Two Senate Committees and One House Committee have all voted unanimously to pass the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill.
Representative Marcelo Llorente, the Chairman of Florida’s House of Representatives’ Policy Council, is a compassionate advocate for children’s rights and their safety. As House Bill 787 and adjoining Senate Bill 1862 continue to gain unilateral bipartisan support in both of Florida’s legislative bodies, as best indicated by three unanimous committee votes of support (two in the Senate and one in the House), it is becoming clear lawmakers in Florida are demonstrating great leadership in advancing model legislation that would preempt the growing number of parental child abductions that occur in the state each year.
Next up for this promising legislative bill that would provide courts the ability and responsibility to consider risk factors associated with a potential parental child abduction, and, the ability to implement protocols and remedies that would preempt these criminal acts against children from occurring, is child advocate Chairman Llorente’s Policy Council. It is anticipated that Chairman Llorente, a rising star in Florida’s political arena who has aspirations to be elected the next mayor of Miami in 2011, will agenda Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ in the coming days. Throughout his impactful political career, which included being elected one of Florida’s youngest lawmakers ever, Representative Llorente has demonstrated a long history of acting for the best interest of children in the state.
Florida resident and one of the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill’s lead supporters, Captain William Lake, has been fighting desperately for nearly six years for the legal return of his young daughter who was criminally abducted to the international child abduction safe-harbor nation of Japan said, “April 11th will be my daughter’s 13th birthday. Over six years of her life have been stolen from the two of us. I am both sad that this bill wasn’t around to help me and happy that the passage of this into law will help prevent this kind of theft happening to any other parent and victimized child. As the plague of divorce sweeps across our nation, it’s time for the family courts to realize that the best interest of the child is just that: the best interest of the child. This bill will safeguard our children’s safety and their inalienable rights to the love of a parent who is desirous and capable of providing nurturing love and support back to that child.”
Carolyn Ann Vlk, the indefatigable Floridian mother from St. Petersburg who has written the model legislation after realizing the state of Florida had limited laws that would assist in preventing her child from being internationally abducted by the child’s other parent after repeated threats made to do so said, “It is undeniable that all children should be guaranteed the right to protection from abuse, harmful influences and exploitation. The unanimous approval the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ has received at both the Senate and the House levels illustrates that the policy makers of Florida agree. I remain hopeful that SB 1862 and HB 787 will soon become model legislation that can be utilized by other states to create or improve their child abduction prevention laws. We ask that you recognize our children’s often silent voices and contact your legislators today in support of this critical legislation.”
‘Chasing The Cyclone’ author and the producer/narrator of ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’ Peter Thomas Senese added, “It is common sense that preemptive action against any hardship may lead to a dramatic reduction or end all-together that hardship. In medicine, it is demonstrated and accepted that preemptive healthcare and healthy lifestyles reduces illness. In this same light, preemptive child abduction laws would dramatically reduce the number of crimes against both child and targeted parent. This is a common-sense bill for all involved, and the likely cost savings to the state would be substantial due to a reduction of resources allocated for court and law enforcement expenditures related to an actual abduction and the ensuing recovery efforts. Not mentioned is the massive – not substantial – but massive amount of money Chasing Parents who race across international borders would save when they attempt to rescue and bring safely home their child. Unfortunately, on international cases of child abduction, the victimized parent is on their own financially as there are limited government resources available to assist them in bringing their child home – even though these types of abductions typically break both state and federal law. Imagine that: your child is criminally stolen to a foreign country, and if you don’t have the financial resources to fight the fight, in more likelihood, you’ve lost your child. Now consider your child is stolen and taken outside of the country by the other parent, but you have no idea where the child is. Well, at that point, unless you privately raise an army to find your child, you will never see that son or daughter again. So, with great enthusiasm, I am very pleased to know that the lawmakers of Florida are listening to the voices of both abducted children and parents affected by the crime of abduction who have worked tirelessly to have this bill passed into law. The ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ is unquestionably in the best interest of the children of Florida. Finally, on a personal note I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the bill’s sponsors, Representative Darryl Rouson and Senator Eleanor Sobel, for their hard work and demonstrated leadership in their endless advocacy for children.”
Charles Hamilton, a Chasing Parent said, “My child was illegally internationally parentally kidnapped in December 1996 to Spain during a divorce in which the courts were alerted by me with substantial evidence that my former spouse was about to abduct my child. This included evidence of two one-way airline tickets in the name of my spouse and child. Unfortunately, the Spanish Embassy in Los Angeles issued my former spouse new passports, which made it very easy for my former spouse to steal my daughter, Dakota Carmen Hamilton. If preventive laws existed at the time, I am sure that the love of my life, my daughter, would not have been criminally abducted. Florida’s law is critical for the children of the state.”
Florida resident and writer of the groundbreaking Synclair-Cannon California state child abduction prevention law observed, “’The Child Abduction Prevention Act’ aims at hindering an escalating crime that victimizes thousands of children each year in Florida. Courts and legal experts concur that parental abduction is child abuse, yet the court system often ignores the blatant red flags of parental kidnappings. Because of the preemptive measures that HB 787/ SB 1862 offers, I believe Tallahassee has the answer to reduce the number of children illegally pulled away from their homes by giving the courts proper direction on how to stop this crime. This House and Senate bill must become law.”
According to various government and private institute reports, it is estimated that slightly under 400,000 parental child abductions occur in the United States each year. Of this, it is anticipated that nearly 10,000 international cases occur, many of which are not reported or accounted for.
Parental Child Abduction is a crime against innocent, defenseless children that are reliant upon laws in each state to protect their safety. The Florida ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill, if passed into law, will guard against child abduction in the state.
The children’s advocates and lawmakers who support this bill urge you to sign the petition in support of the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’. It can be found at www.floridachildabductionpreventionact.info
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Florida 's Child Abduction Prevention Act bill passes Senate Judiciary Committeee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26th, 2010
Tallahassee
Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ Bill Overwhelmingly Passes Crucial Senate Judiciary Committee. Momentum Grows For Bill’s Passage Into Law.
