U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-Hamilton) joined Maureen and Richard Kanka and the Megan Nicole Kanka Foundation at a press conference at the New Jersey State House to announce that at Smith’s behest, the U.S. Department of Justice has appropriated an additional $147,996 to the Megan Nicole Kanka Foundation. The 2005 federal law enforcement dollars allocation will be used to enhance the Check ’Em Out Program, which helps youth recreational sports leagues pay for background checks on coaches and other personnel. The earmark was created by Smith in 2004, and brings total federal funding to $326,000 to date.

    "One-in-five girls and one-in-ten boys are sexually exploited before they reach adulthood and the recidivism rate 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. "The Kanka family has been remarkable in their continued efforts to increase child protections and I am honored to stand with them here today."

    Eleven years ago, 7-year-old Megan Kanka brutally raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender who lived across the street from her home. Since that time, the Megan Nicole Kanka Foundation has worked to help parents and communities find ways to keep children out of the grasp of sex offenders. 

    The Check ’Em Out Program, which was established three years ago, helps sports leagues pay for half the cost of each $36 FBI/State Police background check in an effort to further protect children from lurking predators. The 2005 federal allocation will enable the foundation to further expand the program to municipalities in New Jersey that have adopted ordinances mandating such checks.

    "The new round of federal funding will enhance the ability of the Megan Nicole Kanka Foundation, through its Check ‘Em Out Program, to create an additional layer of security around our children," Smith said. "The more layers, the safer our children are."

    The Check ‘Em Out program is a community oriented program that yields tangible results by teaming local governments, parents and community organizations with federal support from Washington. In addition to expanding the number of background checks conducted on youth sports personnel, the program also encourages municipalities to adopt legislation that requires such common sense safety standards. 

    "Check ‘Em Out is a perfect example of a community oriented program that combines the efforts of local governments, parents and community organizations with support from Washington to protect our kids," said Smith. "The Check ‘Em out program has already conducted over 5,000 fingerprint and background checks on coaches and managers in New Jersey, and it has a tremendous ‘chilling effect’ resulting in sex offenders steering clear where Check ’Em Out is in use." 

    In September, Smith was a co-sponsor of the "Children’s Safety Act of 2005," which was passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 371-52. The bill, supported by the Kanka’s, 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 each level of government to protect those unable to protect themselves from harm," Smith said. "Through initiatives like the ‘Check ‘Em Out Program’ and strengthened laws on all levels of government, it becomes much more difficult for convicted sex offenders to have access to innocent children."