[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14400-14403]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND 
                           EXPLOITED CHILDREN

  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 454) recognizing the 25th anniversary of the 
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 454

       Whereas an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing 
     each year in the United States;
       Whereas 200,000 of that number are abducted by family 
     members, and 58,000 are abducted by non-family members, for 
     which the primary motive is sexual assault;
       Whereas each year 115 children are the victims of the most 
     serious abductions, kidnapped by non-family members and 
     either ransomed, murdered, or taken with the intent to keep;
       Whereas the National Center for Missing & Exploited 
     Children (NCMEC) serves as the national resource center and 
     information clearinghouse for missing and exploited children;
       Whereas NCMEC was established by Congress in 1984;
       Whereas NCMEC has assisted law enforcement in the recovery 
     of more than 138,500 children;
       Whereas NCMEC's Amber Alert program has led to 443 
     recoveries;
       Whereas in 2008, NCMEC helped recover more children than 
     any other year in the organization's 25-year history, raising 
     the recovery rate from 62 percent in 1990 to 97 percent 
     today;
       Whereas NCMEC operates the toll-free 24-hour national 
     missing children's hotline, which has handled more than 
     2,377,000 calls;
       Whereas NCMEC provides assistance to families and law 
     enforcement agencies in locating and recovering missing and 
     exploited children, both nationally and internationally;
       Whereas NCMEC offers technical assistance and training to 
     law enforcement in identifying and locating non-compliant sex 
     offenders;
       Whereas NCMEC has a team of forensic artists who create age 
     progression photos, which has assisted in the successful 
     recovery of 895 children;
       Whereas NCMEC CyberTipline has handled more than 686,000 
     reports;
       Whereas NCMEC's Child Victim Identification Program has 
     reviewed and analyzed 23,000,000 child pornography images and 
     videos, 8,600,000 in 2008 alone;
       Whereas NCMEC's sex offender tracking team has already 
     located 402 missing sex offenders;

[[Page 14401]]

       Whereas NCMEC operates a child victim identification 
     program to assist law enforcement in identifying victims of 
     child pornography;
       Whereas NCMEC develops and disseminates programs and 
     information about Internet safety and the prevention of child 
     abduction and sexual exploitation;
       Whereas NCMEC facilitates the deployment of the National 
     Emergency Child Locator Center during periods of national 
     disasters; and
       Whereas NCMEC deploys Team Adam, a rapid response and 
     support system comprised of retired law enforcement officers, 
     to provide on-site technical assistance to local law 
     enforcement agencies investigating cases of child abduction 
     and sexual exploitation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the 
     25th anniversary of the National Center for Missing and 
     Exploited Children.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Kirkpatrick of Arizona). Pursuant to 
the rule, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko) and the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which 
Members may revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous 
material on H. Res. 454.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 454, which 
recognizes the 25th anniversary of the National Center For Missing and 
Exploited Children. The NCMEC serves as the national resource center 
for missing and exploited children.
  It is estimated that 800,000 children are reported missing every year 
in the United States. Two hundred thousand of that number are abducted 
by family members, and 58,000 are abducted by nonfamily members, for 
which the primary motive is sexual assault. It is with great sadness 
that this national tragedy continues year after year.
  We recognize today the National Center's persistent efforts in 
reuniting families and stopping the abuse and exploitation of our 
children. During its 25-year history, the organization has assisted in 
the recovery of more than 138,000 children. NCMEC's Amber Alert Program 
alone has led to 443 recoveries. NCMEC's efforts have led to a rise in 
the recovery rate of missing children from 62 percent in 1990 to 97 
percent today.
  The organization offers assistance and training to law enforcement 
around the country in identifying and locating missing and exploited 
children, as well as non-compliant sex offenders. NCMEC also actively 
combats children's pornography by reviewing millions of images and 
videos in a national effort to identify victims of child pornography 
and the perpetrators behind these heinous crimes.
  Madam Speaker, NCMEC acts as the ultimate advocate for our Nation's 
most vulnerable individuals. The organization sends a message to 
parents around the country that our Nation will never abandon its 
search for the thousands of children missing at any given moment. It is 
important to recognize that for the individuals at the NCMEC, the 
mission is never quite complete.

