Jim Sensenbrenner: “I support this amendment as an important step to stop the exploitation of our children. This amendment is directly…”

“I support this amendment as an important step to stop the exploitation of our children. This amendment is directly connected to the abduction of children, since children are abducted and sold into the sex industry for both pornography and for prostitution. The amendment addresses growing challenges to the government's ability to prosecute child pornographers. It also includes a provision to address child pornography that is produced overseas to be distributed in the United States. The exploitation of any child is unacceptable, and the United States must take affirmative steps to prevent this exploitation wherever it occurs. The amendment is essentially the same as the Child Obscenity and Pornography Prevention Act, which passed the House in the last Congress by a vote of 413 to 8. This legislation had strong bipartisan support. Congress understood then what has become even more clear now, that this legislation ensures the enforceability of existing child pornography laws. During the 1990s, advances in computer technology threatened the government's ability to protect real children.”