Hope grows for tens of thousands of children in Florida and hundreds of thousand of children in the nation as Florida Senate’s Judiciary Committee supports the Child Abduction Prevention Act bill.
After traveling 3,000 miles from Los Angeles, child advocate, successful Chasing Parent, producer and narrator of the ground-breaking documentary film ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’, and the author of the highly anticipated book publication ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ Peter Thomas Senese said after his impassioned testimony before the Florida Senate’s Judiciary Committee, “Today, I am extraordinarily pleased with the Florida Senate’s Judiciary Committee’s overwhelming decision to boldly share with the citizens of Florida, and for that matter, the world, that lawmakers in this great state are serious about preventing the intolerable, cruel, and at times deadly crime of parental child abduction hundreds of thousands of our defenseless and innocent child-citizens must painstakingly endure each year, that is of course, if they are lucky enough to survive their kidnapping all together. Under today’s exemplary leadership of Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Joe Negron, the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill was passed unanimously (9 Yeas and 0 Nay’s).
“Unquestionably, SB1862 and the House’s adjoining bill HB787, if passed into law, will provide courts and judges mandated with the responsibility to protect our children’s welfare and safety with the opportunity to consider apparent risk factors that are indicative that a parental child abduction is either planned or in progress, and, it further provides ways courts may act in order to preempt the criminal abduction of an unsuspecting, defenseless child from their targeted parent. Additionally, this bill, when passed into law, will place accountability onto the courts and its judges. No longer will the pleading voices of Florida’s citizens who come to court urgently seeking a judge’s assistance related to a planned or in progress abduction fall on deft ears. If this bill becomes law, everything changes.
“As a loving and committed father who extensively searched for my own child in multiple countries and who successfully litigated in several foreign jurisdictions, I cannot express how critical it is for preventative laws to be passed and upheld everywhere. Today, the state of Florida demonstrated great national and global leadership. On this note, I would like to personally thank the bill’s sponsor, Representative Darryl Rouson, who has worked tirelessly and stood unbowed in his campaign not only to educate the state’s other esteemed lawmakers about the growing worldwide epidemic that destroys many of the lives who cross its path, but to earnestly protect the lives of our children everywhere.”
Carolyn Ann Vlk, a remarkable mother desperately trying to prevent the international abduction of her own child, and, the critical bill’s author provided the Senate’s Committee testimony from the perspective of a parent attempting to prevent their child from being stolen overseas. Ms. Vlk said, “I am immensely pleased that the Florida Senate and House of Representatives members are realizing that child abduction prevention law is a necessity in the name of our children’s best interest. In today’s Senate Judiciary Committee’s unanimous vote to move the bill through committee, it is clear that our lawmakers are realizing the necessity of this bill.”
Captain William Lake, who presently is seeking for the rightful return of his child who was criminally abducted to the parental abductor safe-haven nation of Japan added, “As a father who has a criminally abducted daughter, Mary Victoria, residing illegally in Japan with her non-Japanese national mother, I cannot express how critical it is for the State of Florida as a whole to understand and address the issues at hand regarding international parental child abduction. Unquestionably, it is through preventive laws that we will realize a dramatic reduction in these types of crimes. I am very hopeful that the political leadership of my state of Florida is not only recognizing the importance of this bill, but voicing an opinion for the rest of the nation about the need to protect our children before a crime of abduction occurs against them.”
Child Advocate Representative Darryl Rouson, the House bill’s sponsor remarked, “I am extremely pleased with today’s Senate Judiciary Committee passage of the Child Abduction Prevention Act bill. Obviously there is more work to do; however, it is becoming clearer by the day that my fellow lawmakers realize just how critical this bill is for all children residing in the state of Florida. Unquestionably, when the Child Abduction Prevention Act becomes law, the safety of our children in this state will increase substantially. And that, our children’s safety, is what this is all about.”
‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’ Co-Producer and author of ‘Throwing Stones’ Ken Connelly said, “I am very happy not only for the children-citizens of Florida, but also for children in America and all struggling parents left behind. The passage of this bill through this critical committee makes the work that I as well as the work of other advocates well worth it. However, we’re not done yet. We still need the voices in the state of Florida to encourage their legislators to pass this bill when it comes to a floor vote. Nevertheless, today was a big victory for the children of Florida.”
Senator Eleanor Sobel, the Senate’s sponsor of the SB1862 stated today at the hearing her satisfaction with the committee’s passage of the bill.
It has been reported by various United States Government records that there are nearly 400,000 parental child abductions that occur each year. Various studies indicate that there exists hundreds of thousands more than what has been accounted for. Of this total, it is unofficially estimated that there are over 10,000 criminal international parental child abductions each year. Due to incredible hardships faced by Chasing Parents left behind in the wake of their child’s abduction, too many of this nation’s stolen children are never returned. Common difficulties Chasing Parents encounter include the mountainous and complete financial burden a parent faces in attempting to rescue their child even though child abduction is a federal and state crime. In addition, since most of these types of abductions are well planned and schemed, many abducted children literally disappear with their abducting parent. Notwithstanding, many nations who are signatories of the Hague Convention do not uphold the spirit and law of the treaty to which they signed while other nations have not signed any international agreement at all.
If Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ becomes law, it is anticipated that a significant number of would-be abductions would be prevented, and financial relief would occur for an already financially strained legal system.
For more information on parental child abduction, please visit www.chasingthecyclone.com
March 26th, 2010
Tallahassee
Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ Bill Overwhelmingly Passes Crucial Senate Judiciary Committee. Momentum Grows For Bill’s Passage Into Law.
Hope grows for tens of thousands of children in Florida and hundreds of thousand of children in the nation as Florida Senate’s Judiciary Committee supports the Child Abduction Prevention Act bill.
