Congress has always been instrumental in helping to keep America’s children safe. I’m proud to say that I’ve seen members of Congress work in a bipartisan way on child-protection legislation.

Right now the Senate is working on two bills that will significantly improve the tools that law enforcement has to fight child predators on the Internet. One is the PROTECT Our Children/Combating Child Exploitation Act (Senate Bill 1738), which will increase the funding to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that investigate these crimes. The other is the Securing Our Adolescents from online Exploitation Act (the S.A.F.E. Act). This law will increase the reporting of crimes against children to the CyberTipline, the congressionally-mandated reporting mechanism operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

These bills are necessary to the fight against child predators and I know they can be passed in a bipartisan way. The Senate is deciding whether to pass these bills now. I urge the Senate to do the right thing to help America’s children and pass Senate Bill 1738 and the S.A.F.E. Act.

-John

If you travel by air, you know how inconvenient it can be to have your flight delayed. You might not have much control over most issues that cause delays, such as weather or maintenance, but is there anything you can do in advance to minimize your chances of delay?

Travelers sometimes make the mistake of not reviewing the details of their trip, which could lead to errors in their ticketing. Minor errors on your flight reservation used to be an easy fix at the counter when a customer checked in. Now, with tighter security and rising airfares, even the most insignificant discrepancy can cause you a big problem or result in extra fees. Continue reading Avoiding Delays When Traveling »

Deven M.: Dear Mr.Walsh, I am a 15 year old student in Oklahoma. 6 years ago I was molested by someone twice as old as me. I am an All-American Scholar now, but I don’t know if I should report this guy or not. Please help get this predator off the streets, because I know he is probably still harming other kids. Thank you.

JW: Thanks for having the courage to come forward with your story – I know how hard that is. Unless brave crime victims like you are willing to speak out, it’s difficult to get justice. Of course you should go to the police! I know that a lot of young victims of sexual predators fear that they’re to blame for what happened, but always remember this: sexual abuse is NEVER your fault. I know it can be very tough to talk to someone about what happened, and you might be afraid that adults won’t believe you, especially if the abuser is a family member or family friend. But you should always remember that you don’t have to keep this a secret.

More than 90% of the homes in the United States have a microwave, so your family probably recognizes how helpful it can be to have this convenience available. As much as it is convenient, there are also many dangers that you and your children need to be aware of whenever using a microwave to prepare food. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a few safety tips to keep in mind to make sure you are using your microwave safely Continue reading Are You Using Your Microwave Safely? »