[House Report 105-160]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



105th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 1st Session                                                    105-160
_______________________________________________________________________


 
 EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE HOUSE THAT THE NATION'S CHILDREN ARE ITS 
 MOST VALUABLE ASSETS AND THAT THEIR PROTECTION SHOULD BE THE NATION'S 
                            HIGHEST PRIORITY
                                _______
                                

   June 26, 1997.--Referred to the House calendar and ordered to be 
                                printed

_______________________________________________________________________


   Mr. McCollum, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                       [To accompany H. Res. 154]

    The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the 
resolution (H. Res. 154) expressing the sense of the House that 
the Nation's children are its most valuable assets and that 
their protection should be the Nation's highest priority, 
having considered the same, report favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommend that the resolution do pass.

                          purpose and summary

    The purpose of H. Res. 154 is to express Congressional 
commitment to the safety and protection of our Nation's 
children. H. Res. 154 provides that States should have in place 
laws which severely punish individuals convicted of offenses 
against children. The resolution declares that law enforcement 
agencies should take the necessary steps to safeguard children 
against the dangers of abduction and exploitation and should 
work in close cooperation with Federal law enforcement to 
ensure a rapid and efficient response to reports of child 
abductions, especially in cases where a child's life may be in 
danger.

                background and need for the legislation

    House Resolution 154, expresses the sense of the House 
regarding the safety and protection of our Nation's children. 
On May 25, of this year, the United States observed National 
Missing Children's Day, a day established by President Reagan 
in 1983 to raise public awareness about the need for increased 
child protection. House Resolution 154, prepared in connection 
with National Missing Children's Day, is a declaration by this 
Congress, that child abduction is a very serious matter and 
that Congress intends to work with State and local law 
enforcement to ensure that effective and appropriate measures 
are in place to prevent crimes against children.
    It is every parent's nightmare to find their child missing. 
Justice Department statistics indicate that over one million 
children are reported missing each year. Over 100,000 
abductions of children are attempted by non-family members 
annually. About 750,000 children under the age of 18 disappear 
for some length of time every year. These statistics are even 
more disconcerting when coupled with the fact that nearly two-
thirds of State prisoners serving time for rape and sexual 
assault victimized children. Almost one-third of these victims 
were less than 11-years-old. This resolution includes these and 
other statistics in its findings, in addition to providing that 
States should have in place laws which severely punish 
individuals convicted of offenses against children. This 
resolution declares that law enforcement agencies should take 
the necessary steps to safeguard children against the dangers 
of abduction and exploitation and should work in close 
cooperation with Federal law enforcement to ensure a rapid and 
efficient response to reports of child abductions, especially 
in cases where a child's life may be in danger.
    In the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 
1994 (P.L. 103-322), Congress established the Jacob Wetterling 
Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender 
Registration Act. This Act provided guidelines for the States 
to set up sex offender registration programs. Since enactment 
of this law, all 50 States and the District of Columbia have 
established sex offender registration programs. When 
investigating child abduction cases, law enforcement must act 
quickly if there is to be any hope of returning a child safely 
to his or her home. Sex offender registries serve as an 
invaluable law enforcement tool by providing quick access to 
computerized information on individuals who have committed 
sexual crimes against children and are living nearby.
    Two years after passage of the Jacob Wetterling Act, 
Congress passed Megan's Law (P.L. 104-145) and the National 
Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act (P.L. 104-236) 
into law--two bills which strengthened community notification 
laws with regard to registered sex offenders and provided law 
enforcement with the tools to keep track of sex offenders who 
move from State to State. At least 40 States have established 
some form of community notification programs which inform 
communities when sex offenders move into their neighborhoods. 
This resolution re-emphasizes Congress' support of the States 
which have set up sex offender registration and notification 
programs, in addition to encouraging the remaining States to 
establish such programs.
    Finally, Congress urges state and local law enforcement to 
work in close cooperation with Federal law enforcement to 
ensure a rapid and efficient response to reports of child 
abductions, especially in cases where the child's life may be 
in danger. State and local law enforcement should, without 
delay, report suspicious missing children's cases to the 
National Crime Information Center (NCIC) which immediately 
alerts the FBI's Child Abduction Serial Killer Unit (CASKU) and 
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). 
This alert allows CASKU and NCMEC to offer assistance as 
needed. In addition, state and local law enforcement should 
utilize the Jimmy Ryce Training Center, a training and 
technical assistance program authorized by Congress in the 
Omnibus Appropriations Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-537). This program 
offers multi-tiered training for State and local law 
enforcement and promotes awareness of and encourages the use of 
existing federal resources to assist law enforcement agencies 
investigate missing children's cases.

                                hearings

    No hearings were held on H. Res. 154.

                        committee consideration

    On June 12, 1997, the Subcommittee on Crime met in open 
session and ordered reported the resolution H. Res. 154 by a 
voice vote, a quorum being present. On June 18, 1997, the 
Committee met in open session and ordered reported favorably 
the resolution H. Res. 154 without amendment by voice vote, a 
quorum being present.

                         vote of the committee

    There were no recorded votes.

                      committee oversight findings

    In compliance with clause 2(l)(3)(A) of rule XI of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee reports 
that the findings and recommendations of the Committee, based 
on oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the 
descriptive portions of this report.

         committee on government reform and oversight findings

    No findings or recommendations of the Committee on 
Government Reform and Oversight were received as referred to in 
clause 2(l)(3)(D) of rule XI of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives.

               new budget authority and tax expenditures

    Clause 2(l)(3)(B) of House rule XI is inapplicable because 
this legislation does not provide new budgetary authority or 
increased tax expenditures.

                        committee cost estimate

    In compliance with clause 7(a) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, the Committee believes that the 
resolution will have no significant effect on the federal 
budget.

                                analysis

    House Resolution 154, introduced by Mr. Collins from 
Georgia, expresses the sense of the House regarding the safety 
and protection of our Nation's children. H. Res 154 provides 
that: (1) all Members of Congress should take appropriate 
action to ensure the safety and protection of children in their 
jurisdictions; (2) State governments should have in effect laws 
which register offenders convicted of sexual crimes against 
children and laws which require law enforcement to notify 
communities of the presence of these offenders; (3) States 
should have in effect laws which severely punish individuals 
convicted of offenses against children, especially crimes 
involving abduction, sexual assault, exploitation, and 
stalking; (4) law enforcement agencies should take the 
necessary steps to safeguard children against the dangers of 
abduction and exploitation; and (5) State and local law 
enforcement agencies should work in close cooperation with 
Federal law enforcement to ensure a rapid and efficient 
response to reports of child abductions, especially in cases 
where a child's life may be in danger.

                              agency views

    The Committee did not receive agency views on H. Res. 154.

      changes in existing law made by the resolution, as reported

    If enacted, H. Res. 154 would make no changes in existing 
law.

                                
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