Date: 2009-06-09
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. it is hard to believe that it was 25 years ago that this Congress worked to facilitate the establishment of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. I recall being on the subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee when John Walsh and his. wife testified before us. It was at a time When they did not know who had murdered their child. It was at a time in this country .where we specifically prohibited the use of the FBI in attempting to participate in any activities to try and find missing children. We had a statutory delay for any participation by the FBI. There was a lack of coordination that was not only in existence. but was promoted by law at that time. . And I recall. after John Walsh and his wife testified before us. the shrugging of shoulders by some who basically had to tell the Walshes that there was nothing that we could do here on the Federal level. JohlaWalsh and his wife did not take that as an answer. They spoke to many of us here in the Chamber. but actually those of us on the subcommittee and committee at that time. and challenged us to try and find a way to make it possible that we could have a seamless web between the Federal Government. the State government and local government when the question was a missing child. And the strength and persistence of that couple. combined with others who joined them around the country was extraordinary at that time. It seems so commonplace now for us to talk about the 25th anniversary of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It seems so commonplace for us to talk about hundreds of thousands of children being reported missing yearly. and the fact that there was almost a collective shrug of the shoulder at that time saying. it is a terrible tragedy. but theres nothing we can do about it. It seems so commonplace now that when a child is missing. with all of the various laws that have followed after the creation of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. that almost instantaneously you have law enforcement across the board communicating with one another and creating a mechanism by which there can be the exchange of information and the encouragement of the exchange of information so that we can find these children. One thing we knew 25 years ago. and it remains the same today. the sooner you know that a child is missing. the better the chances are of being able to find that child. The sooner you have law enforcement involved. along with the communities. the better the chances are that you will have a successful recovery of that child and a successful reuniting of that family. So I hope people understand why we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and that it has been * the result of thousands upon thousands of people working for this effort. Had it not been for a single couple. the Walshes. who. out of tragedy. decided to make something positive. had it not been for them coming here to the Congress and insisting that we look at this issue and insisting that there was something that can be done and insisting that just because we used to do it the old way was no reason or no excuse for not trying to do something different. had it not been for them. we wouldnot be celebrating the 25th anniversary. nor would we be celebrating the thousands upon thousands of successful reunitings that have taken place around this country. So this is a wonderful recognition of the center. but I hope it will also be a tremendous recognition of the contributions made by two wonderful Americans. the Walshes.