[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 994 Referred in House (RFH)]
2d Session
S. 994
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 5, 2006
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to improve the ability
of State and local governments to prevent the abduction of children by
family members, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Family Abduction Prevention Act of
2006''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress findings that--
(1) each year more than 203,000 children in the United
States (approximately 78 percent of all abducted children) are
abducted by a family member, usually a parent;
(2) more than half of the parents who abduct their children
have a history of alcohol or substance abuse, a criminal
record, or a history of violence;
(3) the most common motive for family abduction is revenge
against the other parent, not protecting the child's safety;
(4) children who are abducted by family members suffer
emotional, psychological, and often physical abuse at the hands
of their abductors;
(5) children who are victims of family abductions are
forced to leave behind family, friends, their homes, their
neighborhoods, their schools, and all that is familiar to them;
(6) children who are victims of family abductions are often
told that the parent who did not abduct the child has died,
does not love them, or will harm them;
(7) children who are abducted by their parents or other
family members are sometimes forced to live in fear of
discovery and may be compelled to conceal their true identity,
including their real names, family histories, and even their
gender;
(8) children who are victims of family abductions are often
denied the opportunity to attend school or to receive health
and dental care;
(9) child psychologists and law enforcement authorities now
classify family abduction as a form of child abuse;
(10) approximately 70 percent of local law enforcement
agencies do not have written guidelines for what to do in the
event of a family abduction or how to facilitate the recovery
of an abducted child;
(11) the first few hours of a family abduction are crucial
to recovering an abducted child, and valuable hours are lost
when law enforcement is not prepared to employ the most
effective techniques to locate and recover abducted children;
(12) when parents who may be inclined to abduct their own
children receive counseling and education on the harm suffered
by children under these circumstances, the incidence of family
abductions is greatly reduced; and
(13) where practiced, the flagging of school records has
proven to be an effective tool in assisting law enforcement
authorities find abducted children.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Family abduction.--The term ``family abduction'' means
the taking, keeping, or concealing of a child or children by a
parent, other family member, or person acting on behalf of the
parent or family member, that prevents another individual from
exercising lawful custody or visitation rights.
(2) Flagging.--The term ``flagging'' means the process of
notifying law enforcement authorities of the name and address
of any person requesting the school records of an abducted
child.
(3) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian tribe'' means any
Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or
community, including any Alaska Native village or regional or
village corporation as defined in or established pursuant to
the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et
seq.), which is recognized as eligible for the special programs
and services provided by the United States to Indians because
of their status as Indians.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,
American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, any territory or
possession of the United States, and any Indian tribe.
SEC. 4. GRANTS TO STATES.
(a) Matching Grants.--The Attorney General shall make grants to
States for projects involving--
(1) the extradition of individuals suspected of committing
a family abduction;
(2) the investigation by State and local law enforcement
agencies of family abduction cases;
(3) the training of State and local law enforcement
agencies in responding to family abductions and recovering
abducted children, including the development of written
guidelines and technical assistance;
(4) outreach and media campaigns to educate parents on the
dangers of family abductions; and
(5) the flagging of school records.
(b) Matching Requirement.--Not less than 50 percent of the cost of
a project for which a grant is made under this section shall be
provided by non-Federal sources.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
For the purpose of carrying out this Act, there are authorized to
be appropriated to the Attorney General $500,000 for fiscal year 2008,
and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2009 and
2010.
Passed the Senate November 16, 2006.
Attest:
EMILY J. REYNOLDS,
Secretary.