Standing with the father of slain sixth-grader Carlie Brucia, U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris introduced legislation in Washington on Tuesday designed to tighten rules on federal probationers and provide financing for child protection groups.
Calling the bill "Carlie's Law," the Sarasota Republican said the bill would expand the reasons for sending convicted criminals on federal probation back to prison, adding violent felonies and child sex crimes to the list.
Currently, federal probationers only face mandatory revocation of probation for gun or drug possession or refusing to take drug tests.
"If they are incarcerated, they can't touch our children," said Joe Brucia, who has become active in child protection efforts in the less than two months since his only child was kidnapped in Sarasota and killed.
The proposed law also calls for $20-million in grants for the federal Amber Alert Grant Program. Amber Alerts are electronic notifications police agencies send to media outlets when a child is abducted and thought to be in danger.
Joseph P. Smith, who was on probation under the Florida Department of Corrections at the time of Carlie's Feb. 1 disappearance, is facing first-degree murder, rape and kidnapping charges in connection with her slaying.
Her kidnapping was captured by a car wash surveillance system that produced images of a dark-haired man leading the girl away. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty if Smith is convicted.
Smith, 38, has a long history of drug crimes, and his probation officer had reported him in violation of his probation at the time of the kidnapping, but a judge said he did not have enough evidence to jail the unemployed auto mechanic.
Harris said she is naming the legislation in Carlie's honor, although the provisions relating to probationers would not have applied to Smith.
Harris said federal probationers need to be covered, along with efforts to tighten laws for those under state supervision.
In Florida, state lawmakers are considering measures that seek to change the criteria for determining whether a person on probation is a risk to the community.
