America is immune from child abductions or exploitation. 
Earlier this year in a high profile case, a teenager in my district was 
kidnapped by an escaped fugitive in the parking lot of a shopping mall 
in Kearney, Nebraska. Fortunately, this kidnapping ended peacefully 
with the kidnapper's surrender, but many children are not as lucky.
  If the worst happens and a child is abducted or decides to run away, 
parents need to have tools to help police locate and identify their 
children. Because less than 2 percent of parents have a copy of their 
child's fingerprints to use in the case of an emergency, the American 
Football Coaches Association created the National Child Identification 
Program with the goal of fingerprinting 20 million children. The 
program provides a free inkless fingerprint kit for each child. The 
inkless ID kit allows parents to take and store their child's 
fingerprints in their own home. The card remains in the parents' 
possession. But if it is ever needed, this card will give authorities 
vital information to assist them in their efforts to locate a missing 
child.
  To fund the program, the coaches association has teamed up with local 
and national businesses and media. In my previous occupation, I signed 
several hundred football helmets to auction off to raise money for this 
worthy cause.
  I believe we must approach the protection of our Nation's youth from 
a variety of angles. These kits are a start, and they may open the 
doors of communication for parents to talk to their children about the 
rules of safety advocated by the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children and discuss ways to address family problems. I also 
am a longtime supporter of youth mentoring projects. I believe mentors 
can provide youth a positive role model and a line of communication 
with a caring adult. Quality mentoring programs can prevent youth from 
ever running away from home in the first place.
  I am pleased to support this resolution that commends the work of the 
American Football Coaches Association for its efforts to locate 
missing, kidnapped, and runaway children through the distribution of 
the inkless fingerprinting kits. I urge my colleagues to support this 
resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution and join the 
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) and its author, the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), in commending the American Football 
Coaches Association for its important work to help make our children 
safer.
  The American Football Coaches Association has provided 60 million 
inkless child identification kits for use by parents. These kits allow 
parents to keep vital information, current photographs, and 
fingerprints readily available to provide to law enforcement agencies 
throughout the Nation in the event of an emergency. The program is 
expected to reach several million children this year, making it the 
largest identification drive ever conducted.
  At a time 800,000 children become missing each year in the United 
States, more needs to be done to address this horrible issue. Our law 
enforcement agencies and personnel continue to need the help of parents 
when children are missing. Efforts like those of the American Football 
Coaches Association and other public-private partnerships are essential 
if we are to ensure that no child becomes missing and suffers from the 
separation of their parents.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support this resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), the sponsor of this resolution.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. 
Osborne) for yielding me this time.

[[Page 9885]]

  Madam Speaker, every Saturday in the fall, football coaches across 
America are cheered on by thousands of fans for their work on the 
field.
  Today we have a resolution on the House floor which honors them for 
their work off the field. The resolution that I have introduced, 
H.Con.Res. 100, recognizes the American Football Coaches Association 
and its efforts to protect our country's children.
  The American Football Coaches Association has teamed up with Clear 
Channel Communications, one of our Nation's leading companies, to 
distribute child identification kits to thousands of parents every 
year.
  These kits, which are handed out at no cost to families, allow 
parents to fingerprint their children and keep the prints at home. 
Should their child ever become missing, parents can turn over these 
fingerprint records to local law enforcement authorities who use the 
information to help locate the missing children.
  The National Child Identification Program distributes these free kits 
to parents and guardians at college football games across the Nation.
  This program began in 1997. In that year alone, 2.1 million of the 
child ID kits were given to parents. Since then, over 8 million kits 
have been distributed at football games. The stadium effort was so 
successful that the coaches have worked with Clear Channel 
Communications to reach even more families and more people in their 
communities.
  Football coaches across America have promoted this program on the 
more than 1200 radio stations owned or operated by Clear Channel 
Communications. Clear Channel has been instrumental in providing the 
program publicity as well as recruiting other sponsors to help finance 
the purchase of these kits.
  Unfortunately, 800,000 children are reported missing each year in the 
United States. This is a tragedy that should never happen. The American 
Football Coaches Association and Clear Channel Communications have 
taken the initiative to try to help parents and authorities return 
missing children to their homes.
  In my district, the coach of the University of Tennessee football 
team, my good friend Phillip Fulmer, has taken an active role in 
promoting this program. Hundreds of thousands of these kits have been 
handed out at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. Other 
individuals who have helped with this effort include coaches and 
athletes like Grant Teaff, R.C. Slocum, Nolan Ryan, Joe Montana, Cal 
Ripken, David Robinson, and many, many others.
  I should mention that my colleague, the gentleman from Nebraska, who 
is a former college football coach, has very actively participated as 
well, as he has just mentioned. He has helped raise funds as well as 
handed out personally some of the first kits in Nebraska. In addition 
to his work on this resolution, I want to thank him for his efforts on 
this very worthwhile program.
  I also want to take this opportunity to thank Lowry Mays and Mark 
Mays for their leadership in bringing Clear Channel Communications on 
board with this effort.
  In Tennessee, Governor Don Sundquist proclaimed March as Child 
Identification Awareness Month to raise awareness of the need for 
fingerprinting children. And as the governor of Texas, President Bush 
helped raise funds for the National Child Identification Program.
  Madam Speaker, I am from Tennessee which is known as the Volunteer 
State. I am happy to see that volunteers from all across the country 
have come together to support this important program that helps bring 
children home to their parents.
  Finally, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) and 
the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) for allowing this, 
what I believe to be a very noncontroversial resolution, to come to the 
House floor today. I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Kildee) for his support.
  I hope that all of my colleagues will join me by supporting H. Con. 
Res. 100 and recognize those who have helped make our country a safer 
place for children.
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Edwards).
  Mr. EDWARDS. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) for sponsoring this resolution and the gentleman 
from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Kildee) for their leadership in its passage.
  Public service comes in many forms. When individuals and groups 
provide extraordinary services to our Nation, they deserve the 
appreciation of our Congress and our country. Such is the case today 
with Clear Channel Communications and the American Football Coaches 
Association. With the generosity of these two organizations, 60 million 
child identification kits will be given to parents all across our 
country.

