H.R.1355,H.R.1505,H.R.2423, H.R.3132, H.R. 3133 and S.1086.

H.R.1355,H.R.1505,H.R.2423, H.R.3132, H.R. 3133 and S.1086.
Below are Updates on Bills in Congress. H.R.1355,H.R.1505,H.R.2423, H.R.3132, H.R. 3133 and S.1086. H.R.1355 Title: To improve the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Program by providing new protections for children, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Poe, Ted (introduced 3/16/2005) Cosponsors (69) Latest Major Action: 6/9/2005 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Subcommittee Hearings Held. Subcommittee Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security *Last Action: Jul 14, 2005: Introductory remarks on measure. (CR H5901-5905) H.R.1505 Title: To revise the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration program. Sponsor: Rep Brown-Waite, Ginny (introduced 4/6/2005) Cosponsors (104) Latest Major Action: 6/9/2005 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Subcommittee Hearings Held. Subcommittee Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security (NO NEW ACTIVITY) H.R.2423 Title: To improve the national program to register and monitor individuals who commit crimes against children or sex offenses. Sponsor: Rep Foley, Mark (introduced 5/18/2005) Cosponsors (84) Related Bills: S.1086 Latest Major Action: 6/9/2005 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Subcommittee Hearings Held. Subcommittee Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Last Action: Oct 20, 2005: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 251. Status: Scheduled for Debate This bill was considered in committee which has recommended it be considered by the Senate as a whole. Although it has been placed on a calendar of business, the order in which bills are considered and voted on is determined by the majority party leadership S.1086 Title: A bill to improve the national program to register and monitor individuals who commit crimes against children or sex offenses. Sponsor: Sen Hatch, Orrin G. (introduced 5/19/2005) Cosponsors (11) Related Bills: H.R.2423 Latest Major Action: 5/19/2005 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. 10/20/2005: Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably. 10/20/2005: Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Specter with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report. 10/20/2005: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 251. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- H.R.3132 Title: To make improvements to the national sex offender registration program, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. (introduced 6/30/2005) Cosponsors (67) Related Bills: H.R.3133 Latest Major Action: 7/27/2005 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 22 - 4. ALL ACTIONS: 6/30/2005: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. 6/30/2005: Referred to House Judiciary 7/27/2005: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held. 7/27/2005: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 22 - 4. H.R.3133 Title: To provide for the registration of sex offenders and for appropriate notification of their whereabouts, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Foley, Mark (introduced 6/30/2005) Cosponsors (1) Related Bills: H.R.3132 Latest Major Action: 6/30/2005 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. (NO NEW ACTIVITY)

Quick Info S. 1086: Jacob Wetterling, Megan Nicole Kanka, and Pam Lychner Sex Offender Registration and... Last Action: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 251. Status: Scheduled for Debate Congressional Record DRU'S LAW The United States Senate Mar 27, 2006 Record Text Sen. Byron Dorgan : Mr. President, this coming month it will be 2 years since the body of a young woman named Dru Sjodin was found in Crookston, MN. Dru Sjodin was a young woman, a college student at the University of North Dakota, who walked out of a North Dakota shopping center at about 5 o'clock in the afternoon. She was abducted, a search was made for her, and some months later her body was found near Crookston, MN. She had been brutally murdered. I have visited with her parents a number of times. The more I have come to know the details of her abduction and her murder--and since that time I have come to know the details of other abductions and murders, in many cases of young children in our country--it is clear that Congress needs to take some action to deal with some of these issues. What happened to Dru Sjodin was a vicious, almost unspeakable crime for which a man will soon be tried for murder. The man who has been arrested and will be on trial shortly for the murder of Dru Sjodin is Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr. He has served prison time for rape. