[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 60 (Wednesday, May 13, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4824-S4825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH (for himself, Mr. DeWine, and Mr. Allard):
  S. 2073. A bill to authorize appropriations for the National Center 
for Missing and Exploited Children; to the Committee on the Judiciary.


         the national center for missing and exploited children

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I am proud to introduce the National 
Center for Missing and Exploited Children Authorization Act of 1998. 
This bill recognizes the outstanding record of achievements of this 
outstanding organization and will enable NCMEC to provide even greater 
protection of our Nation's children in the future.
  As part of the Missing Children's Assistance Act, the Office of 
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has selected and given 
grants to the Center for the last 14 years to operate a national 
resource center located in Arlington, Virginia and a national 24-hour 
toll-free telephone line. The Center provides invaluable assistance and 
training to law enforcement around the country in cases of missing and 
exploited children. The Center's record is quite impressive, and its 
efforts have led directly to a significant increase in the percentage 
of missing children who are recovered safely.
  In fiscal year 1998, the Center received an earmark of $6.9 million 
in the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State Appropriations 
conference report. In addition, the Center's Jimmy Ryce Training Center 
received 1.185M in this report.
  This legislation directs OJJDP to make a grant to the Center and 
authorizes appropriations up to $10 million in fiscal years 1999 
through 2003. The authorization would, of course, be subject to 
appropriations. The bill thus continues and formalizes NCMEC's long 
partnership with the Justice Department and OJJDP.
  NCMEC's exemplary record of performance and success, as demonstrated 
by the fact that NCMEC's recovery rate has climbed from 62% to 91%, 
justifies action by Congress to formally recognize it as the nation's 
official missing and exploited children's center, and to authorize a 
line-item appropriation. This bill will enable the Center to focus 
completely on its missions, without expending the annual effort to 
obtain authority and grants from OJJDP. It also will allow the Center 
to expand its longer-term arrangements with domestic and foreign law 
enforcement entities. By providing an authorization, the bill also will 
allow for better congressional oversight of the Center.
  The record of the Center, described briefly below, demonstrates the 
appropriateness of this authorization.
  For fourteen years the Center has served as the national resource 
center and clearinghouse mandated by the Missing Children's Assistance 
Act. The Center has worked in partnership with the Department of 
Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of 
Treasury, the State Department, and many other federal and state 
agencies in the effort to find missing children and prevent child 
victimization.
  The trust the federal government has placed in NCMEC, a private, non-
profit corporation, is evidenced by its unique access to the FBI's 
National Crime Information Center, and the National Law Enforcement 
Telecommunications System (NLETS).
  NCMEC has utilized the latest in technology, such as operating the 
National Child Pornography Tipline, establishing its new Internet 
website, www.missingkids.com, which is linked with hundreds of other 
websites to provide real-time images of breaking cases of missing 
children, and, beginning this year, establishing a new CyberTipline on 
child exploitation.
  NCMEC has established a national and increasingly worldwide network, 
linking NCMEC online with each of the missing children clearinghouses 
operated by the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In 
addition, NCMEC works constantly with international law enforcement 
authorities such as Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom, the Royal 
Canadian Mounted Police, INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon, France, and 
others. This network enables NCMEC to transmit images and information 
regarding missing children to law enforcement across America and around 
the world instantly. NCMEC also serves as the U.S. State Department's 
representative at child abduction cases under the Hague Convention.
  The record of NCMEC is demonstrated by the 1,203,974 calls received 
at its 24-hour toll-free hotline, 1(800)THE LOST, the 146,284 law 
enforcement, criminal/juvenile justice, and healthcare professionals 
trained, the 15,491,344 free publications distributed, and, most 
importantly, by its work on 59,481 cases of missing children, which has 
resulted in the recovery of 40,180 children.
  NCMEC is a shining example of the type of public-private partnership 
the Congress should encourage and recognize. I urge my colleagues to 
support this legislation, which would help improve the performance of 
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and thus the 
safety of our Nation's children.
  I ask for unanimous consent that a copy of the legislation be printed 
in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2073

