Every year, hundreds of thousands of children are reported missing. As a former Johnson County District Attorney, I have seen child abduction cases that ended up with the most horrible result -- the death of a child.

That’s why when I was elected to Congress in 1999, I worked with area government law enforcement officials to facilitate the creation of AMBER Alert in Kansas City and actively worked to bring the AMBER Alert system nationwide. The AMBER Alert is one of the best ways to help law enforcement and the community work together to ensure that child abductions have successful and happy endings.

It seems that each day brings a new product recall or warning. Please be sure to stay aware of new recalls by checking the internet or subscribing to an email notification list, such as those offered at www.recalls.gov or www.cpsc.gov.

Imports of consumer goods to our country have increased by 338% since 1974, the year the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was created. Yet the budget for that agency today is less than half what it was in that year. Our children deserve better. We should be doing all we can to ensure that safe toys, safe food, and safe medicine are available to our children.

For more information about legislation to address toy safety or more information on what you can do to keep your kids safe, click here.

H.R. 814, the Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act, is bipartisan legislation I introduced with Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Alabama) to require manufacturers of portable gasoline containers to provide child-resistant gas caps. These standards would protect young children from tragic, yet avoidable, accidents.

This problem first came to my attention after an incident in Leavenworth, Kansas, in which a four-year-old boy lost his life and his three-year-old brother was permanently scarred after they opened and spilled a gas can. The gasoline vapors were ignited by a hot water heater. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident.

Over an eleven-year period, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is aware of 33 cases that have resulted in 19 deaths that could have been avoided with child-resistant gas caps. In 2001, 1200 children went to emergency room with these burn injuries.

For less than $1.00, we can help save children from severe burn injuries or worse: death. That’s why I’m proud that this common-sense measure was signed into law on July 17, 2008.

On January 16, 2007, Rep. Jerry Moran from western Kansas and I introduced legislation to allow the federal government to revoke the existing passport of any parent who falls $2,500 behind in his or her child support payments.

Under current law, non-custodial parents who owe $2,500 or more in child support payments are restricted from receiving new passports, but may keep their current passport. This situation has allowed a parent to flee the country with an existing passport and avoid fulfilling child support responsibilities to his or her children.

As a parent and grandparent, I can’t imagine that anyone would choose to neglect or abandon their child, but I know that it happens in our country. Clearly, the consequences we have in place are not getting through to some parents. This legislation will help ensure that parents fulfill their obligations to their children and that all children have an opportunity to reach their full potential.

Drowning is the second leading cause of childhood death by injury in the United States. In 2003, 782 children under 14 years of age died as a result of drowning, 40% of which took place in swimming pools. Research shows that proper fences would prevent 50-90% of pool drownings and near drownings.

On March 27, 2007, Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and I introduced H.R. 1721, the Pool and Spa Safety Act (PSSA), as a response to the tragic loss of many children's lives to pool and spa drownings. This bill, which is now law, establishes a $5 million yearly grant program to encourage states to adopt comprehensive pool safety legislation and to institute drowning prevention programs.

After serving as Johnson County District Attorney for twelve years and seeing far too many child victims, I have worked diligently to ensure that child abusers are not given another opportunity to harm a child. The recent and unfortunate deaths of Jessica Lunsford, Megan Kanka, and Jacob Wetterling, among many other children over the past several years, at the hands of sex offenders have called Congress’ attention to the need for reforming federal laws to protect our children.

One measure I cosponsored, which became law on July 27, 2006, is the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. This law creates a uniform system for registering sex offenders in order to aid public access, strengthens the punishments for these offenders, and funds prevention programs.

Specifically, this law makes failing to register or failing to keep registry information current a federal crime and lengthens the time during which the most serious offenders must continue to register to life, up from a minimum of 10 years. Additionally, offenders have to meet with officials to update their registry photograph and verify their personal information, ranging from once every year to every three months, depending on their offense.

I am also introduced legislation to clarify current sex offender registration laws and close a technical loophole that allows certain convicted sex offenders to avoid registering with state and local authorities. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, as many as 80,000 sex offenders are currently not complying with existing registration laws.

A federal judge in Kansas City recently ordered the release of a 59-year-old man convicted of multiple counts of sexual abuse, molestation and kidnapping of children and young women. The man failed to notify local officials of his move from Iowa to the Kansas City metropolitan area, but the judge ruled in his favor based on the loophole in a federal law.

My legislation would make a technical change to the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, making it clear that Congress intended to require all convicted sex offenders to register with the appropriate local or state authorities.

My colleagues and I continue to fight for proper funding of the Victims of Child Abuse Act, which provides funding to the National Children's Alliance, local Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) and the four Regional CAC programs.

CACs are public-private community partnerships that bring together law enforcement, prosecutors, child protective services and the medical and mental health professions to investigate cases of severe child abuse. Since 1992, federal funding has helped in the establishment and maintenance of more than 600 Children's Advocacy Center programs in communities across the country. The number of children helped by CACs has dramatically increased in recent years from 100,539 in 2000 to more than 170,000 in 2006.

Continued funding for the Victims of Child Abuse Act ensures swift prosecutions for offenders, fewer victimizations and ultimately safer communities.