Frist Calls for Passage of Child Predators Legislation
FRIST CALLS FOR PASSAGE OF CHILD PREDATORS LEGISLATION
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., (R-Tenn.) today called on the Senate to pass legislation to protect children from sexual predators.
"Parents should have the right to know if their neighbor down the street has a history of sexual violence so that they can protect their children from harm. We must protect America's children, families and neighborhoods from these sick predators. We are going to act. As majority leader, I'm committed to passing child predator legislation this year as part of a broader crime fighting package," Frist said. "I had the opportunity this week to meet with nationally renowned child advocate John Walsh of America's Most Wanted.' He told me that in his 24 years of advocacy, he has not seen an issue more important and more pressing than creating a national sex offenders registry. Our children are depending on us to keep them safe from the evils that lurk in the shadows. "
Nearly 798,000 children are reported missing each year, and over 58,000 of them are the victims of non-family abductions. One in five girls and one in 10 boys are sexually exploited before they reach adulthood. Less than 35 percent of those childhood sexual assaults are reported to authorities. Furthermore, the Department of Justice reports that one in five children as young as 10-years-old receives unwanted solicitations online.
Sen. Frist advised the Senate to consider the following provisions from the Children's Safety Act:
· creating a national sex offenders database searchable by zip code;
· requiring states to notify one another of the whereabouts of registered offenders;
· developing a stricter tracking system to monitor repeat violent offenders;
· requiring DNA fingerprinting of child sexual predators and developing a DNA database to help solve these crimes;
· imposing enhanced criminal penalties for violent crimes against children under 12; and
· provisions that can reduce gang violence, strengthen court security, and prevent child pornography.
The Children's Safety Act, which Frist cosponsored, passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee last year.
http://frist.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=2284&Month=3&Year=2006