Recognizing May 25, 2008, as National Missing Children's Day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res 1142, Recognizing May 25, 2008, as National Missing Children's Day. First, I would like to thank

my distinguished colleague, Nick Lampson of Texas, for introducing this important legislation. The sole purpose of this bill is to build awareness around the issue of missing children for the purpose of finding children who are currently missing and to prevent future abductions.

National Missing Children's Day honors our Nation's obligation to locate and recover missing children by prompting parents, guardians, and other trusted-adult role models to make child safety an utmost priority. It is important to create a voice within Congress on the issue of missing and exploited children and introduce legislation that would strengthen law enforcement, community organizing and school-based efforts to address child abduction.

In the United States, nearly 800,000 children are reported missing a year, more than 58,000 children are abducted by non-family members, and more than 2,000 children are reported missing every day. It is also reported that 1,682,900 children ran away or were thrown away, while over 200,000 children were abducted by family members. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has been instrumental in improving the recovery rate from 62 percent to 96 percent.

Between 1979 and 1981, a series of high-profile missing-children cases became national headlines. Three such cases contributed to the shock of the Nation's consciousness bringing attention to the seriousness of child victimization and forever changing the response by law-enforcement agencies to reports of missing children. For almost 3 years, national media attention was focused on Atlanta, GA, where the bodies of young boys and girls were discovered in lakes, marshes, and ponds along roadside trails. By the time a suspect was arrested and identified in 1981, 29 bodies were recovered. The suspect was apprehended, convicted, and now serves a life sentence in prison.

On May 25, 1979, Etan Patz disappeared from a New York City street on his way to school. Even before cases of missing children routinely garnered national media attention, Etan's case quickly received a lot of coverage. His father, a professional photographer, disseminated black-and-white photographs of Etan in an effort to find him. The massive search and media attention that followed focused the Nation's attention on the problem of child abduction and lack of plans to address it.

The tragedies of these children and others exposed a fundamental flaw. There was no coordinated effort between Federal, State, and local law enforcement; no national response system in place; and no central resource to help searching families. When it came to handling missing- children cases, the United States was a nation of 50 States often acting like 50 separate countries.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize National Missing Children's Day and request that all Americans join together to plan events in communities across America to raise public awareness about the issue of missing children and the need to address this national problem. One of the most important tools for law enforcement to use in the case of a missing child is an up-to-date, good quality photograph. It is important we urge all parents and guardians to follow this important precaution, and I acknowledge that National Missing Children's Day should remind Americans not to forget the children who are still missing and not to waver in the effort to reunite them with their families.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1142) recognizing May 25, 2008, as National Missing Children's Day, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1142 into the Record.

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

I rise today in support of H. Res. 1142, which recognizes May 25, 2008, as the 26th National Missing Children's Day and urges everyone to do what they can to prevent the tragedy of a missing child.

In the late seventies, a succession of high-profile missing children's cases helped heighten the awareness and underline the seriousness of child victimization.

When Etan Patz went missing on his way to school in 1979, the first major national media campaign surrounding a missing child took place. The considerable media attention and comprehensive search helped highlight the problem of child abduction nationwide.

Etan's case and others helped expose a flaw in the system. At that time, there was no national response system in place to coordinate State and local cooperation or a central mechanism to support searching families. In 1983, May 25 was proclaimed National Missing Children's Day, and a nationwide movement was born. May 25 was chosen because it is the anniversary of Etan's disappearance.

More than 2,000 children are reported missing every day, but strides have been made to change this disturbing statistic. Programs such as the AMBER Alert Program, which notifies law enforcement officials and the public of child abduction cases, have done a lot to help return missing children to their families. To date, 329 children have been recovered because of the AMBER Alert Program.

Each May, we reflect on missing children and renew our efforts to reunite those young people with their families. National Missing Children's Day is an opportunity to remind families of the importance of maintaining up-to-date photographs of their children and to encourage everyone to give their full attention to the photographs and posters of missing children. Anyone can be a hero and offer the tip that helps return children to their families.

Protecting young children is one of our Nation's top priorities. On May 25 we will pause to remember the children whose lives have been lost, celebrate those who have been reunited with their families, and renew our efforts to continuing searching for children that are still missing.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I express my support for National Missing Children's Day, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

We have no further speakers, so I would yield back the balance of our time as well.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as an original cosponsor of House Resolution 1142, recognizing May 25, 2008, as National Missing Children's Day. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan declared May 25 to be National Missing Children's Day. In doing so, he provided an annual reminder of our Nation's obligation to locate and recover missing children. National Missing Children's Day prompts parents, guardians, and other trusted adult role models to make child safety a priority.

It is tragic that every year thousands of children are abducted or go missing in our country. While more missing children come home safely today than ever before, there is still work to be done. Nearly 8,000 children are reported missing each year in the United States. More than 2,000 children are reported missing every day. Too many children do not make it home, and many more continue to be victimized by acts of violence. In fact, children are the most victimized segment of our society, and crimes committed against children of all ages are the most underreported of any victim category.

In 1979, the disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz served as the impetus for the creation of National Missing Children's Day. Etan's photo appeared in the media across the Nation and around the world. His image came to represent the anguish of thousands of families searching for their missing children. Today, local, State, and Federal law enforcement work diligently across the country in an effort to find children and reunite them with their families.

In December 2007, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2517, the reauthorization of the Missing and Exploited Children's Program. I am proud to be the lead Republican sponsor of that bill, and am hopeful that we will be able to complete the reauthorization this Congress.

Our efforts here in Congress provide resources, training, and technical assistance in order to assist in increasing the capabilities of State and local law enforcement to locate missing children. The recognition of May 25, 2008, as the 26th National Missing Children's Day serves to remind us that we still have work to do to reunite families, work that requires parents, families, neighbors, and law enforcement to come together to locate all missing children.

For this reason, I am proud to join my fellow cochair of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, Mr. Lampson, in support of National Missing Children's Day, and thank him for introducing House Resolution 1142. I ask for my colleagues' support, and thank Mr. Bishop for managing this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.