Washington- Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL pictured left) today issued the following remarks after the Children’s Safety and Violent Crime Reduction Act of 2005 passed by voice vote.

“I want to thank Ed Smart and his daughter Elizabeth, who traveled from Utah to be with us today. I also want to thank all of the Members who were involved in developing this good legislation.

“Just a short while ago, the House of Representatives passed legislation that will protect some of the most vulnerable members of society – our children. H.R. 4472, – the Children’s Safety and Violent Crime Reduction Act, is a measure that is long overdue.

“We’ve all seen the disturbing headlines about sex offenders and crimes against children. It has been reported that sex offenders are 4 times more likely to be rearrested for a sex crime.

“That’s a very disturbing statistic when combined with the fact that there are currently more than 100,000 unregistered sex offenders in America. The Children’s Safety Act improves the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Program. This bill ensures that sex offenders register and keep current information on where they reside, work and attend school.

“The legislation also brings our system up to date by creating a national sex offender public website. On this new website, families will be able to search for sex offender information in their communities. We also know that protecting our children requires tougher penalties, and this bill has that.

“It includes a 20 year jail sentence for a sex offender who fails to comply with registration requirements, and it increases penalties against child sexual predators.

“Reports about sex offenders and missing children should be disturbing to us all. With this bill, we are continuing the fight against child sexual predators and making a law that protects America’s children.”