Thursday, July 20, 2006

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Floor Statement on the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006
Remarks as Delivered on the Senate Floor

Mr. President, I thank the Senators for their courtesy. I thank Senator Hatch from Utah and his committee for incorporating in this very important bill provisions known as Masha's law. I was privileged to join, as an original cosponsor, with Senator Kerry on Masha's law.

Masha is a young lady who, at an early age in Russia, was adopted by an American citizen who became her custodian. He brought her to the United States and, systematically and over a protracted period of time, abused her and put her photographs over the Internet in enormous numbers. Masha, fortunately, after a sustained period of time, was able to escape his custody. A case was filed against him. He was indicted and convicted and today is incarcerated in Massachusetts.

Masha is, fortunately, now living in a loving home in Georgia and has a wonderful mother who is truly an angel of adoption in every way.

In researching this case, we found that young Masha, and many others like her who have been abused in their lives, could not even recover under the laws as they existed. What Masha's law does, and what is incorporated in here, is it changes ``any minor'' to ``any person,'' so that if a minor is depicted in photographs pornographically that are distributed over the Internet, but by the time the abuser is caught, the minor is an adult, they can still recover. They cannot now, and that is ridiculous. It makes sure that recovery on the part of a minor can take place when they become an adult, whether or not the guilty person is incarcerated. It raises from $50,000 to $150,000 the penalty for which that individual can be recompensated if, in fact, someone who depicts that picture and puts it on the Internet and uses them is caught and convicted. That compensation is to be paid to the individual.

Although I don't think there is any price too high to cost an individual who would take advantage of a minor, I think it is only appropriate to triple that penalty and make sure that reaching the age of adulthood does not exempt someone from recovery. It is a tribute to continuing to do what this bill does, and that is look after the protection of minors and ensure that those who violate them are caught and punished and have to pay to the maximum extent.