After traveling 3,000 miles from Los Angeles, child advocate, successful Chasing Parent, producer and narrator of the ground-breaking documentary film ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’, and the author of the highly anticipated book publication ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ Peter Thomas Senese said after his impassioned testimony before the Florida Senate’s Judiciary Committee, “Today, I am extraordinarily pleased with the Florida Senate’s Judiciary Committee’s overwhelming decision to boldly share with the citizens of Florida, and for that matter, the world, that lawmakers in this great state are serious about preventing the intolerable, cruel, and at times deadly crime of parental child abduction hundreds of thousands of our defenseless and innocent child-citizens must painstakingly endure each year, that is of course, if they are lucky enough to survive their kidnapping all together. Under today’s exemplary leadership of Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Joe Negron, the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill was passed unanimously (9 Yeas and 0 Nay’s).
“Unquestionably, SB1862 and the House’s adjoining bill HB787, if passed into law, will provide courts and judges mandated with the responsibility to protect our children’s welfare and safety with the opportunity to consider apparent risk factors that are indicative that a parental child abduction is either planned or in progress, and, it further provides ways courts may act in order to preempt the criminal abduction of an unsuspecting, defenseless child from their targeted parent. Additionally, this bill, when passed into law, will place accountability onto the courts and its judges. No longer will the pleading voices of Florida’s citizens who come to court urgently seeking a judge’s assistance related to a planned or in progress abduction fall on deft ears. If this bill becomes law, everything changes.
“As a loving and committed father who extensively searched for my own child in multiple countries and who successfully litigated in several foreign jurisdictions, I cannot express how critical it is for preventative laws to be passed and upheld everywhere. Today, the state of Florida demonstrated great national and global leadership. On this note, I would like to personally thank the bill’s sponsor, Representative Darryl Rouson, who has worked tirelessly and stood unbowed in his campaign not only to educate the state’s other esteemed lawmakers about the growing worldwide epidemic that destroys many of the lives who cross its path, but to earnestly protect the lives of our children everywhere.”
Carolyn Ann Vlk, a remarkable mother desperately trying to prevent the international abduction of her own child, and, the critical bill’s author provided the Senate’s Committee testimony from the perspective of a parent attempting to prevent their child from being stolen overseas. Ms. Vlk said, “I am immensely pleased that the Florida Senate and House of Representatives members are realizing that child abduction prevention law is a necessity in the name of our children’s best interest. In today’s Senate Judiciary Committee’s unanimous vote to move the bill through committee, it is clear that our lawmakers are realizing the necessity of this bill.”
Captain William Lake, who presently is seeking for the rightful return of his child who was criminally abducted to the parental abductor safe-haven nation of Japan added, “As a father who has a criminally abducted daughter, Mary Victoria, residing illegally in Japan with her non-Japanese national mother, I cannot express how critical it is for the State of Florida as a whole to understand and address the issues at hand regarding international parental child abduction. Unquestionably, it is through preventive laws that we will realize a dramatic reduction in these types of crimes. I am very hopeful that the political leadership of my state of Florida is not only recognizing the importance of this bill, but voicing an opinion for the rest of the nation about the need to protect our children before a crime of abduction occurs against them.”
Child Advocate Representative Darryl Rouson, the House bill’s sponsor remarked, “I am extremely pleased with today’s Senate Judiciary Committee passage of the Child Abduction Prevention Act bill. Obviously there is more work to do; however, it is becoming clearer by the day that my fellow lawmakers realize just how critical this bill is for all children residing in the state of Florida. Unquestionably, when the Child Abduction Prevention Act becomes law, the safety of our children in this state will increase substantially. And that, our children’s safety, is what this is all about.”
‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’ Co-Producer and author of ‘Throwing Stones’ Ken Connelly said, “I am very happy not only for the children-citizens of Florida, but also for children in America and all struggling parents left behind. The passage of this bill through this critical committee makes the work that I as well as the work of other advocates well worth it. However, we’re not done yet. We still need the voices in the state of Florida to encourage their legislators to pass this bill when it comes to a floor vote. Nevertheless, today was a big victory for the children of Florida.”
Senator Eleanor Sobel, the Senate’s sponsor of the SB1862 stated today at the hearing her satisfaction with the committee’s passage of the bill.
It has been reported by various United States Government records that there are nearly 400,000 parental child abductions that occur each year. Various studies indicate that there exists hundreds of thousands more than what has been accounted for. Of this total, it is unofficially estimated that there are over 10,000 criminal international parental child abductions each year. Due to incredible hardships faced by Chasing Parents left behind in the wake of their child’s abduction, too many of this nation’s stolen children are never returned. Common difficulties Chasing Parents encounter include the mountainous and complete financial burden a parent faces in attempting to rescue their child even though child abduction is a federal and state crime. In addition, since most of these types of abductions are well planned and schemed, many abducted children literally disappear with their abducting parent. Notwithstanding, many nations who are signatories of the Hague Convention do not uphold the spirit and law of the treaty to which they signed while other nations have not signed any international agreement at all.
If Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ becomes law, it is anticipated that a significant number of would-be abductions would be prevented, and financial relief would occur for an already financially strained legal system.
For more information on parental child abduction, please visit www.chasingthecyclone.com
Monday, March 22, 2010
florida's House Bill 787 Advances: Hope Spreads For Children
The State of Florida’s legislatures are voicing their grave concern over the growing criminal epidemic that is known as parental child abduction.
Today in Tallahassee, the House of Representative’s Committee on ‘Public Safety And Domestic Security Policy’, led by Committee Chairman Kevin Ambler, voted Unanimously on child advocate and House Representative Darryl Rouson’s House sponsored bill known as ‘The Child Abduction Prevention Act’ (HB787).
The next step for this critical legislation is for the bill to now be placed on the Senate’s Judiciary Committee. Committee Chairman Senator Negron is anticipated to place SB1862 before the Judiciary Committee in the upcoming weeks. Two weeks ago, the ‘Senate’s Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee’s unanimous vote of eight ‘Yeas’ and zero ‘Nays’ in support of passing the proposed act that defines risk factors related to a potential parental child abduction, and offers remedies that the Florida courts should consider when dealing with a potential parental child abduction.
Senator Eleanor Sobel is the Senate’s sponsoring legislature of the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’.
Representative Rouson has worked tirelessly in trying to bring to light the hardship innocent children-victims must endure in the wake of a parental abduction. In sponsoring the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’, Representative Rouson has made it clear that children shall no longer be used as pawns to inflict abuse by the act of one parent criminally abducting a child against court orders from the other parent.
