Committee Hearing Opening Statements
Smith’s International Megan’s Law Clears Major Committee HurdleFull House Approval Expected by Summer
After more than two years of meticulous, thorough negotiations, legislation to protect children from child sexual predators seeking to travel abroad was cleared today by the major House of Representatives panel that oversees US foreign policy and international bilateral agreements.
The International Megan’s Law, H.R. 5138, authored by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), establishes a model framework for international law enforcement notifications when convicted child sex offenders pose a danger for children in a destination country.
After more than two years of meticulous, thorough negotiations, legislation to protect children from child sexual predators seeking to travel abroad was cleared today by the major House of Representatives panel that oversees US foreign policy and international bilateral agreements. The International Megan’s Law, H.R. 5138, authored by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), establishes a model framework for international law enforcement notifications when convicted child sex offenders pose a danger for children in a destination country. The bill is expected to be brought before the full House in the next several weeks. “Knowledge offers power to deter,” said Smith, a senior Republican and human rights leader on the Foreign Affairs Committee. “US immigration and law enforcement officials as well as some foreign law enforcement agencies are making a sincere effort but only occasionally sharing information about travelling child sex offenders. This ad hoc method is not sufficient; a legal structure is needed to systematize notification efforts and ultimately protect as many children as possible,” he said. Smith said that the new International Megan’s Law will work synergistically with America’s anti-human trafficking laws, which Smith wrote and steered through Congress in 2000, 2003 and 2005. “Together with our anti-human trafficking laws, the International Megan’s Law will work to ensure that we do more to protect children from the life long consequences of exploitation and prevent these heinous crimes—before they take place.” As cleared today by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Smith’s legislation contains several mutually reinforcing components to protect children from child sex predators who may be looking to travel to commit more crimes. These provisions include: · creating a mechanism for US officials to notify other countries when high risk Americans convicted of child sex crimes seeks to travel; · calling on other countries to notify the US when sex offenders seek to travel to America; and · establishing registration requirements at US Embassies for US child sex offenders residing abroad so that U.S. diplomatic missions can notify U.S. law enforcement when a sex offender who is required to register enters or re-enters the United States. (Click here for a section-by-section summary) At today’s committee mark-up of HR 5138, Smith noted that the legislation is named for Megan Kanka, a seven-year-old from his district in Hamilton, N.J. who was kidnapped, raped, and brutally murdered in 1994. Megan’s assailant was a convicted, repeat sex offender living across the street, unbeknownst to residents in the neighborhood. Due to public outcry in response to the tragedy and to hard work by Megan’s loving parents, Richard and Maureen Kanka. The New Jersey State Legislature passed the original Megan’s Law (NJSA 2C: 7-1 through 7-II) to require public notification of convicted sex offenders living in the community. Smith announced the International Megan’s Law bill alongside the Kankas in 2008. (Click here to read Smith’s statement today). “Our national and various state versions of Megan’s Law have revolutionized how we deal with child predators,” Smith said. “The Kankas wrote the book on neighborhood notification and protection of children and families through information. We all owe an enormous debt to Maureen and Richard for taking a horrific tragedy that is unbearable and turning it into a cause to protect children in the U.S. and now internationally,” Smith said. Several members spoke in favor of Smith’s legislation during the mark-up, including Foreign Affairs Chairman Howard Berman and Ranking Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Chairman Berman (CA-28) said that over two million children world wide are victims of sexual exploitation. “We all know the devastating emotional, physical, and psychological effects on these child victims,” he said. “We need to do all we can to prevent these predators from circumventing US laws to prey on children in foreign countries. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) said: “International Megan’s Law is an important and long-overdue instrument to help protect children from dangerous sexual offenders who use the anonymity afforded by international travel to hide their dangerous and dehumanizing exploitation.” She added: “By requiring convicted child sex offenders to report upcoming international travel, and creating a nexus for communication between local, national, and international authorities, International Megan’s Law will help to curb international child sex tourism by convicted predators.” “With its international law enforcement relations, technological and communications capability, and established sex offender registry system, the United States must lead the global community in the effort to save thousands of potential child victims by notifying other countries of travel by sex offenders who pose a high risk of exploiting children overseas,” Smith said. “In turn, we must impress upon other countries that they are expected to do the same. Children everywhere deserve no less.” ### |