mr. chairman , i rise in opposition to h.r. 3132 , the children 's safety act of 2005 .  once again , this congress is attempting to address a very serious and complicated problem with a law that substitutes the talking points of `` tough on crime '' politicians for the wisdom of judges , prosecutors , treatment professionals and child advocates .  as a father and someone who has fought for better foster care , education , and health care for children , i object to this ill-conceived legislation that is as much an attack on our independent judiciary as it is a bill to protect kids .  many child advocates themselves oppose this bill because kids in grade school or junior high will be swept up alongside paroled adults in sex offender registries .  many caught in registries would be 13 and 14 year olds .  in some states , children 10 and under would be registered .  this bill creates 36 new mandatory minimum sentences , which impose the judgment of congress over every case , regardless of the circumstances .  the judicial conference of the united states and the u.s. sentencing commission have found that mandatory minimums actually have the opposite of their intended effect .  they `` destroy honesty in sentencing by encouraging plea bargains. '' they treat dissimilar offenders in a similar manner , even though there are vast differences in the seriousness of their conduct and their danger to society .  judges serve a very important role in criminal justice , and congress should not attempt to do their job for them .  finally , this bill expands the death penalty , which is not a deterrent , costs more to implement than life imprisonment , and runs the risk of executing the innocent .  nobody , especially the parents and victims of sexual abuse who have contacted me on this issue , should confuse my objections to this bad policy with indifference to the problem of child sex abuse in this country .  it is a huge problem , affecting millions of american children .  recent news stories prove that the registry system is n't working well .  i support aspects of this bill , including a strengthened nationwide registry for pedophiles , with strict requirements for reporting changes of address and punishments for failing to report .  i support establishing treatment programs for sex offenders in prison , background checks for foster parents , funding for computer systems to track sex crimes involving the internet , and , at last resort , procedures for committing sexually dangerous persons to secure treatment facilities .  however , i can not violate my constitutional duty to protect our independent judiciary nor can i support extreme , dangerous policies , so i will vote against this bill .  i hope that , working with the senate , we can improve this legislation and implement the policies that everyone agrees are needed without the unintended consequences of the bill in its current form .  