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“THE POLLY KLAAS FOUNDATION” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1809 on Oct. 9, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE POLLY KLAAS FOUNDATION
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HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, October 9, 2002
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, Polly Klaas was a vibrant, talented child, full of life with the promise of a bright future. When she was kidnapped at knifepoint from her bedroom slumber party on October 1, 1993, in my hometown Petaluma, California, our community responded with an unprecedented effort to find her. The Polly Klaas Foundation was formed October 23, 1993, to help continue that search for Polly.
Following the discovery of her murderer, the Foundation adopted a new mission: ``Make America Safe For Children.`` As part of their efforts, they've been working hard at the state level to enact Amber Alert plans. Amber Alerts empower the community to take action--immediately. From Southern California to St. Louis to Philadelphia, the recent wave of child abductions has kept our nation riveted, angry, and scared for the safety of our children. The Amber Alert Plan is a voluntary cooperative program between law enforcement agencies and local broadcasters that sends emergency alerts to the public when a child has been abducted. Amber Alerts leap into action in the first crucial hours of a kidnapping when the tracks left by the abductor are still fresh. Like a modern day, high-speed Paul Revere, Amber Alerts spread the word fast so we don't have to rely on slower methods like handing out flyers, or word of mouth for news of the abduction to catch on from one city to the next.
Just two months ago, only 14 states had statewide Amber Alerts. Now, thanks in part to the Polly Klaas Foundation, 28 states have statewide Amber Alerts. However, our work is far from done.
We must continue to work towards a national network for Amber Alerts so that law enforcement can use Amber Alerts across state lines. The Senate passed an excellent bill in September that would do just that. The House Judiciary Committee had a chance to pass that bill, H.R. 5326, on the House floor yesterday.
Instead, they unfortunately chose to pass H.R. 5422, the Child Abduction Prevention Act. While this bill contained the non-
controversial Amber Alert provisions, it also contained far more controversial provisions concerning death penalties, mandatory minimum sentences, wiretap extensions, pre-trial release, and a whole host of other unrelated provisions which will impede this bills chance of final passage in the Senate. It was a poor decision by the House leadership that will doom the Senate's good work.
At the White House Conference on Missing and Exploited Children last week, President Bush announced that the Justice Department would develop a national standard for the Amber Alert, and named a new Amber Alert coordinator at the Justice Department who will work on increasing cooperation among state and local plans. Congress must pass legislation to give the new coordinator the legal authority; funding and programmatic guidelines needed to effectively perform his duties and help to protect our children.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of AMBER Alert legislation. The statistics and the facts are clear: Amber Alerts are already being credited with saving the lives of 31 children around the country. But the real people, the real stories, the real lives saved are far more convincing than any statistic. Just look in the eyes of the parents of the two Riverside, California teenagers whose lives were saved because of the Amber Alert, and you will know why this law is so important.
I am proud of the Polly Klaas Foundation and would like to thank the foundation for all of the hard work they have been doing to enact Amber Alert programs.
Mr. Speaker, we still have time in this legislative session to bring the Senate bill to the House floor, and we should do just that. Every day that a national Amber Alert system is not in place, is another day that law enforcement and the public have inadequate tools and resources needed to protect our children.
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