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison for a violent rape. At the end of his sentence, he was deemed by prison officials--including psychiatrists and psychologists--to be at high risk of reoffending. Despite that, he was let out of prison with little or no supervision. The State's attorney in the jurisdiction where he was prosecuted was not notified of his pending release. He was released without any significant supervision. And within 6 months--it is alleged--he murdered Dru Sjodin. I have proposed a piece of legislation called Dru's Law, and gotten it passed by the Senate twice. It still has not passed the House. Dru's Law is title II in a comprehensive piece of legislation reported out October of last year by the Senate Judiciary Committee, yet that bill has also not been brought to the floor of the Senate. Let me describe the legislation I put together because I was astounded when I took a look at Federal and State laws that so little information is available about those who have committed violent sexual offenses. First of all, there has not been a national database of convicted sex offenders. A year ago, I met with the Attorney General and talked to him about Dru's Law. When the Attorney General took office he began the development of a national database, administratively. We need to do that in law. And provisions of Dru's Law would require the development of a national database of sex offenders that is accessible to the public. So the bill requires the development of a national database of sex offenders accessible to the public. Second, it requires States to notify prosecutors of impending release of high-risk sex offenders. When we have sex offenders who have committed violent acts, there is a substantial amount of information demonstrating it is very likely, upon release, they will recommit those violent acts. When seen by psychiatrists and psychologists and evaluated for high-risk activities upon their release, it seems to me when those high-risk offenders are about to be released from prison, their names should be given to the local State's attorney where they were prosecuted so the State's attorney would have the time and capability to determine whether they wanted to seek civil commitment, which is to say further incarceration to protect the public. That is a procedure that many States have allowed. In this case, the alleged murder by Alfonso Rodriguez, who the experts alleged would be at great risk for reoffending, if he had been civilly committed, he would not have been on the streets. What is happening too often now, violent sex offenders are let out of prison at the end of the term without so much as a wave, "so long, good luck." That is not what should happen, and this brings me to the third piece of the bill. If, in fact, a high-risk sex offender is released from prison, there must be monitoring by the States upon their release for at least 1 year. Martha Stewart is put in prison and let out of prison and she wears an ankle bracelet. Martha Stewart is wearing an ankle bracelet, and high-risk sex offenders are let out of prison with a wave, "so long, see you later." Then they abduct and murder children. It is not just Dru Sjodin. I can go through an entire list of young people who have been abducted and murdered by people we knew about, people whose names we had, people who had been serving time in prison but were let out with a wave, to say, "so long, see you later." Now, I mentioned that Dru's Law, which has the three provisions I described, has twice been passed by the Senate by unanimous consent. But the House has not taken it up and as a result it is not now law. I have not stopped trying to get Dru's Law passed. In fact, Dru's Law has now been incorporated into S. 1086, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, has been authored by Senators HATCH and BIDEN, both former chairmen of the Senate Judiciary Committee. It is legislation I fully support. It is terrific legislation. I commend both of them for doing a great job. Title II of that legislation incorporates all of Dru's Law. That legislation is cosponsored also by Senator Specter, who is the current chairman of the Judiciary Committee. And I'm happy to say that S. 1086 passed out of the Judiciary Committee in October of last year. Yet S. 1086 has not been considered by the full Senate. I don't understand that. The majority leader has told us what we are going to consider. We are going to consider constitutional amendments on gay marriage, constitutional amendments on flag desecration. The list goes on and on and on, but we do not have time to consider this? This is important. This is life or death in many instances. We have had time for a free trade agreement with the country of Bahrain. Boy, that is a priority. What would have happened if we had not had a trade agreement with Bahrain? We passed the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Improvement Act. We did the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemoration Act. We have done a lot of things here, but we did not have time to bring up S. 1086, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act? I don't understand that. There is a recent study that found 72 percent of the highest risk sexual offenders reoffend within 6 years of being released from prison. The Bureau of Justice Statistics has determined that sex offenders released from prison are over 10 times more likely to be arrested for a sexual crime than individuals who have no record of a sexual assault. This legislation is endorsed by a good many people. Dru's Law has 18 cosponsors in the Senate. Senators HATCH and LEAHY have worked closely with me to pass Dru's Law separately, as a standalone bill. Mark Lunsford, the father of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, is a strong supporter of this. Jessica Lunsford, this country might remember, was abducted a year or so ago from her bedroom in her Florida home. Her body was found a month later. The crime was committed by a 46-year-old convicted sex offender with a 30-year criminal