[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3999 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3999

To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish the National 
                    Emergency Family Locator System.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 6, 2005

    Ms. Millender-McDonald introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in 
addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period 
    to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish the National 
                    Emergency Family Locator System.

    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 ``National Emergency Family Locator 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

     In this Act:
            (1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of Homeland Security.
            (2) Emergency.--The term ``emergency'' has the meaning 
        given the term in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford 
        Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Homeland Security.
            (4) System.--The term ``System'' means the National 
        Emergency Family Locator System established under section 3(a).

SEC. 3. NATIONAL EMERGENCY FAMILY LOCATOR SYSTEM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish within the 
Department the National Family Locator System.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of the System are--
            (1) to enable individuals displaced by an emergency to 
        provide to the Department the name and location of the 
        displaced individuals and any other relevant information using 
        the telephone, the Internet, and other means determined to be 
        appropriate by the Secretary; and
            (2) to enable the Department--
                    (A) to compile the information collected under 
                paragraph (1); and
                    (B) to provide the information collected and 
                compiled under the System to the family members of the 
                displaced individuals and law enforcement officials.
    (c) Considerations.--In establishing the System under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall take into account and, to the maximum extent 
practicable, incorporate into the System--
            (1) intermediary-based locator systems such as the National 
        Next of Kin Registry; and
            (2) information from existing family locator databases, 
        such as the Family News Network of the International Committee 
        of the Red Cross.

SEC. 4. FAMILY PREPAREDNESS PLAN PUBLIC OUTREACH PROGRAM.

    The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, 
shall conduct a public outreach program through public school districts 
to educate families on how to create a family preparedness plan for 
actions to take in the event of a disaster in which family members are 
separated.
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