For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 30, 2003
President's Signing Statement
Today I have signed into law S. 151, the "Prosecutorial Remedies and
Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003,"
also known as the PROTECT Act. This important legislation gives law
enforcement authorities valuable new tools to deter, detect,
investigate, prosecute, and punish crimes against America's children.
In particular, the Act builds upon my Administration's ongoing efforts
to expand and improve the AMBER Alert program to combat child
abduction, strengthens laws against child pornography, and addresses
deficiencies in Federal sentencing policies and practices.
The executive branch shall construe section 108(d)(3) of the Act,
which calls for the Attorney General to submit recommendations to the
Congress, in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional
authority to submit for the consideration of the Congress such measures
as the President judges necessary and expedient.
Section 401(l)(2) of the Act calls for a report to certain
committees of the Congress by the Attorney General concerning
prosecutorial actions, including the basis on which the Solicitor
General decides, in particular cases involving departures from
sentencing guidelines, whether or not to authorize an appeal. Were
this provision to take effect, the executive branch would implement it
in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional authority to
withhold information the disclosure of which could impair the
deliberative processes of the Executive or the performance of the
Executive's constitutional duties.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
April 30, 2003.
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