                              {time}  1430

  These kits will help parents keep vital information and current 
photographs and fingerprints of their own children to be used in cases 
of missing, kidnapped or runaway children. In such emergencies, this 
information can be instrumental in helping law enforcement agencies 
bring children and their parents back together.
  Madam Speaker, I speak today as a parent of two sons, ages 3 and 5. I 
cannot imagine anything worse for my wife and me than to find one day 
our children are missing.
  Every parent, every parent, knows the fear of turning around in a 
playground or at a public meeting or event and momentarily not finding 
his or her child. Unfortunately, that fear is not just momentary for 
many parents. In fact, nearly 800,000 children disappear every year in 
the United States. That would be the equivalent of approximately 8 
times the entire population of my hometown of Waco, Texas, where the 
American Football Coaches Association has its office.
  These 800,000 are not just statistics. They are real children of real 
parents, a nightmare many of us can only imagine.
  Madam Speaker, I have known Lowery Mays, CEO of Clear Channel 
Communications, and Grant Teaff, executive director of the American 
Football Coaches Association, for well over a decade. They are 
individuals of great integrity and compassion. Knowing them personally, 
frankly, it does not surprise me that their organizations are providing 
American families with this terribly important service. However, that 
lack of surprise does not reduce whatsoever my deep gratitude to them 
for their generosity in reuniting thousands of American families with 
their children.
  Madam Speaker, Winston Churchill once said, ``We make a living by 
what we get, but we make a life by what we give.''
  Based on that high standard, Lowery and Mark Mays, Coach Grant Teaff 
and all those they represent in their respective organizations have 
lived an extraordinary successful life. They have earned and deserve 
the gratitude of not only this Congress, but American families across 
this great land of ours. I urge every Member to vote for this 
resolution.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Delaware (Mr. Castle), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Education 
Reform.
  Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), the wonderful coach himself, for yielding me 
this time. I also want to particularly thank the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) for putting this work together.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in very strong support of H. Con. 
Res. 100, a resolution commending the American Football Coaches 
Association and others for their efforts in helping to recover our 
Nation's missing, kidnapped, and runaway children.
  According to recent data, an estimated 3,200 to 4,600 short-term, 
nonfamily abductions are reported in law enforcement each year. Of 
these, an estimated 200 to 300 are stereotypical kidnappings where a 
child is gone overnight, killed, or transported a distance of 50 miles 
or more.

[[Page 9886]]

