[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 30 (Monday, July 31, 2006)]
[Pages 1395-1396]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Signing the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 
2006

July 27, 2006

    The President. Thank you all for coming. Please be seated. Welcome 
and good afternoon. In a few moments, I will sign the Adam Walsh Child 
Protection and Safety Act of 2006. Twenty-five years ago today, Adam 
Walsh was abducted from a department store, and he was later found 
murdered. In the years since, his parents, John and Reve Walsh, have 
become advocates for missing children. They've helped combat child 
abduction and exploitation across this country. And the bill I sign 
today will strengthen Federal laws to protect our children from sexual 
and other violent crimes, will help prevent child pornography, and will 
make the Internet safer for our sons and daughters. I want to thank you 
all for joining us today, and thank you for your tireless crusade.
    I'm pleased to be up here with the Attorney General, Al Gonzales. I 
want to thank all the Members of the House and the Senate who have 
joined us. John, as you can see, you've attracted quite a crowd here.
    John Walsh. S.W.A.T. team for kids.
    The President. Yes, it is, S.W.A.T. team for kids.
    I appreciate very much the bill sponsors who have joined us, and the 
committee chairmen and the leadership that has made this bill possible. 
This is a good piece of bipartisan legislation, and I'm really going to 
be proud to sign it.
    I want to thank all the family members of victims who have joined us 
today. I particularly want to say hello to Elizabeth Smart and Amie 
Zyla. Thank you all for coming.
    You know, having someone harm your child is one of the worst 
nightmares a parent could face. And the families who have joined us 
today have felt that pain firsthand. In your suffering and loss, many of 
you have found the courage to become advocates for the safety of other 
children. Because of your efforts, this important measure is going to 
become the law of the land, and the children of parents you may never 
meet will be spared the anguish your families have known. So thank you 
for your contribution.

[[Page 1396]]

    Protecting our children is our solemn responsibility. It's what we 
must do. When a child's life or innocence is taken, it is a terrible 
loss--it's an act of unforgivable cruelty. Our society has a duty to 
protect our children from exploitation and danger. By enacting this law, 
we're sending a clear message across the country: Those who prey on our 
children will be caught, prosecuted, and punished to the fullest extent 
of the law.
    I appreciate working with Congress in the past to give law 
enforcement the tools they need to go after criminals who kidnap and 
exploit children. In 2003, I signed the PROTECT Act, that expanded the 
use of Amber Alerts, that makes grants to all 50 States so law 
enforcement can quickly alert the public about missing children and 
their abductors. We also launched Operation Predator to help law 
enforcement track down and arrest foreign pedophiles and human 
traffickers and sex tourists and Internet pornographers who prey on our 
children.
    Earlier this year, the Department of Justice, led by Al Gonzales, 
launched Project Safe Childhood to help Federal, State, and local 
enforcement officials investigate and prosecute crimes against children 
that are facilitated by the Internet and other electronic 
communications.
    This new law I sign today builds on the progress in four important 
ways. First, the bill I sign today will greatly expand the National Sex 
Offender Registry by integrating the information in State sex offender 
registry systems and ensuring that law enforcement has access to the 
same information across the United States. It seems to make sense, 
doesn't it? See, these improvements will help prevent sex offenders from 
evading detection by moving from one State to the next. Data drawn from 
this comprehensive registry will also be made available to the public so 
parents have the information they need to protect their children from 
sex offenders that might be in their neighborhoods.
    Second, the bill I sign today will increase Federal penalties for 
crimes against children. This bill imposes tough mandatory minimum 
penalties for the most serious crimes against our children. It increases 
penalties for crimes such as sex trafficking of children and child 
prostitution, provides grants to States to help them institutionalize 
sex offenders who've shown they cannot change their behavior and are 
about to be released from prison.
    Third, the bill I sign today will make it harder for sex predators 
to reach our children on the Internet. Some sex predators use this 
technology to make contact with potential victims, so the bill 
authorizes additional new regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task 
Forces. These task forces provide funding and training to help State and 
local law enforcement combat crimes involving the sexual exploitation of 
minors on the Internet.
    Fourth, the bill I sign today will help prevent child abuse by 
creating a National Child Abuse Registry and requiring investigators to 
do background checks on adoptive and foster parents before they approve 
to take custody of a child. By giving child protective service 
professionals in all 50 States access to this critical information, we 
will improve their ability to investigate child abuse cases and help 
ensure that the vulnerable children are not put into situations of abuse 
or neglect.
    This is a comprehensive piece of legislation, and it's an important 
bill. Our Nation grieves with every family that's suffered the 
unbearable pain of a child who's been abducted or abused. This law makes 
an important step forward in this country's efforts to protect those who 
cannot protect themselves.
    I thank you for coming for witness to this. It's now my high honor 
to sign the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.

Note: The President spoke at 1:11 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Elizabeth A. Smart and Amie Zylar, 
child protection advocates. H.R. 4472, approved July 27, was assigned 
Public Law No. 109-248.