mr. chairman , i rise in support of the children 's safety act ; and i offer this amendment , which i believe is acceptable to the chair and which i believe also is in the best interest of our communities . 
today , mr. chairman , we consider a bill that sets serious penalties for sex offenders . 
i want to thank the chairman , the gentleman from wisconsin ( mr. sensenbrenner ) xz4003650 , for bringing this bill up ; and of course i also want to thank the ranking members , the gentleman from michigan ( mr. conyers ) xz4000800 and the gentleman from virginia ( mr. scott ) xz4003641 , for considering this bill and the amendments . 
mr. chairman , we all agree such offenses are tragic , with effects that scar victims for a lifetime . 
i am proud this body is considering tough legislation that punishes sex offenders who prey upon youth and innocence . 
the sex offender registry is a critical tool that helps protect our communities from sexual predators . 
it allows local law enforcement officers and probation and parole authorities to keep current information about the residence , work , and student information of a sex offender . 