Carolyn Ann Vlk, the author of the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’, stated today, “By identifying risk factors and preventative measures of abduction, it will be possible to reduce the number of families touched by the tragedy of child abduction. I am pleased by the committee’s unanimous decision to move this important legislation forward so we may finally protect Florida’s children and families. We as a group have worked very hard at trying to educate others about the seriousness of this growing problem. It appears that our voices are being heard. I hope that one day soon, the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ will be passed into law, and the great state that I live in will send a message of intolerance to all those who chose not to act in the best interests of our children. Parental Child Abduction is a serious and grave crime against both child and Chasing Parent. It is not to be toleratred.”
Representative Darryl Rouson, the guiding legislative force behind the bill said today, “This is a common sense bill that passed unanimously because it strengthens protection for our vulnerable children and worried parents. We are overjoyed that more abductions will be prevented. There is more work to be done; however, I am confident by the clear vote today that my fellow lawmakers in the wonderful state of Florida will realize how critical this bill is in the name not only of our children, but by passing this bill into law, a message of leadership and intolerance will be heard across the country. No child should be abducted if we can prevent this crime from happening. ‘The Child Abduction Prevention Act’ will stop many abductions.”
Captain William Lake, who also appeared before the House Committee guided by Representative Kevin Ambler said, “I am excited by the actions of the committee members today, and I will be returning to Tallahassee over the next month to make sure this good bill is signed into law. It is satisfying that the issues of education and prevention are coming into light. It is only through preventive laws that we will see a dramatic reduction in this crime against our children.” Captain Lake is a Chasing Parent who presently has a child who was criminally abducted to the non-Hague signatory country of Japan; a country known as a safe-harbor for child-abductor nationals. Today, Captain Lake continues to fight the fight needed to bring his child home.
Peter Thomas Senese, the author of ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ and producer of the documentary film ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms of International Parental Child Abduction’ added, “Today, a clear call to arms was heard in Florida’s legislature that child abduction will not be tolerated. I applaud my friends Carolyn Ann Vlk, Ken Connelly, and Captain Lake in their efforts to educate others of this serious crime. It is through our efforts as advocates of children that our experienced concern and understanding awakened the righteous hand of lawmakers, who are mothers and fathers, and children too. I commend Representative Kevin Ambler for his superior guidance today at the ‘Public Safety And Domestic Security Policy’ committee level. And unquestionably, Representative Darryl Rouson’s tireless and completely committed willingness to have this bill passed into law says so much about his willingness to protect the children of the state. Up next, are two more committees: one in the House and one in the Senate. But it is becoming clear: the citizens of Florida and its policymakers will no longer tolerate child abduction. There is great leadership coming out of Florida in the name of protecting our children. And the world today is not only watching, but it is applauding.”
Today in Tallahassee, the House of Representative’s Committee on ‘Public Safety And Domestic Security Policy’, led by Committee Chairman Kevin Ambler, voted Unanimously on child advocate and House Representative Darryl Rouson’s House sponsored bill known as ‘The Child Abduction Prevention Act’ (HB787).
The next step for this critical legislation is for the bill to now be placed on the Senate’s Judiciary Committee. Committee Chairman Senator Negron is anticipated to place SB1862 before the Judiciary Committee in the upcoming weeks. Two weeks ago, the ‘Senate’s Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee’s unanimous vote of eight ‘Yeas’ and zero ‘Nays’ in support of passing the proposed act that defines risk factors related to a potential parental child abduction, and offers remedies that the Florida courts should consider when dealing with a potential parental child abduction.
Senator Eleanor Sobel is the Senate’s sponsoring legislature of the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’.
Representative Rouson has worked tirelessly in trying to bring to light the hardship innocent children-victims must endure in the wake of a parental abduction. In sponsoring the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’, Representative Rouson has made it clear that children shall no longer be used as pawns to inflict abuse by the act of one parent criminally abducting a child against court orders from the other parent.
Carolyn Ann Vlk, the author of the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’, stated today, “By identifying risk factors and preventative measures of abduction, it will be possible to reduce the number of families touched by the tragedy of child abduction. I am pleased by the committee’s unanimous decision to move this important legislation forward so we may finally protect Florida’s children and families. We as a group have worked very hard at trying to educate others about the seriousness of this growing problem. It appears that our voices are being heard. I hope that one day soon, the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ will be passed into law, and the great state that I live in will send a message of intolerance to all those who chose not to act in the best interests of our children. Parental Child Abduction is a serious and grave crime against both child and Chasing Parent. It is not to be toleratred.”
Representative Darryl Rouson, the guiding legislative force behind the bill said today, “This is a common sense bill that passed unanimously because it strengthens protection for our vulnerable children and worried parents. We are overjoyed that more abductions will be prevented. There is more work to be done; however, I am confident by the clear vote today that my fellow lawmakers in the wonderful state of Florida will realize how critical this bill is in the name not only of our children, but by passing this bill into law, a message of leadership and intolerance will be heard across the country. No child should be abducted if we can prevent this crime from happening. ‘The Child Abduction Prevention Act’ will stop many abductions.”
Captain William Lake, who also appeared before the House Committee guided by Representative Kevin Ambler said, “I am excited by the actions of the committee members today, and I will be returning to Tallahassee over the next month to make sure this good bill is signed into law. It is satisfying that the issues of education and prevention are coming into light. It is only through preventive laws that we will see a dramatic reduction in this crime against our children.” Captain Lake is a Chasing Parent who presently has a child who was criminally abducted to the non-Hague signatory country of Japan; a country known as a safe-harbor for child-abductor nationals. Today, Captain Lake continues to fight the fight needed to bring his child home.
