Al Gonzalez Community and Education Center.: There's no need to tell Al Gonzalez about divine intervention

Al Gonzalez Community and Education Center.: There's no need to tell Al Gonzalez about divine intervention

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National




July 21, 2006, 12:38AM
Molesters may be listed on Internet
Senate bill also calls for a death sentence when a child is murdered


By LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Convicted child molesters would be listed on a national Internet database and would face a felony charge for failing to update their whereabouts under a bill the Senate approved Thursday.

The bill was designed to help police find more than 100,000 such sex offenders by creating the first national online listing available to the public and searchable by ZIP code. It also called for harsh federal punishment for sexually assaulting children, including the possibility of the death penalty when a victim is murdered.

The Senate approved the measure on a voice vote. The House is to consider it next week, and President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law.

"Sex offenders have run rampant in this country and now Congress and the people are ready to respond with legislation that will curtail the ability of sex offenders to operate freely," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah., who authored the legislation with Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.

"We track library books better than we track sex offenders. This evens the score," said Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., a sponsor in the House.

Debate was tearful from the start as the Senate considered the bill named for Adam Walsh, the murdered son of America's Most Wanted host John Walsh. He watched from the gallery as senators thanked him for years of lobbying for the bill.

"This has to be bittersweet for him," said Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., choking up as he made a rare reference to his daughter Amy, killed in a 1972 car crash.

Child advocates have called the bill the most sweeping sex offender legislation to target pedophiles in years. It would:

•Establish a comprehensive federal DNA database of material collected from convicted molesters.
•Provide federal funding for states to track pedophiles using global positioning devices.
•Allow victims of child abuse to sue their molesters.