Remarried Widows' and Widowers' Benefits Act of 2007

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I, first of all, would like to thank the gentleman from Virginia for his leadership on this very important issue. I know Mr. Scott has been one of those who has cared greatly about those families that have suffered the trauma of a lost person within their family. So I want to thank Mr. Scott on this. And I think this is another issue in which we have seen bipartisanship in this House. Sometimes you don't see a lot of instances of that, but I think this is one where we can work together in a bipartisan fashion, and I want to thank Mr. Scott for his leadership on this.

Given that tomorrow is the first annual day of remembrance for murder victims, it is only fitting that we recognize and respond to a segment of the victim population that too often goes unrecognized: those victims who are missing and whose remains have yet to be identified. Unfortunately, it is far more common than one would think, just how many families are searching for some clue as to the location of the remains of their missing family members, and too often families are alone in their effort to locate their loved one.

On any given day, there are more than 100,000 active missing-person cases in this country. Just think of that: over 100,000 active cases in this Nation. Every year tens of thousands of people vanish under suspicious circumstances. Equally disturbing is the knowledge that the skeletal remains of more than 40,000 individuals are being stored with coroners, medical examiners, and police departments around

the country. And these may very well be the very persons that those families are trying to identify. They don't know what happened to their brother, their sister, their mother, their aunt, their uncle, whomever it might be. Many of these jurisdictions do not have the technology to identify these individuals. And even if they do, most States do not require these officials to obtain samples before burying or cremating the remains. Think of that. Your sister could be in the State right next door in the coroner's office or a police station and the remains may be cremated, and you may go the rest of your life and your family never knowing what happened to your sister.

I know the impact of this ineffective model on families, because in my own State of Ohio, a very good friend, somebody that, unfortunately, I have gotten to know through a terrible tragedy in her own family, Deborah Culberson, the mother of a murder victim, Carrie Culberson, has been searching for the remains of her daughter for the last 11 years. While Carrie's murderer will, hopefully, spend the rest of his life in jail, her body has never been found. Moreover, speculation exists that Carrie's remains may be in the State of Kentucky, we really don't know, which does not mandate the same requirements for identifying human remains as my State, Ohio.

Rapidly advancing DNA technology has proven to be a critical tool that law enforcement and families can access to locate and identify individuals and solve cold cases. Yet as Debbie Culberson's search demonstrates, the technology is not being utilized to its fullest. For example, many family members of the missing or unidentified do not know they can provide their own DNA to assist law enforcement. Some law enforcement officials do not know that this DNA technology can assist in solving cold cases. Even if law enforcement knows the technology exists, States may not mandate DNA testing for this segment of the victim population.

We, as elected officials, have a responsibility to take the lead in ensuring, number one, that adequate funding and effective education and training for law enforcement and the public exists; and, two, that all available resources and tools are being used to their fullest ability.

This resolution acknowledges Congress's commitment to these victims and to their families, that it will do everything within its authority to locate, identify, and return these sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers to those families who are still searching for their loved ones.

I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas, Judge Poe.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 340) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives of the importance of providing a voice for the many victims (and families of victims) involved in missing persons cases and unidentified human remains cases.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of House Resolution 340 to express the commitment of the House of Representatives in giving victims involved in missing persons and unidentified human remains cases a voice through advancing DNA technology.

The grief of loss of a loved one, particularly a parent's loss of a child, can only be surpassed by the endless torment of not knowing. When a loved one is missing, there is no finality, no way to begin the grieving process so that closure may eventually come and family and friends can begin healing. Going on, often hoping against hope, knowing the news they fear the most may come at any moment is a tormenting experience.

But with today's DNA technology, much of this burden can be removed. Over 6,000 samples of DNA evidence have been used to identify remains of missing persons; and with continued and increased funding, we can bring more justice to victims and peace to the families and friends.

Mr. Speaker, I further support the continued funding of DNA initiatives because of the incredible part DNA evidence has played both in determining guilt and protecting the innocent. Since 2002, over 200 wrongly convicted persons have been exonerated through DNA evidence, including death row inmates. In fact, just this weekend two incredible stories arose in the Baltimore area. On Saturday, September 22, prosecutors dropped all charges against a Baltimore man who had been held in a rape and assault of a 59-year-old woman just last month. This morning the Baltimore Sun newspaper reports that Baltimore County has solved their 18th DNA-evidence case, a rape investigation open since 1978. After 29 years, a victim will finally see justice.

Mr. Speaker, we can and must continue to fund advancing DNA technology because, although there has been much success, there remains much to do. Over 40,000 samples of biological evidence related to missing persons are in laboratories around the country ready for entry into DNA databases with the potential of identifying almost 40 percent of our missing persons. And although DNA backlog reduction grants have cleared more than 60,000 criminal cases, exonerating the innocent and identifying the guilty, the backlog level remains almost unchanged. Police departments and prosecutors recognizing the benefits of DNA evidence have been trained in its collection and are using the technology more than ever before, which adds samples at the rate that the backlog is being cleared.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support continued DNA-evidence backlog reduction grants in identifying missing persons and to exonerate the innocent and to identify the guilty. We have seen what the technology can do, and we have the wherewithal to fund those activities. Justice demands that we view continued funding as a major responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume just to thank the gentleman from Ohio for his leadership in introducing this resolution. I urge the House to adopt it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding me time and for offering this important piece of legislation.

As a former judge and prosecutor and founder of the Victims' Rights Caucus, I certainly understand how crime victims may be distraught and scared and hopeless. Some die in this emotional nightmare and some of those who die are kids. But now they need not be voiceless. Congress can be a voice for crime victims, especially those who have been murdered.

I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 340. This resolution provides a voice for victims and their families, those that are involved in missing- person cases and unidentified human remains cases.

Any given day in the United States, there are over 100,000 missing persons. There are over 40,000 remains in medical examiners' offices and coroners' offices that cannot be identified. Cities and counties bury or cremate the unidentified human remains without collecting DNA in many cases. So Congress must continue to fund DNA testing, train and educate law enforcement on these issues, and raise awareness about the use of this scientific phenomenon, DNA, so that it can be used to identify the unidentified.

We owe this to those silent who cannot speak for themselves.

DNA identifies missing victims as well as convicts the guilty and frees the innocent. For all of these reasons, this resolution should be adopted. So I totally support this resolution.