Remarks by F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Annual Hope Awards Benefit

Remarks by F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Annual Hope Awards Benefit, May 17, 2005:

"Thank you for this award. It would be extraordinarily tough to find an award from a group I would cherish more than this one. Like it or not, so much about this town is about money - who has it, who doesn't and how does this group get more. Yet, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, John Walsh and America's Most Wanted, and others here are about something more precious and valuable - our kids.

"I've worked with many of you for over 20 years and saw most intimately your unwavering dedication two years ago when we worked to get the PROTECT Act signed into law. This law was one of the most satisfying I have worked on because of both the obstacles we overcame and because it constitutes the most important child protection legislation of the last twenty years.

"A little over two years ago, many pundits and reporters were saying we couldn't enact what came to be known as the PROTECT Act. They said it was too controversial! But Ernie Allen, John Walsh, Robbie Callaway, Steve Salem, and so many others here tonight said this legislation is vital to protecting children and worked to get it done.

"So we asked the opponents, what is controversial about eliminating the statute of limitations for child abductions and sex crimes? What is controversial about denying pretrial release for child rapists or child abductors so they are not out roaming the streets for other victims? We asked, what is controversial about requiring a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for twice convicted child sex offenders so these twice convicted felons can never harm another child again.

"I wish Congress was just making up a reason to pass this law, but we weren't. This legislation was and is needed to protect our kids before these predators can exploit and kill them. For every example of why the PROTECT Act is needed, there exists a family devastated by the innocence, or worse, life of a child, that is snatched away.

"Most importantly, the PROTECT Act said we must do everything we can to prevent child kidnappings and sex crimes from occurring in the first place. Let me give you one example. U.S. law enforcement was having trouble protecting kids being sexually exploited by foreign sex tour operators. We knew these child rapists were heading - most often to Southeast Asia and Latin America - to have their way with six and seven year old kids, but we didn't have the tools necessary to combat this exploitation. The PROTECT Act changed that by punishing persons who travel to foreign countries to engage in child rape and criminalizes the actions of sex tour operators.

"The first person imprisoned under this provision is estimated to have molested up to 50 children in Cambodia while another was an 86 year old man who had taken at least three trips per year to Southeast Asia for the past 20 years to "educate" small children sexually.

"I have a difficult time believing these child rapists were model citizens while here in the U.S. These predators are out there and we have our hands full dealing with them. Thankfully, the PROTECT Act is helping take these monsters off the streets so they cannot harm our children.

"Much work remains to be done as the recent spate of child kidnappings so vividly illustrate. A comprehensive child protection bill similar to the PROTECT Act will be introduced in the few weeks and will be considered in the House Judiciary Committee shortly thereafter. This legislation will incorporate many of the bills already introduced this year dealing with sex offenders. The Federal Megan's Law and other laws have vulnerabilities this legislation will aim to address.

"As we all know, sex offenders have a high recidivism rate, yet the presence of many sex offenders is unknown to most in a community. An estimated eighty to one hundred thousand sex offenders fail to comply with their registration requirements; consequently, we don't know of their whereabouts. Clearly, the need for action exists and I believe the time is now. I'm confident this comprehensive legislation, which should garner bipartisan House support, will be passed by the House by the 4th of July or the August recess at the latest. Prompt House passage will allow the Senate to consider this important issue very shortly. I look forward to working with Senator Biden and others on this effort.

"Thank you again for this award and honor and, most importantly, the life saving work you do."

http://www.house.gov/sensenbrenner/pr20050517.html