Sex Offenders and Bird Flu were causing my brain to swell in 2005

Dear Tricia,

Thank you for contacting me. I appreciate hearing from you and share your concern with pandemic influenza preparedness and our current system of monitoring sex offenders.

As you know, I was able to include $25 million in the emergency supplemental appropriations bill for international efforts to prevent and respond to outbreaks of the avian flu. That bill is now law. I was also able to add $10 million in the pending Foreign Operations Appropriations bill to expand on these efforts, and I am hopeful that this appropriation will become law shortly.

Regarding the sex crime offender, the recent tragedy of the Groene family has brought to light the dire need for improvements in our monitoring system. To that end, S.792, Dru's Law, has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this critical piece of legislation, which passed out of the U.S. Senate last year with the unanimous consent of all senators, but was unfortunately never passed into the House of Representatives.

Dru's Law would create a truly national sex offender registry, which would be searchable by zip code for all offenders in an area, regardless of state lines. Our current system is unable to adequately track offenders who move from state to state. Dru's Law would also require the notification of the State's Attorneys upon the release of a high-risk offender who has served a full sentence, so as to consider a civil commitment. Additionally, released offenders would be tracked and monitored for at least one year through electronic bracelet, monitoring by a parole officer, or other appropriate means. This information would strengthen existing mechanisms to prevent future instances of abuse.

Dru's Law could have helped notify the Groene family and the community of Mr. Duncan's whereabouts and past. As your U.S. Senator and a father of two young daughters, I understand the need to do everything in our power to protect our children, and I view Dru's Law as critical in this effort. Illinois Attorney General Madigan has also endorsed Dru's Law, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on this urgent matter.

Additionally, several other initiatives addressing this issue have also been introduced during the 109th session, such as the Sex Offender Registration Act, S.1086. If this legislation comes before the Senate for a vote, I will be sure to keep your views in mind.

Again, Tricia, thank you for writing, and please stay in touch in the days to come.

Sincerely,
Barack Obama
United States Senator
7/20/2005