brown-waite.house.gov
Brown-Waite
Contact:
Charlie Keller 202-225-1002
JUSTICE FOR THE LUNSFORD FAMILY
Washington, D.C., Mar 9 -
A little over two years ago,
our community was rocked by the tragic abduction and death of 9-year-old
Jessica Lunsford. I am sure you all
remember the sweet photograph in the newspapers of this young, vibrant girl
with a pink fuzzy hat and a toothy grin.
After years of waiting and agony for her family, previously convicted
sex offender John Couey was found guilty on March 7, 2007 of kidnapping, raping
and then burying Jessica alive. Finally
this trial is over and we can all breathe easier that a predator is off the
streets and away from our children.
you some of the things I have been doing in
protect our children from sexual offenders and predators who would harm
them. Just this past July, President
Bush signed the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act into law. A conglomeration of several different bills,
the legislation also included provisions from a bill I introduced, H.R. 1505,
the Jessica Lunsford Act. This
comprehensive legislation requires sex offenders to wear electronic ankle
devices when they fail to register or keep their address current with law
enforcement.
states need to put these new mandates into place. When I realized Congress was passing a
temporary spending bill for FY 07 instead of going through the normal
appropriations process, I was extremely concerned that we would not provide
enough money to states to implement the Adam Walsh Act. As such, I supported the House’s version of
this bill with an increase in grants to help states implement these new
requirements, and wrote to
Senators and the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations
Committee asking them to do the same. I
continue to work closely with my colleagues to make sure Congress provides the
funding needed to make this bill a reality.
power to make little Jessica Lunsford’s legacy of protecting
children a reality. They deserve nothing
less.