mr. chairman , i support h.r. 3132 .  it is an important bill that will help ensure the safety of american children against sexual predators .  in recent months we have heard all too often about the innocent lives of children being shattered by an adult who sexually abuses the child .  we are all familiar with the cases , some of which have been mentioned today , such as jessica lunsford who was kidnapped , held captive , abused and tortured for 3 days by a convicted sex offender who ultimately killed her by burying her alive .  and there was the case of 8-year-old shasta groene who was kidnapped , sexually abused , and held captive for weeks by a convicted sex offender who murdered her family .  these stories are atrocious and that is why congress is acting to further protect american children with the children 's safety act .  the bill requires jurisdiction-wide sex offender registries containing information like where the sex offender resides and is employed or attends school .  the bill requires a sex offender to appear in person at least once every 6 months to verify their registration information .  the bill also creates a new federal crime for failure to register as a sex offender and sets the mandatory minimum for that offense at 5 years and a maximum of 20 years .  the bill sets other mandatory minimum sentences for crimes of violence against children like murder , kidnapping , maiming , aggravated sexual abuse , sexual abuse or where the crime results in serious bodily injury .  the statistics surrounding child sexual abuse are astonishing -- 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys are sexually exploited before they reach adulthood .  and one of every six sexually assaulted victims is under the age of 6. we must protect our children by every possible means .  the children 's safety act of 2005 will help us do so and for that reason i support this legislation .  