    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [April 30, 2003]
    [Pages 398-400]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the
    Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003
    April 30, 2003

        Thanks a lot for the warm welcome, and welcome to the Rose Garden
    and the White House. What a beautiful day. I'm glad you all are here,
    and I'm pleased that you could join us on a day a vital piece of
    legislation becomes the law of the land.
        I appreciate the hard work of the Congress. I want to thank the
    Members of the Congress, the Senate, who are here and the Members of the
    House of Representatives who are here. I want to thank you all for your
    very hard work in getting this bill to my desk as quickly as you did.
        This law, the PROTECT Act of 2003, will greatly assist law
    enforcement in tracking criminals who would harm our children and will
    greatly help in rescuing the youngest victims of crime. With my
    signature, this new law will formally establish the Federal Government's
    role in the Amber Alert system and will make punishment for Federal
    crimes against children more severe. This law carries forward a
    fundamental responsibility of public officials at every level of
    government to do everything we can to protect the most vulnerable
    citizens from dangerous offenders who prey on them.
        I want to thank our Attorney General, John Ashcroft, for his leadership on this issue. He is strong. He is
    steady, and he

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    will see to it that this law is executed in its fullest.
        I appreciate so very much Congressman Jim
    Sensenbrenner,  James, Jr. chairman of the
    House Judiciary Committee, who worked hard to make sure this bill
    encompassed a lot, that it fulfilled a lot, that it met the aspirations
    of those who are anxious to make sure our children are protected.
    Chairman, you did fine work. Thank you very much. I appreciate the
    members of your committee who are here today. And I appreciate the fact
    that chairman Senator Orrin Hatch is with us
    as well, who shepherded the bill through the United States Senate in
    record time. Mr. Chairman, thank you for your hard work as well.
        I appreciate my friend, the Governor of Connecticut, Johnny
    Rowland, being with us today. Johnny, thank
    you. Thank you for your concerns about the children of the State of
    Ohio--of Connecticut. The attorney general, Jerry Kilgore, is here from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Attorney
    General, thanks for coming. Of course it's always good to see the
    Mayor--the Mayor of Washington, DC, Anthony Williams. There are no potholes in front of the White House today.
    [Laughter] It's good to see you, Mr. Mayor.
        Also with us today are some families who understand better than most
    the need for this law. In your great suffering and loss, you have found
    the courage to come to the defense of all children. Because of you, this
    critical measure is now becoming law. Because of you, children and
    parents you may never meet will be spared from the harm and anguish your
    families have known. We are honored to have you all here today.
        When a child is reported missing, that case becomes the matter of
    the most intensive and focused efforts by law enforcement. Entire
    communities join in the search, and through unrelenting efforts, many
    children have been saved. Amber Alerts have become an increasingly
    important tool in rescuing kidnaped children, by quickly getting key
    information about the missing child and information about the suspect
    out into the public through radio broadcasts or highway signs or other
    means. An Amber Alert adds thousands of citizens to the search in the
    crucial early hours.
        At present, statewide Amber Alert systems exist in 41 States. The
    bill I will sign this afternoon authorizes matching grants to those and
    other States to help ensure that we have effective Amber Alerts wherever
    they are needed.
        Last year, at my direction, Attorney General John Ashcroft appointed an Amber Alert coordinator to oversee this
    nationwide effort. This new law formally establishes that position and
    empowers the coordinator to set clear and uniform voluntary standards
    for the use of Amber Alerts across our country.
        It is important to expand the Amber Alert systems so police and
    sheriffs' departments gain thousands or even millions of allies in the
    search for missing children. Every person who would think of abducting a
    child can know that a wide net will be cast. They may be found by a
    police cruiser or by the car right next to them on a highway. These
    criminals can know that any driver they pass could be the one that spots
    them and brings them to justice.
        This is exactly what happened last summer in California when several
    drivers heard an Amber Alert over the radio and soon passed a vehicle
    meeting the description they heard. Within hours, two teenage girls were
    rescued and their abductor cornered by the police. We're so happy these
    two young ladies are healthy and with us today, Tamara Brooks and Jacqueline Marris.
        Tamara's brother is somewhere around here.
    He showed me--guess what happened to him today? One, he brings his
    little sister to the White House, and secondly, today he was accepted to
    West Point. He's following in the footsteps of two older sisters.

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        The new law also confronts an evil that is too often a cause of
    child abuse and abduction in America, the evil of child pornography. In
    the past, prosecutors have been hindered by not having all the tools
    needed to prosecute criminals who create child pornography. Under the
    PROTECT Act, we've seen images of children, even those created with
    computer technology, will now be illegal, giving prosecutors an
    important new tool. Obscene images of children, no matter how they are
    made, incite abuse, raise the dangers to children, and will not be
    tolerated in America.
        The new law will also strengthen Federal penalties for child
    kidnaping and other crimes against the young. Judges will now have the
    authority to require longer supervision of sex offenders who are
    released from prison. And certain repeat sex offenders in our society
    will now face life behind bars, so they can never do harm again.
        In addition, this law creates important pilot programs to help
    nonprofit organizations which deal with children to obtain quick and
    complete criminal background information on volunteers. Listen,
    mentoring programs are essential for our country, and we must make sure
    they are safe for the children they serve.
        Amber Hagerman, whose mom is with us
    today--a good Texan, I might add--was 9 years old when she was taken
    away from her parents. We are acting today in her memory and in the
    memory of so many other girls and boys who lost their lives and
    innocence in acts of cruelty.
        No child should ever have to experience the terror of abduction or
    worse. No family should ever have to endure the nightmare of losing a
    child. Our Nation grieves with every family that has suffered unbearable
    loss. And our Nation will fight threats against our children.
        This law marks important progress in the protection of America's
    children. And now it is my honor to sign the PROTECT Act of 2003.

    Note: The President spoke at 2 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Marcus Brooks, brother of Tamara
    Brooks; and Donna Norris, mother of Amber Hagerman. S. 151, approved
    April 30, was assigned Public Law No. 108-21. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.