pd05my03 The President's Radio Address...

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Supreme Court of the United States, and State and Federal appeals 
courts. He will be an outstanding Court of Appeals Judge and will serve 
the American people well.
    All judicial nominees should receive a timely up-or-down vote in the 
Senate. Mr. Sutton was nominated on May 9, 2001, and waited more than 23 
months for this vote. Five of the 11 nominees I submitted to the Senate 
on May 9, 2001, still have not received votes. Some in the Senate are 
now engaging in unprecedented filibusters to prevent votes on two 
outstanding circuit nominees I submitted on May 9, 2001, Miguel Estrada 
and Priscilla Owen.
    The delays in the Senate confirmation process deter good people from 
seeking to serve on the bench and create a vacancy crisis in the Federal 
courts that harms the American people. As I have said before, I call on 
the Senate to perform its Constitutional responsibility to hold timely 
up-or-down votes on all judicial nominees, no matter who is President or 
which party controls the Senate.


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[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
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[Page 500-502]
 
Pages 491-529
 
Week Ending Friday, May 2, 2003
 
Remarks Honoring the National Teacher of the Year

April 30, 2003

    The President. Please be seated. Welcome to the First Lady's Garden. 
It's an appropriate place to honor some of our Nation's finest citizens. 
After all, the First Lady was and is a teacher, and I'm glad she said 
yes. [Laughter]
    I want to thank the teachers, who have traveled from all over the 
country, for being here today. Thank you for your dedication. Thank you 
for your hard and rewarding work. The 54 teachers we honor today deserve 
the respect and the gratitude of our entire Nation. This is our way of 
thanking you all for your dedication, your service, and your love. 
Welcome to Washington.
    I want to thank the Secretary of Education for joining us up here. 
When I picked the Secretary of Education, I wanted somebody who knew 
something about public education. I wasn't interested in a theorist. I 
was interested in finding a hands-on person. I knew Rod Paige when I was 
the Governor of the State of Texas, and he was the superintendent of the 
Houston Independent School District. He set high standards for every 
child in that district. He worked hard with teachers to achieve those 
standards. I really want to thank Rod for the job he did in Texas and, 
as importantly, for the job he's doing for America. Mr. Secretary, 
welcome.
    We've got some fine Members of the United States Congress with us 
today: from the State of Georgia, Senator Miller and Senator Saxby 
Chambliss--thank you, Zell and Saxby, for coming; from the State of 
North Dakota, Senator Dorgan and Senator Conrad--I'm honored to see both 
of you all; Senator Jeff Sessions and Senator Richard Shelby from the 
State of Alabama. It turns out that some of the finalists are from these 
States. [Laughter] And these Senators and Members of the House are here 
to join with Laura and me in thanking you all for your hard work. From 
the House of Representatives: Artur Davis from the State of Alabama; Mac 
Collins from the State of Georgia; Richard Burr from the State of North 
Carolina; Earl Pomeroy from the State of North Dakota; and Spencer 
Bachus, who happens to the be the Congressman of the particular lady 
standing up next to me. Thank you all for coming. Thank you for your 
service and your dedication to education.
    I do want to congratulate the National Teacher of the Year 
finalists: Lorraine Johnson of Newnan, Georgia; Melissa Bartlett of 
Statesville, North Carolina; Jennifer Montgomery of Bismarck, North 
Dakota; and Betsy Rogers. I'm going to have a little more to say about 
her later. I'm not going to tell you who won yet--[laughter]--but they 
might have figured it out. [Laughter]
    I want to thank Tom Houlihan, who is the executive director of the 
Council of Chief State School Officers. I appreciate your service so 
very much. And I want to thank the Council of State School Officers and 
Scholastic, Inc. for organizing this annual event

[[Page 501]]