  For these reasons, the first 48 hours following the disappearance of 
a child are the most critical in terms of finding and returning that 
child safely, and the child's descriptive information, including 
height, weight, and eye and hair color, and an updated photograph are 
the most important tools a parent has to bring their missing child 
home.
  Far too often, though, the search for missing children is slowed by 
an incomplete physical description and outdated photographs.
  For this reason, the American Football Coaches Association, in 
conjunction with Clear Channel Communications, has proudly sponsored 
the National Child Identification Program, a community service project 
which distributes free child ID kits at community events.
  These child ID kits help ensure that families have updated pictures, 
fingerprints and a complete physical description of their child in the 
event of an emergency.
  According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 
current photographs and physical descriptions help return 1 out of 7 
featured children, often as a result of tips received from members of 
the public who have recognized the missing child and then notified the 
authorities.
  Under the leadership of the American Football Coaches Association, I 
am especially pleased to report that Delaware State University and many 
other colleges and universities have handed out millions of child ID 
kits at college football games and other athletic events across the 
country.
  In closing, I want to commend the gentleman for his resolution and, 
again, commend the American Football Coaches Association and the many 
others who have made it their mission to help ensure the mission of 
safety of our children. It is my experience that being prepared for the 
worst possible scenario and possessing the necessary tools to help 
prevent a greater tragedy makes a world of difference to parents and 
children in a time of crisis.
  For all these reasons, I urge an aye vote on this resolution.
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Lampson).
  Mr. LAMPSON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Kildee) for yielding me this time, and I also thank the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) and other leaders on this important piece of 
legislation.
  As chairman and founder of the Congressional Caucus on Missing and 
Exploited Children, I have much too often had the occasion to look into 
the eyes of a parent who has lost a child. I spend a great deal of my 
time, along with so many of my other colleagues, trying to ask parents 
to be prepared, and hopefully not ever have to need to have been 
prepared, and therefore I rise today to commend the American Football 
Coaches Association and Clear Channel Communications for their 
dedication and efforts that they are making in protecting children by 
providing a vital means for locating the Nation's missing, kidnapped, 
and runaway children, and to urge a yes vote on this important 
resolution.
  The National Child Identification Program was created in 1997, with 
the goal of fingerprinting 20 million children. This program provides a 
free fingerprint kit to parents who then take and store their child's 
fingerprints in their own homes. If this information is ever needed, 
fingerprints would be given to the police to help them in locating a 
missing child, being prepared and hoping they do not ever have to be.
  The American Football Coaches Association, in partnership with Clear 
Channel Communications, a large chain of radio stations, has pledged to 
raise funds to help provide such a fingerprint kit for every child in 
America.
  Well, having just recognized National Missing Children's Day on May 
25, the thought of keeping our children safe remains fresh in our 
minds. We must all work together to raise awareness about the power of 
fingerprinting in the search for missing children.
  Clear Channel Communications and the American Football Coaches 
Association have taken raising the importance of fingerprinting to a 
whole new level, and they are to be commended for their leadership in 
the broadcast and sports industries. Once again, I urge a yes vote on 
this important resolution.
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I would particularly like to thank the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) for his efforts on this resolution, and the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) for his efforts as well.
  Mr. HASTERT. Madam Speaker, today, I would like to join with my 
colleagues in commending the American Football Coaches Association for 
providing parents with identification kits to locate children who are 
missing.
  In 1997, the American Football Coaches Association--concerned about 
the 800,000 children who disappear every year--launched the National 
Child Identification Program. Their group distributes millions of 
identification kits that can be used as a means to locate lost 
children. Parents use the kits to make ID cards for their children, 
containing important identifying information, such as a picture, 
fingerprints and the location of a child's medical and dental records.
  The American Coaches Association deserves to be recognized for taking 
the lead on this important issue. This respected group saw that they 
could help American families, and they have worked long and hard to 
achieve that goal. Through the National Identification Program, they 
are providing a valuable resource for parents who are looking for 
missing, kidnapped or runaway children. These kits provide parents with 
the peace of mind of knowing that they have their child's vital 
statistics at their fingertips in the event of an emergency.
  I want to thank the American Coaches Association for handing out kit 
after kit at churches, schools and community events. Their work could 
be essential in returning missing children back to their families. They 
have made a generous contribution to our nation, particularly, to our 
nation's children.
  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong 
support of this resolution commending Clear Channel Communications and 
the American Football Coaches Association for their efforts in 
providing a means for locating the nation's missing, kidnapped, and 
runaway children. As a member of the Missing and Exploited Children's 
Caucus, I have witnessed the dedication of both Clear Channel 
Communications and the American Football Coaches Association and am 
pleased to say their efforts have been outstanding.
  In 2000, an estimated 750,000 children were reported missing. This 
figure marks a decrease of twelve percent since 1997, when the number 
of missing children was at an all time high. In my home state of 
Connecticut, 293 children were reported missing as of May 7, 2001. 
Connecticut is fortunate in that there are few non-family child 
abductions. Clear Channel Communications and the American Football 
Coaches Association have greatly contributed to increase awareness and 
parental education in our effort to safely return missing children.
  In September of 2000, the American Football Coaches Association 
collaborated with Clear Channel Communications to raise millions of 
dollars to provide free fingerprint kits for parents. Using the ID kit, 
parents can take and store their children's fingerprints in their own 
home. Their efforts were part of the National Child Identification 
Program created in 1997. In the program's first year, two million kits 
were distributed to parents at college football games, and 8 million 
kits were distributed overall.
  Programs such as these are invaluable to our nation as we try to 
locate our nation's missing, kidnapped, and runaway children. I urge 
all of my fellow Members to vote with me in support of H. Con. Res. 100 
and commend Clear Channel Communications and the American Football 
Coaches Association for their service to our country and reaffirm 
Congress' commitment to missing and exploited children.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 
100, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.

[[Page 9887]]


  Mr. OSBORNE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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