Peter Thomas Senese, the author of ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ and producer of the documentary film ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms of International Parental Child Abduction’ added, “Today, a clear call to arms was heard in Florida’s legislature that child abduction will not be tolerated. I applaud my friends Carolyn Ann Vlk, Ken Connelly, and Captain Lake in their efforts to educate others of this serious crime. It is through our efforts as advocates of children that our experienced concern and understanding awakened the righteous hand of lawmakers, who are mothers and fathers, and children too. I commend Representative Kevin Ambler for his superior guidance today at the ‘Public Safety And Domestic Security Policy’ committee level. And unquestionably, Representative Darryl Rouson’s tireless and completely committed willingness to have this bill passed into law says so much about his willingness to protect the children of the state. Up next, are two more committees: one in the House and one in the Senate. But it is becoming clear: the citizens of Florida and its policymakers will no longer tolerate child abduction. There is great leadership coming out of Florida in the name of protecting our children. And the world today is not only watching, but it is applauding.”
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Florida Lawmakers, Authors and Children’s Advocates Urge Florida Legislature to Pass Child Abduction Prevention Act.
Florida State Senator Eleanor Sobel and House Representative Darryl Rouson, along with authors and children advocates Peter Thomas Senese, Ken Connelly, Carolyn Ann Vlk, Bryan Lee McGlothin, Larry Synclair, and Charles Hamilton urge all Florida legislators to support the Child Abduction Prevention Act now before Florida’s Senate and House.
Peter Thomas Senese, author of Chasing The Cyclone stated “Any child or parent who has faced domestic or international parental child abduction knows the severity of this crime against an innocent child is a dangerous infraction against the child’s physical safety and emotional stability. Unfortunately, there still exists a wrong perception that this worldwide epidemic falls in the realm of a civil custody dispute rather than the criminal act against innocence that it is. For the growing number of parents who are unexpectedly thrust into the storms of having a child abducted, these parents know without question that their child’s safety is potentially at risk, that child abduction is not a civil matter, and the lack of legal remedy, including preventative laws all children have a right to, are poor at best. Each state, including Florida, must adopt strong preventive laws in the name of the best interest of their children-citizens.”
A staggering 370,000 children are parentally child abducted on average every year in the United States. Yet few states have abduction preventive laws in place.
However, on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 the State of Florida took a major first step in protecting that state’s children from the horror of parental child abduction. In a bill sponsored by Senator Eleanor Sobel, a unanimous vote of eight ‘Yeas’ and zero ‘Nays’ occurred before the Florida State Senate’s Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee, the Senate moved through its first committee the critically important abduction preventive bill titled the Child Abduction Prevention Act. The Senate’s next step is to have the bill voted on by its Judiciary Committee, which should happen in the forthcoming weeks. If the bill passes a Judiciary Committee vote, it will then move forward to the Civil Justice Appropriations Committee, before a final vote before the Senate.
Senator Eleanor Sobel commented that “I am pleased with the unanimous and bipartisan support that the Child Abduction Prevention Act received in the Senate. This law will help prevent children from the agony of being abducted from Florida by adding risk factors for the judge to consider and arming that judge with the increased preventative measures.”
Florida’s House of Representatives is expected in the near future.
The bill was filed by children’s advocate Representative Daryl Rouson and has been referred to Florida ’s House of Representatives Public Safety and Domestic Security Policy Committee. Presently, this committee's chairman, Representative Kevin Ambler, has expressed concern in the bill’s language that includes the psychological stability and risk factors associated with a parent who is considered paranoid, delusional or sociopathic despite these factors being well recognized risks associated with potential parental child abductors. Supporting these risks as factors that must be considered are a host of government agencies and children advocacies groups. If the bill passes the House’s Public Safety and Domestic Security Policy Committee, it will then move on to the Policy Council and then to the Criminal and Civil Justice Policy Council.
Florida Senate’s SB1862 and Florida’s House of Representatives adjoining bill (HB787), if passed, will amend Florida Statute §61.45 by adding certain risk factors of child abduction and provides a list of preventative measures a judge may use to prevent these abductions from occurring. Inclusion of these provisions will strengthen Florida’s week law and bring it into conformity with the Uniform Child Abduction Prevention Act (UPACA), which has been enacted by ten states.
In 2002, the Synclair-Cannon Child Abduction Prevention Act was passed into law in California after Larry Synclair and Josef Cannon each had their children stolen and taken overseas by their mothers. Texas was the next state to pass legislation known as the Texas Prevention Act. Seven additional States have signed into law similar laws preventing and protecting children.
Through the dynamic efforts of Ms. Carolyn Ann Vlk, a mother desperately trying to protect her own child from the cruel fate of being internationally parentally abducted, Florida today has a real opportunity to protect its own children by passing their Child Abduction Prevention Act.
At stake is the welfare of tens of thousands of children in the state.
The proposed bill was filed this session (2010) as SB 1862 by Senator Eleanor Sobel, and, by Representative Darryl Rouson in the House of Representatives under HB787.
Representative Rouson stated “I am horrified that child abductions by family members are occurring at such a high rate. This legislation gives judges more discretion and the ability to fight family child abductions so our children remain safe. We can prevent these abductions.”
The children’s advocates, all with deep experience in child abduction matters, believe it is critically important for the citizens of Florida to contact their local representatives and urge them to pass the Child Abduction Prevention Act.
In a statement made before the Senate committee, Ms. Vlk stated, "I appear before you as not only a parent of an at risk child but as the voice of the thousands of families affected each year by the heart wrenching tragedy of child abduction. I implore you to please carefully consider what we are attempting to implement. In my humble opinion the biggest obstacle we face is a lack of education across the board . . . parents, judges, family court personnel, and policy makers. This deficiency has served to empower potential abductors and compromises the safety of children. Without risk assessment in determining where a credible risk exists, decisions are made that could place a child in unnecessary danger. Parental child abduction is a national tragedy and an immediate remedy is necessary. Please join us in our efforts to protect our most vulnerable members of society - our children."
