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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Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I rise to speak about the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. I thank the Senator from Utah for his leadership on this legislation over the last several years, and I thank his staff for their hard work and perseverance in pushing this legislation to the Senate floor tonight.
Last June, the entire Nation was horrified by the kidnapping and murders of the Groene family and the tragic crimes upon little Shasta Groene.
Joseph Duncan was a convicted sex offender who beat Brenda Groene; her 13-year-old son, Slade; and her boyfriend, Mark McKenzie to death. Their bodies were found in their home in Idaho on May 16, 2005. The killings captured the national headlines and prompted a massive search for the two Groene children, 8-year-old Shasta and her 9-year-old brother, Dylan.
Six weeks later, on July 2, restaurant workers in Idaho recognized Shasta and called the police. Dylan's remains were found later in western Montana.
This did not have to happen.
In 1980, Duncan was convicted of rape in Washington State. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and began his sentence in a treatment program. After he was terminated from the program, he served his sentence in prison until he was released on parole in 1994.
In 2000, he moved to Fargo, where he registered with the North Dakota Sex Offender Registry, but before long he had moved again and both the North Dakota and Washington State registries lost track of him.
In April of 2005, a Minnesota judge released Duncan on bail after he had been charged with child molestation.
Duncan promptly skipped town.
Minnesota issued a warrant for his arrest that May because he had not registered as a sex offender in that State, but by that time it was too late.
On May 16, the Groene family was found dead and it wasn't until July 2 that Shasta was recovered.
Joseph Duncan was essentially lost by three States. He moved from State to State to avoid capture.
No one knew where he was nor even how to look for him.
I say again, this did not have to happen.
There is no worse crime than a crime against a child, and one crime against a child is too many. That is why I have cosponsored the Child Protection Safety Act, because we need better information. We need a better system to keep that information accurate, and we need better standards to keep that system from breaking down when we need it most. The Senate must pass this bipartisan legislation to improve the national sex offender database, to link State tracking systems, and to prevent sex offenders from escaping and moving to other States.
Today there is far too much disparity among State registration requirements and notification obligations for sex offenders. Yes, there is already a National Registry, but it is based on often outdated listings from all 50 States. Worse, there are currently no incentives for offenders to provide accurate information, which helps to undermine the system.
Child sex offenders have exploited this stunning lack of uniformity, and the consequences have been tragic. Twenty percent of the Nation's 560,000 sex offenders are ``lost'' because State offender registry programs are not coordinated well enough.
We take these numbers very seriously in Washington State. In Washington State we have over 19,000 registered sex offenders and kidnaping offenders; more than 2,900 Washingtonians are currently incarcerated for these sex crimes. But we must be tough on these criminals because the national statistics are staggering.
One in five girls is estimated to be a victim of sexual assault. One in ten boys is estimated to be a victim. Only 35 percent of these cases are ever reported to the police. That is why this spring, Washington State passed a tough law that is new in mandating that sex offenders from other States must register with authorities within 3 days upon moving to Washington State. The previous law had been 30 days.
We also established a minimum sentence for certain sex crimes and tougher registration rules. Back in 1990 we were the first State to enact a sexual predator involuntary commitment law that ensures predators who are about to be released after serving their time can be prevented from being released if mental health officials believe that they will endanger the community.
This law has become a national model for other States to follow. Today, these sexual predators are housed on McNeil Island where they cannot hurt our children.
Here is what I know. Local law enforcement needs the tools and information that this legislation will give them to defend our children. It will help us close the gap between Federal and State sex offender registration and notification programs. Every State needs to update one another and the national registry in real time, and we need to recognize that tough punishment today will prevent terrible costs tomorrow.
We must keep our communities safe, and I know that is why the Senate is going to act on this legislation tonight. The Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act creates this registry on a national level that is so long overdue. It provides strong, practical tools for law enforcement The new registry will expand the scope and duration of sex offender registration and notification requirements. It will keep track of all sex offender information--addresses, employment, vehicle, and other related information. And, as my colleague from North Dakota talked about, with his hard work, it also has a national sex offender Web site registry, the new Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Web site, so that every American can stay informed.
Now the public will be able to search for sex offender information by geographic radius and zip code, and the bill also, as my colleague from Texas just mentioned, increases the penalties for violent sex crimes against America's children.
It requires that the sex offenders register prior to their release from prison or supervised programs.
America needs this legislation. I am so proud of my colleagues in joining in a bipartisan effort to give law enforcement the tools they need to protect our families and our communities. Let's give them the information and the resources they need to get tough with sex offenders. Let's pass the Adam Walsh Child Protection Safety Act to not only honor John Walsh and his family, but also for all those who have been victims of this hideous crime, and to show that we are willing to work together to be aggressive in taking action and helping to make America safe for our child
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