history. After committing the assault of Jessica and the murder of Jessica, John Couey, the man who committed this crime, fled across State lines to Savannah, GA. Had he not been recaptured, he very likely would have reoffended in Georgia, as well. Mr. Lunsford wrote me a letter about Dru's death: If my daughter's death is going to have any meaning, it will be efforts such as yours that strengthen existing laws by making our streets safer for all children. My heart continues to break as I mourn the loss of my beautiful little girl. I do not want other families to suffer as mine has done and I believe that your effort will go far toward that important goal. This bill is endorsed by Marc Klaas, the father of 12-year-old Polly Klaas, who was kidnaped and murdered by a previously diagnosed sex offender. Mr. Klaas wrote: I would like to reiterate my full support of this important effort. It does not take the recitation of 100 cases, but let me mention Sarah Michelle Lunde, 13 years old. She disappeared and was found dead. David Onstott, a convicted sex offender, who once had a relationship with the girl's mother, has confessed to killing her. Jetseta Gage of Cedar Rapids, IA, was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered. Roger Paul Bentley was arrested for that crime, a convicted sex offender on Iowa's sex registry. The list goes on and on and on and on. I held a meeting in Fargo, ND, about a year ago to describe how important it is to track sex offenders' movements across State lines. I held a town meeting in Fargo, ND, to talk about the issue of violent sex offenders. This was an outgrowth of the information I had developed as a result of Dru Sjodin's murder. Before that meeting in Fargo, I checked the registry in North Dakota to find out the names of convicted sex offenders living within walking distance of the place I was going to have a meeting. One name kind of jumped out to me and I described the case to the people at the meeting: Joseph E. Duncan. I did not know him, I had never previously heard of him. But in 1980 when Joseph Duncan was a 16 year old, he abducted a 14-year-old boy who had been walking in his neighborhood, sexually assaulted the boy twice at gunpoint, pled guilty to rape in the first degree, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was released from prison July 14, 2000, after completing a 20-year sentence. Because he completed his full term, he was released without parole and without probation. He went to live in North Dakota within walking distance of city hall in Fargo. So I mentioned to the people in Fargo about five cases of people who were convicted sex offenders who lived within walking distance of city hall, just to describe the people who were living in our midst. What I didn't know when I mentioned it that day in Fargo was that 1 month earlier, Joseph E. Duncan had been charged with molesting a 6-year-old boy at a playground just across the river in Detroit Lakes, MN. He appeared in court on April 5, 2005. A county judge set the bail at $15,000 and Duncan was released after paying the cash. A friend apparently posted the cash for him. The next I heard of this man was July 2. He was arrested in Idaho for kidnaping 8-year-old Shasta Groene and her 9-year-old brother Dylan Groene. The children had been missing since May 16 when the bound and bludgeoned bodies of their mother, older brother, and mother's boyfriend were found at their rural home. This case is another tragic reminder of the urgent need. Duncan has now been charged with abducting and molesting this young girl, three counts of first-degree murder. These predators, in many cases, are not strangers. We know who they are. They have been in prison. They have violently molested, violently sexually assaulted other people. I am not necessarily suggesting we put them in prison and throw away the key, but I am saying when we know someone is a violent sexual predator and they are about to be released from prison and the psychiatrists tell us they are at high risk for reoffending and recommitting another violent sexual act, then it seems to me the local people ought to be notified to determine whether the State's attorney wishes to recommit them for a civil commitment to protect society at large. And, second, if that person is released, it cannot any longer be "so long and good luck," with nothing much more than a wave. We cannot do that. There must be a high level of monitoring. Kids are dying. People are being murdered. We have not had a national registry of sex offenders that is complete and that works. We let people out of prison who we know are going to offend again, or at least we know will offend again, and we let these people out of prison with virtually no monitoring at all by the Government. Again, isn't it interesting, Martha Stewart--and, incidentally, I don't even watch her television show, but she sure got a lot of press for going to prison. Martha Stewart goes to prison, and when she is let out, she is walking around with an electronic ankle bracelet. Yet these people are going to prison and they come out after having been guilty of violent sex offenses, they are judged to be at risk for committing another sexual offense, and they do not wear any electronic bracelet, any electronic monitoring device. It is "so long, see you later." That has to change. That is what Senator Hatch and Senator Biden say in their bill. It is what I say