A child predator who kills a victim during commission of a sex crime could receive the death penalty under the act.

"We're going to get tough on these people," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, the Senate sponsor of the legislation, which he said would "curtail the ability of sex offenders to operate freely."

The House is expected to pass the legislation next week, and President Bush has said he will sign it Thursday, the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of Adam Walsh, for whom the bill was named. Walsh was the 6-year-old son of John Walsh, who created "America's Most Wanted" after his son was abducted and who was hailed by senators for his advocacy for the legislation.

Also supporting the legislation in Washington this week was Elizabeth Smart, who was kidnapped from her family's home in Salt Lake City four years ago, and her father, Ed Smart.

Although the bill would not have affected Smart's case, since her alleged abductor did not have a record of sex crimes, she said she hopes it will help assure other children are not victimized.

"No person deserves to be hurt like that," Elizabeth Smart said in an interview. "I just hope that America becomes a safer place and people will be able to feel safe and they can look and see if there are any sex offenders in the area so they'll know and be aware of that."

Smart graduated from high school this year and in the fall will start at Brigham Young University, where she will major in music.

Under existing law, states do not need to share information about offenders in their registries and there are not uniform requirements for offenders to submit information when they move to a new address.

"It's going to create consistency and accountability across the nation, which is really what we need to get a grip on these sex offenders," said Ed Smart.

The national registry would create a centralized Internet site where the 550,000 registered sex offenders would be searchable by zip code. The legislation seeks to force an estimated 150,000 offenders who have failed to register to add their names to the database or face new prison time.

"If you don't register we will find you and you will go to jail," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

The Internet registry is required to be up and running within three years.

In some cases, serious offenders may be required to wear tracking devices. The legislation also includes an anti-pornography measure written by Hatch, designed to impose stricter rules to try to prevent Internet child pornography.

"Before this, we tracked library books in this country better than sex offenders," Hatch said. "Now law enforcement will have the best means possible to throw the book at sex offenders and protect our nation's most precious natural resource: our kids."

The bill had been bogged down by Sen. Edward Kennedy's insistence that it include hate crimes provisions, but he withdrew the demand, enabling House and Senate sponsors to work out a final compromise on the differences in versions of bills that had passed each chamber.

"Lives will be saved because this legislation is passed," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.

Highlights of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act

* Establishes a national sex offender registry available on the Internet.

* Requires convicted sex offenders to be entered into a national registry before they are released from prison and update the registration in person within three days of moving.

* Offenders must verify their registry information every month in person. Failure to comply is a felony.

* An offender who knowingly does not register and moves to a new state can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. If an offender who has not registered commits a violent crime, the offender can be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.

* Establishes a sex offender tracking office in the Justice Department.

* Some sex offenders may be required to wear tracking devices.