U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) spoke in strong support of HR 4472 - the Children’s Safety and Violent Crime Reduction Act of 2005 – which the House passed today. Smith, who co-sponsored of the bill, said that the bill enhances child protection from sex offenders by improving notification programs and strengthening criminal penalties.

    “One-in-five girls and one-in-ten boys are sexually exploited prior to adulthood and recidivism rates of sex offenders makes it clear that a child predator will be a permanent threat against our children,” said Smith, who has continually fought for increased penalties and streamlined registration systems to further protect children from sexual predators. “I believe that that those who commit sex crimes against children should be put away for life. In the interim, the Children’s Safety and Violent Crime Reduction Act increases the penalties against those who commit these despicable crimes and puts them where they belong – behind bars.” 

    The bill strengthens sex offender registration and notification programs and improves verification systems for sex offender information by requiring monthly in-person verification. States will now be required to have a uniform, public access sex offender registration website. In addition, states will now be required to notify each other when a sex offender moves from one to another.

    Smith noted that the bill also aims to protect children by increasing criminal penalties against child sexual predators and creates a new criminal penalty for a sex offender who fails to comply with registration requirements. It also deters violent crimes against and sexual exploitation of children, and establishes many more protections.

    “It is the number one responsibility of government to protect its citizens – especially children – from harm,” Smith said. “This bill makes it much more difficult for convicted sex offenders to have access to innocent children.” 

    This year will mark the 12^th anniversary of the murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka (Hamilton, New Jersey) by a convicted sex offender who lived across the street from her home. Rep. Smith has worked with the Megan Nicole Kanka Foundation – established by the Kanka family – to procure over $320,000 in federal funding for the “Check ’Em Out Program,” which helps non-profit organizations in New Jersey to pay for state and federal fingerprint checks for chaperones, coaches and managers. 

    “Through tougher child sex offender laws, improving and streamlining registration programs and encouraging more initiatives like the ‘Check ‘Em Out Program’, we create layers of security around our children,” Smith said. “The more layers, the safer our children are.” 

    Among other things, the Children’s Safety Act of 2005 will:

Strengthen Child Safety Protections

    Of the 500,000+ convicted sex offenders live in the United States, over 150,000 are “missing.” Once released, sex offenders are four times more likely to be rearrested for a sex crime. The bill includes a number of provisions designed to protect children, including:

• Improving the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Program to ensure that sex offenders register – and keep current – where they reside, work, and attend school;
• Creating the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website to search for sex offender information in each community;
• Requiring states to notify each other when sex offenders move from one state to another;
• Expanding sex offenders to include juvenile sex offenders;
• Requiring Internet public access to State websites;
• Creating a new criminal penalty of up to a maximum of 20 years for sex offenders who fail to comply with registration requirements; and
• Protecting foster children from sexual abuse and exploitation and increase criminal penalties for child sexual predators.

Combat and Prevent Gang Violence 

    According to the US Department of Justice, more than 25,000 gangs and over 750,000 gang members are active across the United States. The bill strengthens efforts to assist local law enforcement in targeting and prosecuting violent criminals who are associated with street gangs by:

• Authorizing the prosecution of criminal gang enterprises in a similar fashion to using the existing RICO statute used to prosecute federal racketeering;
• Authorizing funds for joint federal, state, and local gang investigation and prosecution; and
• Creating mandatory minimum sentences for gang crimes and violent crimes.