Protecting Children and Families

The Jeff Merkley Plan to Protect Children and Families from Violent Crime

Merkley Will Fight Meth

Jeff Merkley understands that the meth epidemic has ravaged our communities causing increases in child abuse, property crime and identify theft. Recognizing this serious problem, Merkley created stiffer penalties for meth producers and restricted the availability of key meth ingredients by making certain cold medicines available only with a prescription.

* Increase federal resources to prosecute meth producers

In the U.S. Senate, Merkley will work to launch a national crackdown on meth use by adding more federal prosecutors in Oregon and agents from the Drug Enforcement, to ensure that Oregon and other states in the region get their fair share of federal anti-drug funding.

* Overhaul drug treatment programs

The nation's drug treatment system is failing to deal with meth, fueling property crime, identity theft, and violent crime. As a Senator, Merkley will help lead a major overhaul of how drug treatment programs are conducted - investing in proven, successful meth programs at the local, state and federal levels.

* Strengthen sentences for property crime and identity theft

To stop meth addicts who commit crimes to fund their drug use, Merkley will support tough, mandatory sentences for persons who violate federal drug trafficking laws.

Merkley Will Crack Down on Sex Offenders

In the U.S. Senate, Merkley will continue his work to protect our kids from sex offenders on the streets and online. Merkley will:

* Increase supervision of registered sex offenders

Merkley will push the federal government to help local law enforcement protect our kids from registered sex offenders. Many communities in Oregon and across the country lack the funding needed to supervise some of the most dangerous sex predators. Merkley will fight for more federal funds for states to help local law enforcement protect children from sex offenders.

* Strengthen child pornography laws

Currently federal law only bans child pornography that is shipped across state or international borders. Merkley will work to expand the definition of "child sexual exploitation" and "child pornography" to include criminal activities that "affect" interstate or foreign commerce. He will introduce the Effective Child Pornography Prosecution Act in the Senate which passed the House last year.

* Require sex offenders to register their online identifiers

As more of our children access the internet, sex offenders are going online and threatening their safety. Merkley will champion tough new legislation to crack down on internet predators that threaten our kids.

Merkley will work to expand the National Sex Offender Registry to include email addresses, websites, social networking site usernames, and other online identifiers. Registered sex offenders will be required to provide this information just like they provide their current address.

* Ban online impersonation of children

Another growing threat online are adults soliciting and harassing children by portraying themselves as other children. As Speaker, Merkley made it a crime for an adult to solicit a child online. In the U.S. Senate, Merkley will work to make it a federal crime for an adult to solicit or harass children online.

Merkley Will Add 50,000 More Police on the Street

Merkley will reverse the cuts Smith has made and fight to add 50,000 more police officers on America's streets. With more police on the streets, our communities will be able to stem the tide of violent crime in America's cities. In the 1990's the Clinton Administration added 100,000 police officers to America's streets through the COPS program, reducing crime rates to historic lows.

Gordon Smith, the Bush Administration and others have slashed this funding decimating many of Oregon's police departments.

* Portland's Police Bureau is understaffed by at least 40 positions;

* Gresham faces the potential of being short 70 officers in the next few years;

* Forest Grove is understaffed;

* TriMet is understaffed by about 150 officers;

* Lane County is understaffed, which has led to a rise in crime there.

[The Oregonian, 6/12/08; The Oregonian, 3/6/08; The Oregonian, 1/24/08; University Wire, 1/10/08]

Merkley will restore the damage that has been done, adding police officers Oregon needs to keep communities safe.

Merkley Will Protect Victims of Violent Crime

As Oregon's Senator, Jeff Merkley will work to ensure that crime victims get the support they need. By fully funding Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), Merkley will ensure that state and local authorities have the resources to provide counseling, health care, outreach, emergency travel, and other support for crime victims and their families, particularly in rural areas, where victims are most isolated.

VOCA is not taxpayer funded. It is supported by fines and penalties paid by federal criminals. Yet Gordon Smith and the Bush Administration have failed to fully fund the program, diverting revenue to pay for other budget items.

Merkley Will Increase DNA Technology

Merkley created 15 new forensic lab positions to eliminate the backlog of DNA samples that must be analyzed for the state criminal forensics database. States all across the country are facing similar backlogs. DNA evidence in these states could help convict criminals that may now be located in Oregon. Merkley will champion efforts at the federal level to help state and local law enforcement address DNA backlogs across the country.

More Information on Merkley and Protecting Children and Families

• Merkley, Kroger, Schrader to Crack Down on Meth, Sex Offenders
• Merkley Unveils Plan to Protect Children and Families from Violent Crime
• Humane Society Legislative Fund Endorses Jeff Merkley - Champion for Animal Welfare
• Merkley Praises Dodd's Successful Effort to Protect American's Privacy

News on Merkley and Protecting Children and Families

• Merkley sounds off on FISA at Daily Kos

Posted July 14, 2008
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