Bob Dole: “late last evening H.R. 2137 passed the House, I think, unanimously. It is Megan's law, plus some other additions to help…”

“late last evening H.R. 2137 passed the House, I think, unanimously. It is Megan's law, plus some other additions to help protect our Nation's children from sexual predators. The vote was 418 to 0. Known as Megan's law, it strengthens the existing law to require all 50 States to notify communities of the presence of convicted sex offenders who might pose a danger to children. In 1994 the crime bill was lobbied not to require States to take such steps. Since that time, 49 States have enacted sex offender registration laws, and 30 have adopted community notification provisions, but not all States have taken the necessary steps to require such notification. And this is a tragedy in the making. It seems to me that we can prevent this from happening and we can take action now. I do not know any reason to hesitate. So I am going to ask consent when I finish that we bring it up and pass the bill. But every parent in America knows the fear and the doubts he or she suffers worrying about the safety of their children. Parents understand that their children cannot know how truly evil some people are. They know that no matter how hard they try, they cannot be with their children every second of the day. A second is all it takes for tragedy to strike. We have an obligation to ensure that those who committed such crimes will not be able to do so again. This is a limited measure, but an absolutely necessary one.”