Children's Safety and Violent Crime REduction Act of 2006

CHILDREN'S SAFETY AND VIOLENT CRIME REDUCTION ACT OF 2006 -- (Senate - July 20, 2006)

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this bill and am even prouder that we have been able to work across party lines and in both Houses to come up with a bill that we all can support and that will genuinely help protect our children from sexual predators.

My commendations and heartfelt sympathy go out to John and Révé Walsh, Mark Lunsford, and all the other parents and loved ones of children who were taken so violently from those who loved them so dearly. Without the tireless efforts of these folks, this bill might not be on the floor here today, as we near the 25-year mark of the disappearance and murder of Adam Walsh.

The urgency of passing this legislation is clear. The murders of Jessica Lunsford, Sara Lunde, Tiffany Souers, and Jetseta Gage, who was from my home State of Iowa, have been thoroughly covered in the news in recent times. Each of these murders was committed by a repeat sex offender. These cases should open our eyes to the necessity of passing a bill that will protect children from monsters who commit these crimes and ensure that those who do commit the crimes will receive tougher penalties.

As I mentioned, Jetseta Marrie Gage was from my home State of Iowa. I would like to take a moment to talk about the beautiful 10-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted and murdered last year.

On March 24, 2005, Jetseta went missing from her home. Within 12 hours of her disappearance, even before a body had been found, law enforcement officials took Roger Bentley into custody.

Bentley had been previously convicted for committing lascivious acts with a minor. Unfortunately, this man only served a little over 1 year in prison for his previous sex crime conviction. Two days later, due to a tip received by a woman responding to the Amber Alert, Jetseta's body was found stuffed in a cabinet in an abandoned mobile home. She had been sexually molested and suffocated with a plastic bag. I can't help but wonder whether Jetseta would still be alive today had her killer received stricter penalties for his first offense. It breaks my heart to hear about cases like this, but it is even more disheartening when you know that it might have been prevented with adequate sentencing and that hers is just one tragic story in a long list of horrific crimes committed every year.

Child sex offenders are the most heinous of all criminals. I can honestly tell you that I would just as soon lock up all the child molesters and child pornography makers and murderers in this country and throw away the key. As it should all of us, the thought of what these predators do to our innocent children literally makes me sick to my stomach. The thought that we might not do what we could to deter them but also to prevent the same people from committing the same crimes against other children is unacceptable. According to a study funded by the Department of Justice, 5.3 percent of sex offenders were rearrested within 3 years following their release for another sex crime. Also, compared to non-sex offenders released from State prisons, released sex offenders were four times more likely to be rearrested for a sex crime. Even more troubling, according to several federally funded studies, child molesters have an even higher rate of rearrest than rapists.

Three years ago, we passed the PROTECT Act, a bill I worked on with my colleagues to provide the judiciary with the necessary tools to ensure that our children and grandchildren grow up in a safe community, free from child predators. This bill complements the process we started with the PROTECT Act, and adds much needed additional protections for children and for our communities.

The bill before us today includes parts of the Jetseta Gage Prevention and Deterrence of Crimes Against Children Act, a bill that I introduced last year to strengthen penalties for criminals who commit sex offenses against children. It ensures that those who commit heinous crimes against our children are appropriately punished and that anyone thinking of committing similar crimes will think twice about the repercussions. The bill increases penalties for sexual offenses against children, including sexual abuse, murder, kidnapping, sex trafficking, and various activities relating to the production and dissemination of child pornography.

This bill goes far beyond these penalty increases, however. It establishes sex offender registration and notification requirements, essential to aid parents in monitoring their children's environments. It strengthens child pornography prevention laws and sets up grants, studies, and other programs for the safety of children and communities. It delves into Internet crimes, an area that is becoming increasingly important in light of the dangers posed to children and the lack of knowledge on the part of parents, which hampers their ability to protect their children. My good friend from Arizona, Mr. Kyl, introduced the bill this section is based on and which I cosponsored.

As the elected representatives of the American people, our foremost duty is to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Child rapes and murders are now being reported on our news programs on a regular basis. We have the power to prevent so many of these crimes by creating stronger deterrents and letting parents know where these sex offenders lurk after they are released. When crimes are committed, the least we can do is ensure that the rapists and murderers won't get the opportunity to hurt another child.

It is a tragedy that it took so many stories like those of Adam Walsh, Jetseta Gage, and Jessica Lunsford for a law of this nature to be proposed. I strongly believe that a vote for this bill can save the lives of children in the future. We have an obligation as legislators to protect our citizenry. We have an obligation as adults to protect our youth. We have an obligation as parents to protect our children. I urge my colleagues to join me in doing just that by voting in favor of this bill.

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