Peter Thomas Senese, the author of Chasing The Cyclone, and, producer of the documentary film titled Chasing Parents: Racing Into the Storms of International Parental Child Abduction added, “It is critically important for the State of Florida to pass this imperative legislation in the name of not only the children of Florida, but by doing so, the actions of the state’s policymakers will provide much greater guidance for other states. This opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the area of education and prevention is now in Florida’s hands. Additionally, it is imperative that education associated with domestic and international parental child abduction continues to increase. Today, one of my great concerns is the lack of cooperation from countries around the world who are willing to issue passports to their adult citizens living abroad on behalf of that individual’s child despite court orders from a court who maintains jurisdiction of the child not to do so in cases of abduction risk. For example, if one parent of a child living in the United States has citizenship to another country, that parent can obtain a passport from their country of origin for their child, usually without consent by the other parent. When this happens, the risk of international parental child abduction increases exponentially. This is why it is critical for parents concerned about international parental child abduction to register the name of the concerned non-U.S. citizen other parent with the Prevent Departure Program. However, many parents at risk of having their child abducted are not even aware that this program exists. So in the end it all comes down to prevention and education. Florida's lawmakers have an opportunity to make a big difference in the name of children. Having personally chased into the cyclones of abduction, I urge Florida’s lawmakers to pass this bill.”
Floridian resident Larry Synclair, the author of our nation’s first state preventive laws (California) adds, “HB 787 illustrates the need to prevent parental abduction and other states should take similar action. When I sat down to research and write the draft of a bill that would later become the Synclair-Cannon Act, I felt compelled to close gaps in a state’s legal system that allowed children to fall into the hands of abducting parents. California saw the need for the bill and quickly incorporated it into their family code. Today, parents from other states have boldly stepped up to demand laws that will protect their children from this horrific crime that is often ignored by judicial officials. Florida’s HB 787 calls for an implementation of measures that could hinder future acts of abduction. Children need more legislation like this to protect them from this escalating crime."
Charles Hamilton, left-behind parent of Dakota Carmen Hamilton, stated that “If the Synclair-Cannon Parental Child Abduction Prevention Act or a California version of Florida’s HB-787 had existed when my daughter was stolen, the courts would have been armed with the evidence to prevent my daughter’s kidnapping to Spain on December 8, 1996. Failure to sign HB 787 into law will only allow more children in Florida to become victims of this horrible and preventable crime just like my daughter.”
Bryan Lee McGlothin, author of Have You Seen My Mother: True Story of Parental Abduction stated it best, by reminding the citizens of Florida that "Children have rights and those rights include having both parents in the child's life.”
Collectively, Florida’s lawmakers and advocates pass urge the citizens of Florida to contact their local representatives and urge them to support the Child Abduction Prevention Act now before its legislative body.
For more information on parental child abduction please visit
www.chasingthecyclone.com
Peter Thomas Senese, author of Chasing The Cyclone stated “Any child or parent who has faced domestic or international parental child abduction knows the severity of this crime against an innocent child is a dangerous infraction against the child’s physical safety and emotional stability. Unfortunately, there still exists a wrong perception that this worldwide epidemic falls in the realm of a civil custody dispute rather than the criminal act against innocence that it is. For the growing number of parents who are unexpectedly thrust into the storms of having a child abducted, these parents know without question that their child’s safety is potentially at risk, that child abduction is not a civil matter, and the lack of legal remedy, including preventative laws all children have a right to, are poor at best. Each state, including Florida, must adopt strong preventive laws in the name of the best interest of their children-citizens.”
A staggering 370,000 children are parentally child abducted on average every year in the United States. Yet few states have abduction preventive laws in place.
However, on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 the State of Florida took a major first step in protecting that state’s children from the horror of parental child abduction. In a bill sponsored by Senator Eleanor Sobel, a unanimous vote of eight ‘Yeas’ and zero ‘Nays’ occurred before the Florida State Senate’s Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee, the Senate moved through its first committee the critically important abduction preventive bill titled the Child Abduction Prevention Act. The Senate’s next step is to have the bill voted on by its Judiciary Committee, which should happen in the forthcoming weeks. If the bill passes a Judiciary Committee vote, it will then move forward to the Civil Justice Appropriations Committee, before a final vote before the Senate.
Senator Eleanor Sobel commented that “I am pleased with the unanimous and bipartisan support that the Child Abduction Prevention Act received in the Senate. This law will help prevent children from the agony of being abducted from Florida by adding risk factors for the judge to consider and arming that judge with the increased preventative measures.”
Florida’s House of Representatives is expected in the near future.
The bill was filed by children’s advocate Representative Daryl Rouson and has been referred to Florida ’s House of Representatives Public Safety and Domestic Security Policy Committee. Presently, this committee's chairman, Representative Kevin Ambler, has expressed concern in the bill’s language that includes the psychological stability and risk factors associated with a parent who is considered paranoid, delusional or sociopathic despite these factors being well recognized risks associated with potential parental child abductors. Supporting these risks as factors that must be considered are a host of government agencies and children advocacies groups. If the bill passes the House’s Public Safety and Domestic Security Policy Committee, it will then move on to the Policy Council and then to the Criminal and Civil Justice Policy Council.
Florida Senate’s SB1862 and Florida’s House of Representatives adjoining bill (HB787), if passed, will amend Florida Statute §61.45 by adding certain risk factors of child abduction and provides a list of preventative measures a judge may use to prevent these abductions from occurring. Inclusion of these provisions will strengthen Florida’s week law and bring it into conformity with the Uniform Child Abduction Prevention Act (UPACA), which has been enacted by ten states.
In 2002, the Synclair-Cannon Child Abduction Prevention Act was passed into law in California after Larry Synclair and Josef Cannon each had their children stolen and taken overseas by their mothers. Texas was the next state to pass legislation known as the Texas Prevention Act. Seven additional States have signed into law similar laws preventing and protecting children.
Through the dynamic efforts of Ms. Carolyn Ann Vlk, a mother desperately trying to protect her own child from the cruel fate of being internationally parentally abducted, Florida today has a real opportunity to protect its own children by passing their Child Abduction Prevention Act.
At stake is the welfare of tens of thousands of children in the state.
The proposed bill was filed this session (2010) as SB 1862 by Senator Eleanor Sobel, and, by Representative Darryl Rouson in the House of Representatives under HB787.
Representative Rouson stated “I am horrified that child abductions by family members are occurring at such a high rate. This legislation gives judges more discretion and the ability to fight family child abductions so our children remain safe. We can prevent these abductions.”
