[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1630 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1630

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 7, 2005

   Mr. Obama introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
to carry out this Act.
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