to recognize our fine teachers. I also want to thank Edward Richardson, 
who's the chief State school officer from Alabama, Ray Simon from 
Arkansas, and Kent King from the State of Missouri for joining us as 
well.
    The teachers we honor today come from many different backgrounds, 
from every part of this country. What unites them all is the deep 
conviction that every child can learn if given the chance. We honor them 
because they are willing to raise high expectations, to raise the 
standards for every child, because they know that with high expectations 
each child can rise to meet them.
    When I campaigned for President, I used to say one of the 
commitments I would make is we would challenge the soft bigotry of low 
expectations. You all have challenged the soft bigotry by setting high 
standards. You believed in the worth of every child. A good teacher 
believes in the possibilities of every boy and girl. A good teacher sees 
what is possible, and a good teacher believes in the responsibility of 
every school to bring out the best in every student.
    In 2001, we passed what's called the No Child Left Behind 
legislation. I love that phrase, because it's a commitment of our Nation 
to make sure that not only does every child excel but no child gets left 
behind. Members of both parties, both Republicans and Democrats, came 
together to pass this law. Inherent in the law is the vision of high 
standards and money to meet the standards and historic reforms, all of 
which put the education decisions of America in the hands of teachers 
and principals and local officials.
    But we also said that as we seek excellence for every child, we must 
design accountability systems at the State level to determine whether or 
not each child is learning. In order to make sure no child gets left 
behind, we must understand whether or not each child is learning to read 
and write and add and subtract. And if they are, there will be plenty of 
praise. And if they're not, we will work to design programs to make sure 
no child gets left behind.
    That's the crux of the law. Every State met the law's January 31st 
deadline for submitting their accountability plans for approval. I'm 
pleased to announce today that Secretary Paige has approved plans from 
Arkansas, Missouri, and Washington State, which bring the total number 
of approved plans to 16, covering 16 million children in public schools 
across America.
    Secretary Paige and his Department will continue working with the 
rest of the States to get the plans approved quickly as possible. People 
are responding to the challenge at the local level. People are beginning 
to develop the accountability systems to show your States and your 
communities that you're doing your job, leaving no doubt in the minds of 
the parents and taxpayers and citizens--some of whom praise public 
schools, some of whom are critical of public schools--that in fact, 
you're performing. They will understand why you're here being honored in 
Washington, DC, as one of the top 54 teachers around our country.
    Education reform depends on good laws and good plans, but you and I 
know it ultimately depends upon good teachers. Last June, States 
submitted to the Department of Education strategies for ensuring that 
all teachers are highly qualified. By this September, States will assess 
the programs they expect to make by 2005 and 2006 school year. And the 
Department is working with States to help teachers meet new definitions 
of teacher quality, so that every classroom will have a well-trained, 
highly effective teacher like you all.
    Our 2003 National Teacher of the Year is an example of the highest 
professional standards and the finest personal qualities. Betsy Rogers 
teaches first and second grade students in Leeds, Alabama. She is an 
accomplished teacher with 22 years in the profession who could have her 
pick of any school; yet, she chooses to teach in a school in an 
underprivileged rural area because she believes that devoted teachers 
and principals can make a difference in the lives of students from every 
background.
    Teaching is a tradition in Betsy's family. Her grandmother was a 
teacher. Her mother taught Sunday school for 50 years. In her own 
career, Betsy Rogers is known for a commitment to students that goes 
beyond school hours. She gives before-school tutoring to students who 
need extra help learning to read and volunteers on school committees 
after hours. She attends sporting events and

[[Page 502]]

birthday parties for her students. She helps the families of 
disadvantaged students through local church and community groups.
    Betsy also encourages her students to help each other. As she puts 
it, ``No matter what your circumstances in life, you can always give.'' 
Teachers like Betsy Rogers put children on the road to becoming good 
citizens and, as importantly, successful adults. They show students that 
there are a lot of caring people ready to help along the way.
    I thank every one of our Teachers of the Year for your determination 
and your love. Each of you is an example of excellence in the classroom. 
Each of you is a model for a young teacher to follow. And your students 
are fortunate to have talented and good-hearted people in their lives, 
and our Nation is fortunate to have you in the classroom.
    Thank you for your work. May God bless what you do. And now I'm 
pleased to introduce the National Teacher of the Year, Betsy Rogers.

[At this point, Helen Elizabeth Dawson Rogers made brief remarks.]

    The President. Thank you all for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 11:25 a.m. in the First Lady's Garden at 
the White House. The transcript released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary also included the remarks of Helen Elizabeth Dawson Rogers.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 502-504]
 
Pages 491-529
 
Week Ending Friday, May 2, 2003
 
Remarks on Signing the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the 
Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003

