[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12206]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  KILAH DAVENPORT CHILD PROTECTION ACT

  (Mr. PITTINGER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTINGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask once more that my 
colleagues in Congress will help protect children by cosponsoring the 
Kilah Davenport Child Protection Act.
  Until recent changes by the North Carolina legislature, the 
punishment for someone who caused permanent, severe, mental and 
physical injury to a child in our State was just 4 to 6 years. Sadly, 
inadequate, and ambiguous child abuse laws are not unique to North 
Carolina.
  My little friend Kilah was severely abused by her caretaker, who 
smashed her head against a wall, leaving her with minimal function for 
the rest of her life. As a father and a grandfather, I was deeply moved 
by her situation, as I'm sure you are.
  Now is the time to find an appropriate response to ensure the safety 
and the protection of our most precious treasures--America's children. 
This new legislation focuses on child abusers guilty of the most 
heinous acts of abuse. Those who destroy a child's future should 
receive much more than a slap on the wrist.
  May God bless Kilah and her family and all whom we seek to protect.

                          ____________________