                              {time}  1730

  On May 25th of 2009, we recognize the 27th National Missing 
Children's Day. The day marks the anniversary of the disappearance of 
6-year-old Etan Patz. For nearly three decades, the search for Etan and 
many other children has continued as part of the persistent efforts of 
the NCMEC.
  Madam Speaker, once again I express my support for the center, and I 
thank Representative Poe for bringing this resolution to the floor. I 
urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PLATTS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, which 
seeks to pay tribute and recognize the important work of the National 
Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
  I am honored to yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of 
this important resolution, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).
  Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania yielding and the support of the gentleman from New York.
  I'm proud to sponsor H. Res. 454, which recognizes the 25th 
anniversary of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
  As founder and co-Chair of the Victims' Rights Caucus, along with my 
friend from California, Mr. Costa, I am thankful for the work that the 
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children does to protect the 
Nation's children.
  At the time the Center was founded 25 years ago, there were little or 
no resources available to assist law enforcement with the cases of 
missing children. In fact, there was no way for police to enter 
information about missing children into the FBI's national crime 
computer. Today, thanks to the work of the National Center for Missing 
and Exploited Children, this is no longer the case.
  Each year, approximately 800,000 American children are reported 
missing. When a child is missing, the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children works tirelessly alongside families and law 
enforcement agencies in locating, finding, and recovering the children 
and bringing them home to their parents.
  Many people may be familiar with John Walsh from his TV show 
America's Most Wanted, but they may not realize the tragic events that 
led to his advocating on behalf of children and his work with America's 
Most Wanted.
  In 1981, Adam Walsh, son of John and Reve Walsh, was abducted from a 
toy department store in Florida at a shopping mall. Two weeks later, 
fishermen found Adam's decapitated head. They never found his body. He 
was 6 years old.
  Last year, after 27 years of not knowing who killed their son, police 
announced that Adam's murderer was a serial killer who had died a 
decade earlier while serving five life sentences in prison. Ottis Toole 
was his killer's name, and although we know this knowledge did not take 
away the Walshes' pain, we hope that it gave them some peace of mind 
and a sense of justice.
  Even during the years of unanswered questions, John Walsh turned his 
loss into advocating on behalf of children. He helped fight for the 
passage of the important Federal legislation, such as the Missing 
Children's Act of 1982 and the Missing Children's Assistance Act of 
1984.
  The Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984 established a national 
resource center and a clearinghouse for missing and exploited children, 
thus creating the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 
President Reagan officially opened the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children on June 13, 1984. Twenty-five years later, we thank 
John Walsh for his pioneer efforts and recognize the center for their 
work on behalf of America's children.
  We celebrate today that, since 1990, the National Center for Missing 
and Exploited Children's recovery rate of missing children has 
increased from 62 percent to 97 percent. Many children owe their rescue 
to the center, and many parents are grateful for the return of their 
kids, thanks to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
  This legislation is sponsored by both the Victims' Rights Caucus and 
the Caucus for Missing and Exploited and Runaway Children. I would like 
to thank my friend and fellow co-Chair of the Victims' Rights Caucus, 
Jim Costa, and the co-Chairs of the Missing and Exploited Children's 
Caucus, Judy Biggert, Bart Stupak, Zoe Lofgren and Frank Wolf.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. TONKO. Does the gentleman from Pennsylvania have any further 
speakers?
  Mr. PLATTS. Madam Speaker, yes, I do. I have at least two additional 
speakers.

[[Page 14402]]