April 30, 2003

    Thanks a lot for the warm welcome, and welcome to the Rose Garden in 
the White House. What a beautiful day. I'm glad you all are here, and 
I'm pleased that you could join us on a day a vital piece of legislation 
becomes the law of the land.
    I appreciate the hard work of the Congress. I want to thank the 
Members of the Congress, the Senate, who are here and the Members of the 
House of Representatives who are here. I want to thank you all for your 
very hard work in getting this bill to my desk as quickly as you did.
    This law, the PROTECT Act of 2003, will greatly assist law 
enforcement in tracking criminals who would harm our children and will 
greatly help in rescuing the youngest victims of crime. With my 
signature, this new law will formally establish the Federal Government's 
role in the Amber Alert system and will make punishment for Federal 
crimes against children more severe.
    This law carries forward a fundamental responsibility of public 
officials at every level of government to do everything we can to 
protect the most vulnerable citizens from dangerous offenders who prey 
on them.
    I want to thank our Attorney General, John Ashcroft, for his 
leadership on this issue. He is strong. He is steady, and he will see to 
it that this law is executed in its fullest.
    I appreciate so very much Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, chairman of 
the House Judiciary Committee, who worked hard to make sure this bill 
encompassed a lot, that it fulfilled a lot, that it met the aspirations 
of those who are anxious to make sure our children are protected. 
Chairman, you did fine work. Thank you very much.
    I appreciate the members of your committee who are here today, and I 
appreciate the fact that chairman Senator Orrin Hatch is with us as 
well, who shepherded the bill through the United States Senate in record 
time. Mr. Chairman, thank you for your hard work as well.
    I appreciate my friend, the Governor of Connecticut, Johnny Rowland, 
being with us today. Johnny, thank you. Thank you for your concerns 
about the children of the State of Ohio--of Connecticut. The attorney 
general, Jerry Kilgore, is here from the Commonwealth of Virginia. 
Attorney General, thanks for coming. Of course it's always good to see 
the Mayor--the Mayor of Washington, DC, Anthony Williams. There are no 
potholes in front of the White House today. [Laughter] It's good to see 
you, Mr. Mayor.
    Also with us today are some families who understand better than most 
the need for this law. In your great suffering and loss, you have found 
the courage to come to the defense of all children. Because of you, this 
critical measure is now becoming law. Because of you, children and 
parents you may never

[[Page 503]]

meet will be spared from the harm and anguish your families have known. 
We are honored to have you all here today.
    When a child is reported missing, that case becomes the matter of 
the most intensive and focused efforts by law enforcement. Entire 
communities join in the search, and through unrelenting efforts, many 
children have been saved.
    Amber Alerts have become an increasingly important tool in rescuing 
kidnapped children, by quickly getting key information about the missing 
child and information about the suspect out into the public through 
radio broadcasts or highway signs or other means. An Amber Alert adds 
thousands of citizens to the search in the crucial early hours.
    At present, statewide Amber Alert systems exist in 41 States. The 
bill I will sign this afternoon authorizes matching grants to those and 
other States to help ensure that we have effective Amber Alerts wherever 
they are needed.
    Last year, at my direction, Attorney General John Ashcroft appointed 
an Amber Alert coordinator to oversee this nationwide effort. This new 
law formally establishes that position and empowers the coordinator to 
set clear and uniform voluntary standards for the use of Amber Alerts 
across our country.
    It is important to expand the Amber Alert systems so police and 
sheriffs' departments gain thousands or even millions of allies in the 
search for missing children. Every person who would think of abducting a 
child can know that a wide net will be cast. They may be found by a 
police cruiser or by the car right next to them on a highway. These 
criminals can know that any driver they pass could be the one that spots 
them and brings them to justice.
    This is exactly what happened last summer in California when several 
drivers heard an Amber Alert over the radio and soon passed a vehicle 
meeting the description they heard. Within hours, two teenage girls were 
rescued and their abductor cornered by the police. We're so happy these 
two young ladies are healthy and with us today, Tamara Brooks and 
Jacqueline Marris.
    Tamara's brother is somewhere around here. He showed me--guess what 
happened to him today? One, he brings his little sister to the White 
House, and secondly, today he was accepted to West Point. He's following 
in the footsteps of two older sisters.
    The new law also confronts an evil that is too often a cause of 
child abuse and abduction in America, the evil of child pornography. In 
the past, prosecutors have been hindered by not having all the tools 
needed to prosecute criminals who create child pornography. Under the 
PROTECT Act, we've seen images of children, even those created with 
computer technology, will now be illegal, giving prosecutors an 
important new tool. Obscene images of children, no matter how they are 
made, incite abuse, raise the dangers to children, and will not be 
tolerated in America.
    The new law will also strengthen Federal penalties for child 
kidnaping and other crimes against the young. Judges will now have the 
authority to require longer supervision of sex offenders who are 
released from prison. And certain repeat sex offenders in our society 
will now face life behind bars, so they can never do harm again.
    In addition, this law creates important pilot programs to help 
nonprofit organizations which deal with children to obtain quick and 
complete criminal background information on volunteers. Listen, 
mentoring programs are essential for our country, and we must make sure 
they are safe for the children they serve.
    Amber Hagerman, whose mom is with us today--a good Texan, I might 
add--was 9 years old when she was taken away from her parents. We are 
acting today in her memory and in the memory of so many other girls and 
boys who lost their lives in innocence and acts of cruelty.
    No child should ever have to experience the terror of abduction, or 
worse. No family should ever have to endure the nightmare of losing a 

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