The children’s advocates, all with deep experience in child abduction matters, believe it is critically important for the citizens of Florida to contact their local representatives and urge them to pass the Child Abduction Prevention Act.
In a statement made before the Senate committee, Ms. Vlk stated, "I appear before you as not only a parent of an at risk child but as the voice of the thousands of families affected each year by the heart wrenching tragedy of child abduction. I implore you to please carefully consider what we are attempting to implement. In my humble opinion the biggest obstacle we face is a lack of education across the board . . . parents, judges, family court personnel, and policy makers. This deficiency has served to empower potential abductors and compromises the safety of children. Without risk assessment in determining where a credible risk exists, decisions are made that could place a child in unnecessary danger. Parental child abduction is a national tragedy and an immediate remedy is necessary. Please join us in our efforts to protect our most vulnerable members of society - our children."
Peter Thomas Senese, the author of Chasing The Cyclone, and, producer of the documentary film titled Chasing Parents: Racing Into the Storms of International Parental Child Abduction added, “It is critically important for the State of Florida to pass this imperative legislation in the name of not only the children of Florida, but by doing so, the actions of the state’s policymakers will provide much greater guidance for other states. This opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the area of education and prevention is now in Florida’s hands. Additionally, it is imperative that education associated with domestic and international parental child abduction continues to increase. Today, one of my great concerns is the lack of cooperation from countries around the world who are willing to issue passports to their adult citizens living abroad on behalf of that individual’s child despite court orders from a court who maintains jurisdiction of the child not to do so in cases of abduction risk. For example, if one parent of a child living in the United States has citizenship to another country, that parent can obtain a passport from their country of origin for their child, usually without consent by the other parent. When this happens, the risk of international parental child abduction increases exponentially. This is why it is critical for parents concerned about international parental child abduction to register the name of the concerned non-U.S. citizen other parent with the Prevent Departure Program. However, many parents at risk of having their child abducted are not even aware that this program exists. So in the end it all comes down to prevention and education. Florida's lawmakers have an opportunity to make a big difference in the name of children. Having personally chased into the cyclones of abduction, I urge Florida’s lawmakers to pass this bill.”
Floridian resident Larry Synclair, the author of our nation’s first state preventive laws (California) adds, “HB 787 illustrates the need to prevent parental abduction and other states should take similar action. When I sat down to research and write the draft of a bill that would later become the Synclair-Cannon Act, I felt compelled to close gaps in a state’s legal system that allowed children to fall into the hands of abducting parents. California saw the need for the bill and quickly incorporated it into their family code. Today, parents from other states have boldly stepped up to demand laws that will protect their children from this horrific crime that is often ignored by judicial officials. Florida’s HB 787 calls for an implementation of measures that could hinder future acts of abduction. Children need more legislation like this to protect them from this escalating crime."
Charles Hamilton, left-behind parent of Dakota Carmen Hamilton, stated that “If the Synclair-Cannon Parental Child Abduction Prevention Act or a California version of Florida’s HB-787 had existed when my daughter was stolen, the courts would have been armed with the evidence to prevent my daughter’s kidnapping to Spain on December 8, 1996. Failure to sign HB 787 into law will only allow more children in Florida to become victims of this horrible and preventable crime just like my daughter.”
Bryan Lee McGlothin, author of Have You Seen My Mother: True Story of Parental Abduction stated it best, by reminding the citizens of Florida that "Children have rights and those rights include having both parents in the child's life.”
Collectively, Florida’s lawmakers and advocates pass urge the citizens of Florida to contact their local representatives and urge them to support the Child Abduction Prevention Act now before its legislative body.
For more information on parental child abduction please visit
www.chasingthecyclone.com
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Parental Child Abduction Prevention - The Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP)
The Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program.
The Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP) is one of the Department Of State's most important tools for preventing international parental child abduction. The program allows parents to register their U.S. citizen children under the age of 18 in the Department’s Passport Lookout System. If a passport application is submitted for a child who is registered in CPIAP, the Department contacts and alerts the parent or parents. The passport lookout system gives all U.S. passport agencies as well as U.S. embassies and consulates abroad an alert on a child’s name if a parent or guardian registers an objection to passport issuance for his or her child. This procedure provides parents advance warning of possible plans for international travel with the child.
However, the United States government does not have exit controls at the U.S. border. The U.S. government does not check the names or the documents of travelers leaving the United States. If your child has a valid passport from any country, he or she may be able to travel outside the United States without your consent.
So, if you have concern that your child may be taken out of the country without your consent via a foreign passport that you may or may not know was issued, you must immediatly seek an Emergency Hearing before your court of local jurisdiction, and present strong and valid evidence to the court demonstrating the high risk of abduction, and then seek that court to seize the foreign passport issued in your child's name. You must also request for the court to issue an order to the nation (via their U.S. embassy) to which your child may have duel citizenship, and provide notice that a court matter is ongoing, and that the court orders for no foreign passport is to be issued in the child's name. Some embassys will comply with this order, and others may not. However, it is critical for you to control all passport issues if you have even the slightest of concern that an international abduction may occur.
I also want to point out that many Middle Eastern countries and their embassies do not require for a mother/wife's signature when requesting a passport for a child. Thus, it is even more critically important for a woman/mother to seek immediate court assistance in the event that abduction concern is directed toward a Middle Eastern country.
So if you have any type of concern, you must not stick your head in the sand. You must act, and act immediately.
The Charleston Passport Center, which is part of Passport Services, is responsible for administering CPIAP.
U.S. Department of State
Passport Services, Charleston Passport Center
Attn: Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program
1269 Holland Street, Building D
Charleston, SC 29405
E-mail: ChildrensPassports@state.gov
Phone: 1-888-407-4747
Fax: 843-746-1827
Who can request a child be entered into CPIAP?
Entry Request Form
Usually a parent requests that his/her child or children be entered into the program. Sometimes both parents will separately submit a request. Requests may also be submitted by law enforcement or a court, or someone acting on behalf of a parent, such as an attorney, a member of Congress, or another family member. All requests for entry of a child into the program must be in writing and signed.
