Dianne Feinstein: “I rise today for two reasons. First, I want to talk about two little girls whose short lives have had an impact far…”

“I rise today for two reasons. First, I want to talk about two little girls whose short lives have had an impact far beyond their youthful imaginings. Unlike their families and friends, we do not know them for the love they gave, nor do we know of them for their academic ability or artistic talents. Sadly, unlike their families and friends, we did not know them while they were alive--we know them only because of their tragic deaths. The second reason I rise today is to introduce legislation with Senator Hutchison which is designed to prevent other children from suffering their fate, the Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act of 1996. The first little girl I want to tell you about is Polly Klaas. Many people throughout our Nation have come to know about this 12-year-old girl from Petaluma, CA, a small, close-knit community north of San Francisco, and the tragic circumstances of her death. Polly was kidnaped from her bedroom on October 1, 1993, by a bearded, knife-wielding man who tied her up and threatened to slit her friends' throats as her mother slept in a nearby room.”