  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I reserve my time.
  Mr. PLATTS. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce).
  Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, I rise to support this resolution. I think, 
in recognizing the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 
here on its 25th anniversary, it is time for us to reflect on just what 
a role it played in terms of increasing the recovery rate over time of 
missing children.
  If you think about the last 25 years and the fact that 138,000 
missing children have been recovered, returned to their families, but 
that in the early years that rate ran at 62 percent and now that rate 
is up to 97 percent, you begin to get an appreciation for just what the 
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were able to do for 
humanity, for these children, for these families.
  As mentioned, it was officially opened in June of 1984 by President 
Ronald Reagan, and since its inception, it has become the leading 
organization worldwide dealing with the issue of missing and exploited 
kids.
  I've been pleased to support many of the initiatives that it's worked 
for, including:
  The Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children Registration Act, which 
was in 1994, and it mandated that sex offender registries be 
established in every State;
  Megan's Law of 1996, which mandated that every State provide 
community notification when dangerous sex offenders are released, was 
driven by the push from the National Center for Missing and Exploited 
Children;
  The PROTECT Act of 2003, which created a national AMBER Alert Program 
and strengthened law enforcement's ability to punish violent criminals 
who prey upon children;
  And, of course, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 
2006, which created a national sex offender public database. And it's 
because of that work over the years that that rate is up to 97 percent 
today.
  Now, despite all that's been accomplished, I'm sure there is much 
more that can be done, should be done. I congratulate the NCMEC for its 
25th anniversary. I congratulate it for its work on behalf of so many 
child recoveries to date.
  And let this resolution remind us that there is nothing more 
important than the safety of our Nation's children, and that the 
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has done such great 
work in this regard.
  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. PLATTS. Madam Speaker, I am honored to yield to the distinguished 
gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren), who played an 
important role in the foundation and formation of the National Center 
for Missing and Exploited Children in 1984, as much time as he may 
consume.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Madam Speaker, it is hard to 
believe that it was 25 years ago that this Congress worked to 
facilitate the establishment of the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children.
  I recall being on the subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee when 
John Walsh and his wife testified before us. It was at a time when they 
did not know who had murdered their child.
  It was at a time in this country where we specifically prohibited the 
use of the FBI in attempting to participate in any activities to try 
and find missing children. We had a statutory delay for any 
participation by the FBI. There was a lack of coordination that was not 
only in existence, but was promoted by law at that time.
  And I recall, after John Walsh and his wife testified before us, the 
shrugging of shoulders by some who basically had to tell the Walshes 
that there was nothing that we could do here on the Federal level.
  John Walsh and his wife did not take that as an answer. They spoke to 
many of us here in the Chamber, but actually those of us on the 
subcommittee and committee at that time, and challenged us to try and 
find a way to make it possible that we could have a seamless web 
between the Federal Government, the State government and local 
government when the question was a missing child. And the strength and 
persistence of that couple, combined with others who joined them around 
the country was extraordinary at that time.
  It seems so commonplace now for us to talk about the 25th anniversary 
of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It seems so 
commonplace for us to talk about hundreds of thousands of children 
being reported missing yearly, and the fact that there was almost a 
collective shrug of the shoulder at that time saying, it is a terrible 
tragedy, but there's nothing we can do about it.
  It seems so commonplace now that when a child is missing, with all of 
the various laws that have followed after the creation of the National 
Center for Missing and Exploited Children, that almost instantaneously 
you have law enforcement across the board communicating with one 
another and creating a mechanism by which there can be the exchange of 
information and the encouragement of the exchange of information so 
that we can find these children.
  One thing we knew 25 years ago, and it remains the same today, the 
sooner you know that a child is missing, the better the chances are of 
being able to find that child. The sooner you have law enforcement 
involved, along with the communities, the better the chances are that 
you will have a successful recovery of that child and a successful 
reuniting of that family.
  So I hope people understand why we celebrate the 25th anniversary of 
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and that it has 
been the result of thousands upon thousands of people working for this 
effort.
  Had it not been for a single couple, the Walshes, who, out of 
tragedy, decided to make something positive, had it not been for them 
coming here to the Congress and insisting that we look at this issue 
and insisting that there was something that can be done and insisting 
that just because we used to do it the old way was no reason or no 
excuse for not trying to do something different, had it not been for 
them, we would not be celebrating the 25th anniversary, nor would we be 
celebrating the thousands upon thousands of successful reunitings that 
have taken place around this country.
  So this is a wonderful recognition of the center, but I hope it will 
also be a tremendous recognition of the contributions made by two 
wonderful Americans, the Walshes.
  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. PLATTS. Madam Speaker, I, again, urge a ``yes'' vote in support 
of this important resolution and commend Mr. Poe for his sponsorship, 
as well as Mr. Lungren for his important work in the foundation of the 
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 454, 
recognizing the 25th anniversary of the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children.
  In 1979, while on his way to school, 6-year-old Etan Patz disappeared 
from the streets of New York City. In 1981, 6-year-old Adam Walsh 
disappeared from a Florida shopping mall. The media attention and 
search efforts that resulted from these two cases focused the nation's 
attention on the problem of child abduction and the need for a 
coordinated effort to address this problem.
  The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NCMEC, as it 
is called in acronym, was created by Congress in 1984, through the 
Missing Children's Assistance Act. NCMEC works in partnership with the 
U.S. Department of Justice and is the nation's resource center and 
clearinghouse for information on missing and exploited children. Since 
1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 154,000 missing 
child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 138,000 children.
  NCMEC's mission includes helping to prevent child abduction and 
sexual exploitation; helping to find missing children; and assisting 
victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and 
the professionals who serve them. NCMEC provides assistance to families 
and law enforcement agencies in

[[Page 14403]]

locating and recovering missing and exploited children, both nationally 
and internationally.
  NCMEC offers many services, including a 24-hour call center. NCMEC's 
toll-free national hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST, has handled more than 2.3 
million calls.
  NCMEC also manages a distribution system for missing-child photos; a 
system of case management and technical assistance for law enforcement 
and families; training programs for Federal, State and local law 
enforcement; and programs designed to help stop the sexual exploitation 
of children.
  NCMEC is the only private, non-profit organization that combines 
these resources to provide support to law enforcement, state 
clearinghouses, and parents working to find missing children.
  I stand in support of this resolution recognizing the 25th 
Anniversary of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 
I ask for my colleagues' support.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, the resolution before the House, H. Res. 
454, recognizing the 25th Anniversary of the National Center for 
Missing and Exploited Children, is one that obviously brings with it 
many happy endings for at least 138,000 families.
  And while not all of the stories are those happy endings, the center 
has provided itself as a resource, as a network that has devoted itself 
to the reconnection of our youth to their families. And so, with that 
outstanding record and with the concerns for missing children still 
alive and haunting us as a society, I strongly encourage a ``yes'' vote 
on the resolution.
  I yield back my remaining time, Madam Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 454.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. PLATTS. 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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