It is not necessary for a parent to have any custodial rights to the child in order to request that the child be entered in CPIAP. So long as a parent has not had his/her rights terminated by a court of competent jurisdiction, he/she can request that the child be entered into CPIAP.
REMEMBER: Only U.S. Citizen children under the age of 18 can be entered into CPIAP.
Does entering a child's name into CPIAP always prevent a passport from being issued?.
Entering a child's name into CPIAP does not guarantee that a child will not be issued a passport. The parent who requests entry of his/her child into the program may consent to issuance of the passport after receiving notification of the passport application. It is also possible for a passport to be issued to a child under 16 without consent of both parents (or legal guardian), if the applicant for the passport can establish that consent of both parents is not required under Federal law (22 CFR 51.28). A court order providing the applicant parent or guardian with sole custody of the child, or a court order specifically authorizing the applicant parent or guardian to travel with the child, for example, would allow the Department to issue a passport without the consent of another parent or guardian. This is true even if the child has been entered into CPIAP.
If a passport application is executed on behalf of a child entered into CPIAP, the parent who requested the alert will receive notification of the passport application and will generally receive 30 days to consent or object to issuance of the passport, absent extraordinary circumstances. However, if the applicant can demonstrate that he/she has sole authority to apply for a passport under U.S. law, the passport may still be issued at any time.
How Do I Enter My Child into CPIAP?
To enter your child into CPIAP, you must submit three items to the Department of State's Passport Services.
1. Completed Entry Request Form
2. Proof of Your Identy (Your driver’s license or other identity card)
3. Birth Certificate or Documentation that Shows Your Parentage/Guardianship (Hospital issued certificate or Consular Report of Birth Abroad)
E-mail, fax, or mail these three items to Passport Services, Charleston Passport Center (contact information above).
A child is automatically removed from CPIAP when he/she reaches the age of 18. In the event a parent wants to remove a child or children from CPIAP prior to reaching age 18, the parent must submit a photo ID and a notarized statement requesting the removal from the program. Only the parent or entity who requested the child’s entry into the program can request the child’s removal from the program.
IMPORTANT: It is very important that parents keep Passport Services informed in writing of any changes to contact information and legal representation. Failure to notify Passport Services of a current address may result in a passport issuance for your child without your consent.
What if my child already has a passport?
You may enter your child's name into CPIAP even if he/she already has a passport. This will allow the Department of State to notify you if Passport Services receives an application for renewal of the passport.
The Department may not revoke a passport that has already been issued to the child. There is also no way to track the use of a passport once it has been issued, since the United States does not have exit controls for people leaving the U.S. If your child already has a passport, and you fear the other parent may abduct your child from the United States, ask a court or your attorneys to hold it.
What if my child has a passport of another country?
Many United States citizen children who fall victim to international parental abduction possess dual nationality. While the Department of State will make every effort to avoid issuing a United States passport without the consent of both parents, the Department cannot prevent other countries from issuing their passports to children who are also their nationals. You can, however, ask a foreign embassy or consulate in the United States not to issue a passport to your child. Send the embassy or consulate a written request, along with certified complete copies of any court orders you have which address custody or the overseas travel of your child. In your letter, inform them that you are sending a copy of this request to the United States Department of State. If your child is only a United States citizen, you can request that no visa for that country be issued in his or her U.S. passport. Just keep in mind that no international law requires compliance with such requests, although some countries may comply voluntarily.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Acclaimed Author Peter Thomas Senese Releases Two Video Book Readings: The Den Of The Assassin, and, Chasing The Cyclone
After nearly four years from his last published book, the outspoken author and children’s advocate Peter Thomas Senese prepares for the publication of a series of novels and book reading videos now that he has safely navigated the treacherous road of international parental child abduction.
Author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce the release of the first two narrative videos in a series of forthcoming installments based upon the author’s published written works. The initial video releases include the author’s insight and readings from ‘The Den Of The Assassin’ and ‘Chasing The Cyclone’. Both books are penned under Peter Thomas.
‘The Den Of The Assassin’
is an international financial espionage thriller steeped in the modern-day realities of our world, which provides the story a visceral prescience teeming with realism and frightful possibilities of global terrorism. The powerful, historical fiction story of Wall Street, weapons of mass destruction, rogue nations enriching uranium and an unassuming young banker named Tyler Boxter, will pull the reader into the dark and unknown world where words are seldom spoken, and code is the language of the unseen. ‘The Den Of The Assassin’ was initially published in hardcover prior to the author’s unexpected race into the cyclones of international child abduction. Since its limited publication, critics have raved that in ‘The Den Of The Assassin’, the author displays a wealth of knowledge of geopolitics, espionage, and international finance while keeping the reader wrapped in the pulsating action of the story. ‘The Den Of The Assassin’ will be released in June, 2010 in paperback.
‘Chasing The Cyclone’, written in the form of a novel, was inspired by the perspectives and views of Peter Thomas Senese as he navigated the long and treacherous road that led to his child’s safe return. ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ will be released in hardcover in May, 2010. Reviewers have praised the author as a writer of distinction, and ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ as a masterfully gripping story of a father’s love for his child, and a child’s belief in his father.
Peter Thomas Senese, a successful Chasing Parent, is committed to raising the public’s awareness of International Parental Child Abduction with the hope to increase dialog that will reform key issues in the areas of prevention, education, legal reform, and international accountability and participation of ‘The Hague Convention On The Civil Aspects Of International Parental Child Abduction’. The writer points out that there are over 200,000 parental abductions that occur in the United States alone each year, with thousands of these types of abductions occurring across international borders.
Peter Thomas Senese has recently produced a documentary titled ‘CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’ that will be released in late Spring, 2010 in conjunction with the international release of ‘Chasing The Cyclone’. Educational previews of the documentary are available to view at the Chasing The Cyclone website (www.chasingthecyclone.com). The documentary will be given complimentary to all government institutions and agencies, as well as advocacy and outreach organizations involved with assisting abducted children and their Chasing Parents.
For more information on Peter Thomas Senese and to view the narrative readings of ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ or ‘The Den Of The Assassin’, please visit www.petersenese.com or www.chasingthecyclone.com
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