Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 3132 - Children's Safety Act of 2005

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(House)

(Rep. Sensenbrenner (R) Wisconsin and 88 cosponsors)

The Administration supports House passage of H.R. 3132. The bill encompasses many important reforms to strengthen the capacity of Federal, State, tribal, and local justice systems to protect children from all forms of abuse and violence, and to protect all members of the public from sexually violent criminals.

In recent years, the Nation has made great strides against violent crime. The violent crime rate is currently at its lowest level in three decades, and sex crimes against children have declined significantly in recent years. Children are America's most precious resource. While much success has been achieved in protecting them from sex crimes, there are still far too many such incidents, and even more needs to be done to combat vicious criminals who prey upon the innocent. To that end, the Administration has expanded investigations and prosecutions against child pornographers and those who use the Internet to solicit or otherwise exploit children, and earlier this year the Department of Justice launched an online National Sex Offender Public Registry, which this bill would codify. The Administration has also implemented requirements to conduct criminal background checks on foster and adoptive parents, which would be further strengthened by the bill's elimination of the ability of States to opt out of these requirements.

The Administration believes this bill is a step in the right direction toward providing greater protection of children in America. The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress as the bill moves through the legislative process to ensure that the final version of the legislation provides a strong, comprehensive approach to addressing crimes, especially sex crimes, against children.