Diaz-Balart Votes to Protect Children from Sexual Predators

Diaz-Balart Votes to Protect Children from Sexual Predators

—Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) today said the Child Protection and Safety Act, which the House passed today and goes to President Bush to be signed into law, will help protect children from sexual predators.

"Every parent's worst nightmare is having a child victimized by a violent criminal or sexual predator," said Diaz-Balart, a cosponsor of several provisions included in the legislation. "The Child Protection and Safety Act will help prevent this nightmare by strengthening sex offender registries and public notification requirements, adopting tough mandatory minimum sentences for kidnapping or sexually assaulting a child, and increasing law enforcement's ability to combat child pornography and the sexual exploitation of children over the Internet. No measure or enforcement is too tough when it comes to protecting our children.

"There is no more depraved or despicable act than the sexual exploitation of children," Diaz-Balart continued. "This legislation will help ensure that convicted sex offenders never have another opportunity to harm a child."

Among other things, H.R. 4472, the Child Protection and Safety Act, will do the following:

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Improve the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Program to ensure that sex offenders register - and keep current - where they reside, work, and attend school;
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Create the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website to search for sex offender information in each community;
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Require states to notify each other when sex offenders move from one state to another;
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Increase penalties for using the Internet for the sexual exploitation of children; and
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Increase law enforcement's ability to combat child pornography.

http://www.house.gov/mariodiaz-balart/news/2006news/072506_childprotection.htm