in Dru's Law. And it is long past the time for the majority leader to schedule this for a debate in the Senate. Last October, this Hatch-Biden bill was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. This is bipartisan. It has strong support in the Senate. There is no longer any excuse for that not to come to the Senate and to be debated and passed. Will it take the next vicious murder, the next brutal murder of some young child, to understand that violent sexual predators exist and are being let out of prison with little monitoring? I hope not. I hope before we have the next set of headlines the majority leader will decide this represents a priority, a priority far higher than some of the other priorities he has suggested for floor action, and that we can see in the Senate very soon the legislation offered by Senator Hatch and Senator Biden. I commend them for the legislation they have written. I appreciate the fact that title II is Dru's Law. I have worked with them, as have many of my colleagues. They have done this country a great service by putting S. 1086 together. Now the majority leader can do this country a great service by scheduling the Senate's consideration of this bill, after these many months following its favorable reporting from the Senate Judiciary Committee. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. Chair: The clerk will call the roll. Sen. Conrad Burns : Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. Chair: Without objection, it is so ordered. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=109-s20060327-15 **In law, a quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative body necessary to conduct the business of that group. Ordinarily, this is a majority of the people expected to be there, although many bodies may have a lower or higher quorum. When quorum is not met, a legislative body cannot hold a vote, and cannot change the status quo. Therefore, voters who are in favor of the status quo are able to use an obstructive strategy called, in the United States, quorum-busting. If a significant number of voters choose not to be present for the vote, the vote will fail due to lack of quorum, and the status quo will remain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorum **

The next meeting of the Senate is today; the House next meets Apr 25, 2006. UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. 1086 The United States Senate Apr 5, 2006 Section 9 Official Record: Thomas (see section 9) In This Section... Sen. Frist : Mr. President, just a moment of explanation because I think this bill is, in substance, broadly supported. I am disappointed to hear the objections tonight. Let... Record Text Quick Info S. 1086: Jacob Wetterling, Megan Nicole Kanka, and Pam Lychner Sex Offender Registration and... Last Action: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 251. Status: Scheduled for Debate Sen. William Frist

: But before doing that, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 251, S. 1086. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the RECORD. Chair: Is there objection? Sen. Harry Reid

: Reserving the right to object, Mr. President, Senator Kennedy and other Senators have been told prior to this piece of legislation passing there would be a vote on hate crimes legislation that has been in this body for a long time. I would hope--and it is my understanding the chairman of the committee had worked this out with Senator Kennedy--we could, at an early date, I mean in a matter of hours, work this out. This sex offender registry is an important piece of legislation. But also, as we have learned here in the Senate, people keeping their word is also important. I am confident it was some kind of a misunderstanding. I am hopeful that is the case. But until Senator Chair: Objection is heard. Sen. William Frist

: Mr. President, just a moment of explanation because I think this bill is, in substance, broadly supported. I am disappointed to hear the objections tonight. Let me comment very briefly on the bill because it is an issue that I think this body does feel strongly about and that we need to move forward on because it can make a difference. This particular bill is child predator legislation, and we all need to be working together to keep our children safe from child predators. American families, as we all know, should not have to live in fear of sexual predators lurking in neighborhoods and enticing our children. In the last 24 hours, we have all seen--actually here in the Senate and in this town--we have learned some shocking and tragic news about the growing problem of online child pornography. The abuse of the Internet has really, unfortunately, become the gateway to more serious violent sex offenses against both children and adults. On Tuesday night, we learned of the arrest of another online child predator and the tragic plight of a child predator victim. The predator was an official from the Department of Homeland Security who was arrested for seducing a child over the Internet. Allegedly, this individual initiated a sexually explicit online chat with a detective posing as a 14-year-old girl. He allegedly described in graphic detail the sexual acts he wanted to perform with her and offered to exchange sexually explicit photos. Fortunately, law enforcement intercepted this individual before he could victimize an innocent child. But for too many innocent children, the