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) For 14 years, the National Center for Missing and 
     Exploited Children (referred to in this section as the 
     ``Center'') has--
       (A) served as the national resource center and 
     clearinghouse congressionally mandated under the provisions 
     of the Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984; and
       (B) worked in partnership with the Department of Justice, 
     the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of the 
     Treasury, the Department of State, and many other agencies in 
     the effort to find missing children and prevent child 
     victimization.
       (2) Congress has given the Center, which is a private non-
     profit corporation, unique powers and resources, such as 
     having access to the National Crime Information Center of the 
     Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Law 
     Enforcement Telecommunications System.
       (3) Since 1987, the Center has operated the National Child 
     Pornography Tipline, in conjunction with the United States 
     Customs Service and the United States Postal Inspection 
     Service and, beginning this year, the Center established a 
     new CyberTipline on child exploitation, thus becoming ``the 
     911 for the Internet''.
       (4) In light of statistics that time is of the essence in 
     cases of child abduction, the Director of the Federal Bureau 
     of Investigation in February of 1997 created a new NCIC child 
     abduction (``CA'') flag to provide the Center immediate 
     notification in the most serious cases, resulting in 642 
     ``CA'' notifications to the Center and helping the Center to 
     have its highest recovery rate in history.
       (5) The Center has established a national and increasingly 
     worldwide network, linking the Center online with each of the 
     missing children clearinghouses operated by the 50 States, 
     the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, as well as with 
     Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom, the Royal Canadian 
     Mounted Police, INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon, France, and 
     others, which has enabled the Center to transmit images and 
     information regarding missing children to law enforcement 
     across the United States and around the world instantly.
       (6) From its inception in 1984 through March 31, 1998, the 
     Center has--
       (A) handled 1,203,974 calls through its 24-hour toll-free 
     hotline (1-800-THE-LOST) and currently averages 700 calls per 
     day;
       (B) trained 146,284 law enforcement, criminal and juvenile 
     justice, and healthcare professionals in child sexual 
     exploitation and missing child case detection, 
     identification, investigation, and prevention;
       (C) disseminated 15,491,344 free publications to citizens 
     and professionals; and
       (D) worked with law enforcement on the cases of 59,481 
     missing children, resulting in the recovery of 40,180 
     children.

[[Page S4825]]

       (7) The demand for the services of the Center is growing 
     dramatically, as evidenced by the fact that in 1997, the 
     Center handled 129,100 calls, an all-time record, and by the 
     fact that its new Internet website (www.missingkids.com) 
     receives 1,500,000 ``hits'' every day, and is linked with 
     hundreds of other websites to provide real-time images of 
     breaking cases of missing children, helping to cause such 
     results as a police officer in Puerto Rico searching the 
     Center's website and working with the Center to identify and 
     recover a child abducted as an infant from her home in San 
     Diego, California, 7 years earlier.
       (8) In 1997, the Center provided policy training to 256 
     police chiefs and sheriffs from 50 States and Guam at its new 
     Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training Center.
       (9) The programs of the Center have had a remarkable 
     impact, such as in the fight against infant abductions in 
     partnership with the healthcare industry, during which the 
     Center has performed 668 onsite hospital walk-throughs and 
     inspections, and trained 45,065 hospital administrators, 
     nurses, and security personnel, and thereby helped to reduce 
     infant abductions in the United States by 82 percent.
       (10) The Center is now playing a leading role in 
     international child abduction cases, serving as a 
     representative of the Department of State at cases under The 
     Hague Convention, and successfully resolving the cases of 343 
     international child abductions, and providing greater support 
     to parents in the United States.
       (11) The Center is a model of public/private partnership, 
     raising private sector funds to match congressional 
     appropriations and receiving extensive private in-kind 
     support, including advanced technology provided by the 
     computer industry such as imaging technology used to age the 
     photographs of long-term missing children and to reconstruct 
     facial images of unidentified deceased children.
       (12) The Center was 1 of only 10 of 300 major national 
     charities given an A+ grade in 1997 by the American Institute 
     of Philanthropy.
       (13) In light of its impressive history, the Center has 
     been redesignated as the Nation's missing children 
     clearinghouse and resource center once every 3 years through 
     a competitive selection process conducted by the Office of 
     Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the Department 
     of Justice, and has received grants from that Office to 
     conduct the crucial purposes of the Center.
       (14) An official congressional authorization will increase 
     the level of scrutiny and oversight by Congress and continue 
     the Center's long partnership with the Department of Justice 
     and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 
     of the Department of Justice.
       (15) The exemplary record of performance and success of the 
     Center, as exemplified by the fact that the Center's recovery 
     rate has climbed from 62 to 91 percent, justifies action by 
     Congress to formally recognize the National Center for 
     Missing and Exploited Children as the Nation's official 
     missing and exploited children's center, and to authorize a 
     line-item appropriation for the National Center for Missing 
     and Exploited Children in the Federal budget.

     SEC. 2. NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN.

       (a) Grants.--The Administrator of the Office of Juvenile 
     Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the Department of 
     Justice shall annually make a grant to the National Center 
     for Missing and Exploited Children, which shall be used to--
       (1) operate the official national resource center and 
     information clearinghouse for missing and exploited children;
       (2) provide to State and local governments, public and 
     private nonprofit agencies, and individuals, information 
     regarding--
       (A) free or low-cost legal, restaurant, lodging, and 
     transportation services that are available for the benefit of 
     missing and exploited children and their families; and
       (B) the existence and nature of programs being carried out 
     by Federal agencies to assist missing and exploited children 
     and their families;
       (3) coordinate public and private programs that locate, 
     recover, or reunite missing children with their families;
       (4) disseminate, on a national basis, information relating 
     to innovative and model programs, services, and legislation 
     that benefit missing and exploited children;
       (5) provide technical assistance and training to law 
     enforcement agencies, State, and local governments, elements 
     of the criminal justice system, public and private nonprofit 
     agencies, and individuals in the prevention, investigation, 
     prosecution, and treatment of cases involving missing and 
     exploited children; and
       (6) provide assistance to families and law enforcement 
     agencies in locating and recovering missing and exploited 
     children, both nationally and internationally.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry out this 
     section, $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1999, 2000, 
     2001, 2002, and 2003.
                                 ______