Senate Concurrent Resolution 596

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION DESIGNATING MAY 25, 2007, AS "MISSISSIPPI MISSING CHILDREN'S DAY" TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF THE ISSUE OF MISSING CHILDREN.

WHEREAS, each year hundreds of thousands of American families are confronted with a unique tragedy -- a missing child. While most of these children return home safely, far too many are exposed to serious danger and exploitation. Often the child's fate is never known. During the child's disappearance, the family faces an ordeal of imagined horrors and unknown consequences. Finding and safely returning these children to their homes has become a national concern; and

WHEREAS, the date of May 25 has particular significance in the cause of missing children. On that day in 1979, six year old Etan Patz disappeared from his home in New York City. Unfortunately, Etan was never found. His brave parents fought to increase our awareness of this tragedy and to improve the agencies that work to solve this unique type of crime. On May 25, 1983, President Ronald Reagan issued a Proclamation declaring "National Missing Children's Day" to direct national resources and efforts to this worthy goal; and

WHEREAS, our children are Mississippi's most valuable and most vulnerable asset. They are our link to the future, our hope for a better life. Their protection and safety must be one of our highest priorities; and

WHEREAS, the striking mobility of our society has created special difficulties for the law enforcement agencies that must deal with crimes involving children, particularly so in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The solution to this problem demands the attention and cooperation of all our law enforcement agencies, city, state, and local; and

WHEREAS, the tragedies of missing children and others exposes a fundamental flaw. There is no coordinated effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement; no national response system in place; and no central resource to help searching families. When it comes to handling missing-children cases, the United States is a nation of 50 states often acting like 50 separate countries; and

WHEREAS, Mississippi stands today as a state of optimism, a state of enduring possibilities. It is a state where we work relentlessly, furthering the excellence of tomorrow; excellence that will be nurtured through our children-tomorrow's potential and our brightest promise for the future:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby (a) designate May 25, 2007, as "Mississippi Missing Children's Day" to bring and increase awareness of the issue of missing children, (b) urge officials at all levels of Mississippi government to take decisive action to ensure the safety and protection of the children in their respective jurisdictions, (c) urge all our law enforcement agencies to take particular notice of the danger that threatens any child who has lost his or her home, and (d) urge every Mississippi family to take the proper precautions to protect their children.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be forwarded to the Department of Human Services for dissemination to the appropriate missing children advocacy groups and recovery centers and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.