child predators are not caught until it is too late. Yesterday we also heard from one of the victims: 19-year-old Justin Berry from California who courageously testified before a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on sexual exploitation of children over the internet. For 5 five years, Justin was the victim of an online child pornography ring. At 13, this lonely teenager innocently hooked up a web camera to his computer, hoping to meet other teenagers online. Instead, he heard only from adult child predators who struck up friendly chats and offered him compliments and gifts. One day, one predator offered to pay him $50 to take off his shirt in front of the webcam. Eventually, these predators lured him into performing pornographic acts in front of the webcam for an audience that grew to more than 1,500 people who paid him hundreds of thousands of dollars. These shocking stories are not isolated incidents. They are symptomatic of a larger problem. I believe we should seize this opportunity to transform these tragedies into positive action. The bill I called up tonight--S. 1086, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act--would help protect our kids against child predators. It was introduced by Senator HATCH. It has 33 bipartisan cosponsors. It was reported unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee. It is supported by the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Boys and Girls Club of America, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and the National District Attorneys Association. And it is supported by the families of child predator victims. Among its many provisions, the bill will create a national sex offender registry accessible on the Internet and searchable by zip code; Require convicted sex offenders to register, including child predators who use the Internet to commit a crime against a minor; Make failure to register a felony; Encourage information sharing among local, State and Federal law enforcement; and Toughen criminal penalties for violent crimes against children under 12. Here in the Senate, we need to act to address this issue. In light of the events this week, we should not delay. We should act now before another innocent child becomes a victim of a child predator. It is an issue we do need to address, and I believe it will pass in an overwhelmingly bipartisan way. In light of the events of this week, we should not be delaying it any longer. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the other side in getting this bill passed as soon as possible. Sen. Harry Reid

: Mr. President, very briefly, if the distinguished majority leader will yield, Democrats support the concept of a national registry. It is important. But we also support the concept that people who are injured, maimed, or murdered as a result of hate crimes also deserve protection. We hope we can do all this at one time. I am hopeful and confident that can happen. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=109-s20060405-9

Congressional Record SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION AND NOTIFICATION ACT The United States Senate Jun 29, 2006 Section 8 Record Text Sen. William Frist : Mr. President, I will take a few moments to address legislation to create a national sex offender registry and to protect our children from sexual predators. On May 4, the Senate unanimously passed S. 1086, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. This bill, which was introduced by our colleague, Senator Hatch, would create a national sex offender registry and would do what you would suspect, and that is protect our kids from these child predators. A similar bill has also passed the House of Representatives. Over the last several weeks, the House and Senate have been working diligently to bridge the differences between those two bills. I am pleased with the progress that has been made so far, but I am concerned that the time is running short in the legislative session. Because time is of the essence, I sent a letter to Chairman Specter and Chairman Sensenbrenner in the House asking them to have such legislation ready for signature by the President no later than July 27, 2006. That is about a month from now. That particular date is in honor of the 25th anniversary of the tragic abduction and murder of Adam Walsh, the 6-year-old son of John and Revé Walsh, who are the founders of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. I ask unanimous consent that the full text of the letter be printed in the RECORD. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows: <...> Sen. William Frist : Mr. President, I am pleased to join with my colleague, Senator Reid, who is endorsing this July 27 date as a goal as well. The reason why it is important for us to speak to this now is that there are a number of issues out there that are unrelated to the sex offender registry bill, which are important issues in and of themselves, but in some ways they impede or lessen the likelihood that we are going to get this particular bill through. The registry is important. By creating a national registry, we are going to make it easier for law enforcement to act if they get a tip and to be able to identify and stop these offenders before they can commit repeat crimes and victimize more children. Many States, including my State of Tennessee, have registries, but that information is not shared with