Way To Go, Ted Poe!

[pineda]

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03/24/2005

Poe hopes bill will safeguard children

U.S. Rep. Judge Ted Poe last week introduced a bill - the Child Predator Act of 2005 - in the House of Representatives to hold criminals accountable and impose tougher sentences on child predators who repeat.

The Act aims to close loopholes in the current law and place tools in the hands of parents who want to safeguard their children from child predators.

The Child Predator Act amends present law in six key ways:

1) Defines the term child predator as a person who has been convicted of a sexual offense against a victim who is a minor - if the offense is sexual in nature and the minor is age 13 years old or younger.

2) Requires child predators to report a change in residence within 10 days of a move.

3) Requires community notification - Child predators would have to notify (at a minimum) schools, public housing, and at least two media outlets such as newspapers, television stations, or radio stations covering that community.

4) Classifies non-compliance as a federal felony - child predators who fail to register would be charged with a felony.

5) Mandates a national database available on a free access internet website.

6) Requires prominent designation of a convicted offender as a child predator.

"First and foremost, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy to members of Jessica Lunsford's family and assure them that they will remain in our thoughts and prayers as they continue to cope with this unconscionable and devastating tragedy," Poe said.

"The primary duty of government is to protect its citizens - We as a people are not judged by the way we treat the rich, the famous, influential, powerful, but by the way we treat the weak, the innocent - the children. Individuals who have been convicted for sexual assault of a child - child predators - desire to remain anonymous. Last week, I sponsored and introduced a bill in Congress to on one hand provide parents with more resources to protect their children from these dastardly perpetrators of evil and on the other hand subject monsters who prey on our children to the fullest degree of prosecution.

"No longer should ex-cons for child sexual assault move in and out of our neighborhoods without knowing who they are. We know that the recidivism rate of convicted child molesters is extremely high. Even though some states have registration laws for convicted child predators, some of these outlaws continue to slip through the system when they move across state lines. My legislation seeks to arm our communities against child predators who stalk our neighborhood playgrounds, our Cub Scout dens, our houses of worship; child predators who exploit the internet to target our youngsters or lure our kids from their own bedrooms."

Congressman Poe co-chairs the Congressional Victim's Rights Caucus that he founded last month. He has over 22 years experience dealing with criminal cases as a felony court judge and a prosecutor. He is a leading authority on crime, justice and children's issues and currently serves on the board of the National Children's Alliance in Washington, DC.

Texas DPS Search Offender search website

[westguy]

It's not that murder, sexual assault, and child molestation shouldn't be illegal, but these laws and penalties are usually defined by the states.

(Why don't we just dissove this whole statehood thing when the federal government can govern us all?)