Grandma's House

Finally! I received a response to an e-mail I sent Governor Matt Blunt earlier this month. I'm going to post it here in its entirety.

Dear Constituent:

Thank you for contacting me in regards to the State of Missouri's child sexual offense laws. Recently Bill O'Reilly of Fox News suggested that Missouri is "apathetic on child sex offender laws," and that I did not care about the issue.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Since I assumed office in January of this year, I have worked to ensure the safety of Missouri's children. As a new father, my deep commitment to protecting children has only grown.

My administration has taken every step to guard the safety of our children and I will continue to aggressively pursue the prevention and punishment of this horrific crime. Recently I signed a number of important pieces of new legislation to do just that.

These laws clarify beyond any doubt that a child shall not be placed or reunited with any person found guilty of specified sexual offenses. Additionally, a prior offender who sexually abuses a minor is now subject to lifetime supervision by the Board of Probation and Parole, including electronic monitoring using a global positioning system.

The law now also allows Missouri counties to post sex offenders' photos along with their information on their internet site. Allowing the public to put a face with the name of a registered sex offender will help all our citizens identify potential threats and help protect our children. To aid law enforcement and prosecutors, the state's DNA sampling program will be expanded to include offenders held in private facilities.

Finally, sexual offenders are now prohibited from obtaining licenses, such as real estate licenses, which would allow them access to peoples' homes. According to the Missouri Association of Realtors, Missouri may be among the first states to be proactive in this worthy cause.

Accompanying these new laws is our dramatically increased coordination with the AMBER Alert system. By rapidly and broadly disseminating information about a missing child we are able to maximize the chances of a safe return home.

After communicating with my staff, the producers of the Bill O'Reilly show correctly removed Missouri from the list of states that are soft on child sexual offenders. With the involvement of all our citizens and the support of our lawmakers, together we can protect our children and ensure the safety of their future.

Sincerely,

Matt Blunt

My thanks to the governor for answering my e-mail. I sincerely hope he continues working to protect the children of Missouri by backing the bill sponsored by Representative Sam Graves and committing to a similar bill on the state level.