other States. Therefore, you have these sex offenders simply going from State to State. If a sex offender is registered in Florida and then moves to Tennessee, there is no way to track him today. Under the new law, Florida would have to notify Tennessee law enforcement that the sex offender is moving. It is a big problem. There are currently 550,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S. and at least 100,000 of them are missing from the system. Every day that we don't have this national sex offender registry, these missing sex predators are out there somewhere. We don't know where they are or whether or who they are victimizing. So there is a lot we can do. Now is the time for to us do it. The national sex offender registry will save the lives of thousands of children. By passing this legislation, we can take another major step forward to making the country safer. I thank Senator Hatch, and especially Senator Reid, for their leadership. I urge our colleagues in the Senate and in the House to act quickly and get this bill done by July 27. It is for law enforcement officers, it is for parents, and it is especially for our Nation's children. Congress will next meet on Jul 10, 2006. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=109-s20060629-8

Congressional Record SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION AND NOTIFICATION ACT The United States Senate Jun 29, 2006 Section 10 Record Text Sen. Harry Reid : Mr. President, first of all, I appreciate very much the statement of the majority leader. I understand that he has other matters, and I will speak to him later about a number of other things. On the issue of sex offender legislation, yesterday, rightfully so, the majority leader sent a letter to Chairmen Specter and Sensenbrenner asking them to bridge their differences and finish the legislation. I commend Senator Frist for making this bill a priority. I agree that this is important legislation, and it should not be stalled by disagreements over controversial, extraneous matters. Specifically, the leader asked the two chairmen to complete work on the bill by the end of July. That timetable seems perfect for me. The Senate passed its version by unanimous consent on May 4. There should be no further delay. I believe this is an urgent matter. I remind my colleagues that when the Senate passed this version of the bill 2 months ago, Senator Kennedy--even though he felt very strongly about the hate crime bill--agreed to set that aside. That was a major concession by all of us who favor the hate crimes bill. We made the decision that the sex offender bill should not be delayed by unrelated matters. Since that time, I am sorry to report that some Members of the House have held up the sex offender bill by trying to add their own pet projects related to the death penalty, habeas corpus, and other matters. They are all important matters, but we have to move forward with this sex crime legislation. As the majority leader correctly wrote in his letter, "We should not allow extraneous issues to delay this bill." Why is the sex offender bill so important? Because the safety of children is at stake. The national sex offender registry will make it easier for local law enforcement to track sex offenders and prevent repeat offenses. The bill authorizes much-needed grants to local law enforcement agencies to establish and integrate sex offender registry systems. Is it going to take another news story about yet another brutal assault and murder of some young child to make it clear that we need to act now? I hope not. Obviously, there are still issues to work out between the House and Senate. I understand that. I favor, of course, the Senate-passed bill, S. 1086, which I think did a better job of distinguishing among types of offenders. We need to move forward without delays or distractions on unrelated issues. Finally, if anyone ever doubts that one person can make a difference in our country and our world, one only need to look at John Walsh. Because of the tragic event dealing with his son Adam, we now have a National Center for Missing Children. We have a TV program called "America's Most Wanted," and because of that program, we have gotten scores of felons who have done very bad things. I have never met John Walsh, but a former Governor of Nevada was a good friend of his. He told me years ago about this good man. I applaud John Walsh. It is because of him that we are moving forward on this legislation. Sen. William Frist : Mr. President, I know the Democratic leader has other statements to make. I think the signal that we are both sending is that this is significant legislation. It will directly impact families all over the United States of America. It is an obvious need. We have made huge progress and, as the Democratic leader said, much of that is to be attributed to John Walsh, his family, because of the tragedy they suffered with the loss of their child. Again, the Democratic leader and I are joined at the hip pushing this through in the Senate. We, working together, agreed to have a focused bill, a targeted bill, that would accomplish the specific objectives here. And our appeal today is that the House do likewise so we can pass this by July 27. Congress will next meet on Jul 10, 2006 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=109-s20060629-10

View Full Version: H.R.1355,H.R.1505,H.R.2423, H.R.3132, H.R. 3133 and S.1086.