Washington, D.C., April, 29th, 2005 - Senator Charles Grassley says he plans to introduce a bill that would allow federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for sexual offenders who kill children.

Grassley says his bill will be called the "Jetseta Gage Prevention and Deterrence of Crime Act," named after the ten-year-old Cedar Rapids girl who was abducted, raped and killed last month. The man charged in the crime is a convicted sex offender. Grassley says two high-profile cases in Florida also has drawn his attention.

He says congress needs to act promptly on his bill to prevent such crimes from happening again. Grassley says a justice department study shows that released sex offenders are more likely to be re-arrested for sex crimes than other offenders and more than five percent of sex offenders are repeat offenders. He said the death penalty would act as a deterrent. Grassley's bill comes as Iowa lawmakers consider toughening the state's laws for sexual offenders with some lawmakers pushing for the state to reinstate the death penalty for sexual offenders who kill a child.