Page images
PDF
EPUB

33

(e) Section 341 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth

2 Act (42 U.S.C. 5651) is amended by adding at the end there

3 of the following new subsection:

4

"(c) No funds appropriated to carry out the purposes of

5 this title

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

"(1) may be used for any program or activity which is not specifically authorized by this title; or

"(2) may be combined with funds appropriated under any other Act if the purpose of combining such funds is to make a single discretionary grant or a single discretionary payment.".

(f) Section 341 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth 13 Act (42 U.S.C. 5757) is redesignated as section 331. TITLE IV-MISSING CHILDREN'S ASSISTANCE

14

15

16

ASSISTANCE RELATING TO MISSING CHILDREN

SEC. 400. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Pre17 vention Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5601 et seq.), is amended by

18 adding at the end thereof the following new title:

19

20

"SHORT TITLE

"SEC. 401. This title may be cited as the 'Missing Chil

21 dren's Assistance Act'.

[blocks in formation]

"FINDINGS

"SEC. 402. The Congress hereby finds that—

“(1) each year many children are abducted, or re

moved from the control of a parent having legal custo

HR 4971 IH

34

1 dy without such parent's consent, under circumstances

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

which immediately place them in grave danger;

"(2) many of these children are never reunited

with their families;

"(3) often there are no clues as to the where

abouts of these children;

"(4) in many cases, parents and local law enforcement officials have neither the resources nor the expertise to mount expanded search efforts;

"(5) abducted children are frequently moved from one locality to another requiring the cooperation and coordination of local, State, and Federal law enforce

ment efforts;

"(6) on frequent occasions, law enforcement authorities and others searching for children quickly exhaust all leads in missing children cases and require as

sistance from distant communities where the children may be located; and

"(7) Federal assistance is urgently needed to coordinate and assist in efforts to address this interstate

[blocks in formation]

"SEC. 403. For purposes of this title—

"(1) the term 'missing child' means any individual

less than 18 years of age who disappears if the circum

HR 4971 IH

35

1 stances surrounding such individual's disappearance in

2

dicate that such individual may possibly have been ab

3 ducted or that such individual may possibly have been

4

and

5

removed from the control of a parent having legal custody of such individual without such parent's consent;

6

7

8

9

10

11

"(2) the term 'Secretary' means the Secretary of

Health and Human Services.

"ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL BUREAU OF MISSING

CHILDREN

"SEC. 404. (a) There is hereby established within the 12 Administration for Children, Youth, and Families within the 13 Department of Health and Human Services a National 14 Bureau of Missing Children (hereinafter in this title referred 15 to as the 'Bureau').

16

"(b) The Secretary may issue such rules as the Secre17 tary considers necessary or appropriate to carry out this title. "(c) The Bureau shall be under the general authority of 19 the Secretary and shall be headed by a Director to be ap

18

20 pointed by the Secretary.

21

22

"FUNCTIONS OF THE BUREAU

"SEC. 405. The Secretary, acting through the Bureau,

23 shall

24

25

"(1) make such arrangements as may be neces

sary and appropriate to ensure that there is effective

HR 4971 IH

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

36

coordination among all federally-funded programs relat

ing to missing children (including the preparation of an

annual comprehensive plan for assuring such coordina

tion);

"(2) allocate staff and resources which are adequate to properly carry out the functions of the Bureau;

"(3) establish and operate, either directly or through grants or contracts, a national toll-free telephone line by which individuals may report and receive information regarding the disappearance or location of any missing child and pertaining to procedures necessary to reunite such child with such child's family, parent having legal custody, or legal guardian;

"(4) provide technical assistance to local and State governments, public and private nonprofit agencies, and individuals in locating and recovering missing children;

"(5) coordinate Federal efforts to locate missing children and reunite them with their families, parents

having legal custody, or legal guardians;

“(6) disseminate information nationally on innovative and model programs, services, and legislation relating to missing children;

HR 4971 IH

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

37

"(7) conduct a national incidence study to deter

mine for a given year the number of children reported

missing, the number of such children who are victims

of abductions by strangers, the number of such children who are removed from the control of parents having

legal custody of such children without the respective. parent's consent by a person known to such parent, and the number of such children who are located in a

given year;

"(8) compile, publish, and disseminate an annual summary describing and evaluating recently completed

Federal, State, and local research and demonstration projects relating to missing children with particular emphasis on

"(A) effective models of local, State, and Federal coordination and cooperation in locating

missing children;

"(B) effective programs designed to promote community awareness of the problem of missing children;

"(C) effective programs to prevent the abduction of children (including parent, child, and

community education); and

"(D) effective program models which provide treatment, counseling, or other aid to parents of

HR 4971 IH

« PreviousContinue »