Managing Arson through Criminal History (Match) Act of 2007

MANAGING ARSON THROUGH CRIMINAL HISTORY (MATCH) ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - December 05, 2007)

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Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1759, the Managing Arson Through Criminal History (MATCH) Act of 2007.

I want to first commend my colleagues from California, Congresswoman Bono and Congressman Schiff, for their hard work on this legislation.

My colleagues from California know all too well the devastation that arson causes. The wildfires that burned across much of southern California in October killed 14 people and injured as many as 70 others. The fires touched over a half million acres from Los Angeles to the Mexican border and displaced 513,000 people from their homes. Costs in San Diego County alone were projected to exceed $1 billion.

Sadly, just 2 weeks ago, another fire in Malibu, California destroyed 35 homes and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents. Two of the October fires, the Santiago fire in Orange County and the Buckweed fire in Los Angeles, we now know were set deliberately.

Many arsonists begin by starting small fires and then escalate to larger and larger fires to increase their sense of excitement. Unfortunately, only 17.1 percent of arson offenses result in convictions nationwide because the evidence needed to convict these arsonists is often destroyed in the fire.

As arsonists become more sophisticated in their technique, identifying them and prosecuting them becomes more challenging. Each year, an estimated 267,000 fires are caused by arson. In recent years, arson has been used to burn churches and protest urban sprawl. But the ongoing threat remains those who set fires to get a rush and feed a compulsion.

We may never be able to fully prevent wildfires, but we can implement tools to help prevent arsonists, particularly serial arsonists, from eluding law enforcement and escaping punishment.

The MATCH Act creates a national arson registry and requires criminal arsonists to report where they live, work, and go to school. In addition, the bill requires the national database to include finger and palm prints and an up-to-date photograph. The MATCH Act will assist law enforcement officials with identifying and apprehending arsonists, particularly serial arsonists and eco-terrorists.

I want to once again thank Congresswoman Bono and Congressman Schiff for working with the committee staff to make a number of important bipartisan changes to the original bill.

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