Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions S644

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

S. 644. A bill to enhance national efforts to investigate, prosecute, and prevent crimes against children by increasing investigatory tools, criminal penalties, and resources and by extending existing laws; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. DEWINE. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague from Utah, Senator HATCH, to reintroduce the "Comprehensive Child Protection Act of 2003"—a bill to help protect our Nation's children from child molestation and other forms of abuse. Senator HATCH and I introduced this bill for the first time on September 10, 2002.

Sexual abuse of children is a pervasive and extremely troubling problem in the United States. I learned that over 25 years ago when I was serving as the County Prosecutor in Greene County, Ohio. I saw what this kind of abuse does to innocent, helpless children and how pervasive the crimes are in our communities. In fact, according to the Congressional Research Service, one of every three girls and one of every seven boys will be sexually abused before they reach the age of 18.

Our local police and prosecutors are on the front line in the fight against these criminals, and they deserve credit and our thanks for their hard work. For example, in Greene County recently, a number of child pornographers were identified and prosecuted when local law enforcement carried out a successful Internet sting operation.

Despite successes like this, however, the data suggest that law enforcement is fighting an uphill battle. In 2001 alone, there were over 5,400 registered sex offenders living in my home State of Ohio—an increase of 319 percent over 1998. Equally troubling, many child molesters prey upon dozens of victims before they are reported to law enforcement. Some evade detection for so long because many children never report the abuse. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, between 60 percent and 80 percent of child molestations and 69 percent of sexual assaults are never reported to the police. And, according to the Congressional Research Service, of reported sexual assaults, 71 percent of the victims are children.

For these reasons, it is vitally important that Congress do everything in its power to support law enforcement in its efforts to protect our nation's most vulnerable citizens. Enacting the "Comprehensive Child Protection Act of 2003" would be a step in the right direction. By enacting this measure, we would help protect our children from sexual predators, pornographers, and others who abuse children. Among its major provisions, this legislation would: 1. Direct the FBI to establish a new center that creates and trains "rapid response teams" (composed of prosecutors, investigators, and others) to respond promptly to reported crimes against children; 2. Establish a national Internet site that would make sex offender information available to the public in one, easily accessible place. Currently, about 30 states make offender information available to the public online; 3. Authorize the collection of DNA samples from registered sex offenders and the inclusion of these DNA samples in the Combined DNA Index System, or "CODIS;" 4. Permit the prosecution of child abuse offenses until a victim reaches the age of 35 (as opposed to the age of 25 under current law). This provision recognizes that victims of such crimes often do not come forward until years after the abuse, out of shame or a fear of further humiliation; 5. Make it easier for investigators to track sexual predators and child pornographers and make it easier to prosecute criminal child abuse/molestation cases; 6. Create a new section at the Department of Justice to focus solely on crimes against children; and 7. Stiffen penalties for sex-related offenses involving children.

This is a good bill—a bill that would help ensure that our children are protected from some of the most heinous of criminals. It is a bill that would increase the punishment for those criminals. And, it is a bill that, quite simply, is the right thing to do. I encourage my colleagues to join us in co-sponsoring this important measure.