[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 25, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H3513-H3521]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        MISSING, EXPLOITED, AND RUNAWAY CHILDREN PROTECTION ACT

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 249) to provide funding for the National Center for 
Missing and Exploited Children, to reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                 S. 249

       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 ``Missing, Exploited, and 
     Runaway Children Protection Act''.

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

       (a) Findings.--Section 402 of the Missing Children's 
     Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5771) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (7), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (2) in paragraph (8), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting a semicolon; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(9) for 14 years, the National Center for Missing and 
     Exploited Children 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;
       ``(10) Congress has given the Center, which is a private 
     non-profit corporation, access to the National Crime 
     Information Center of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 
     and the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System;
       ``(11) 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';
       ``(12) 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;
       ``(13) 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;
       ``(14) 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;
       ``(15) 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;
       ``(16) 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;
       ``(17) 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;
       ``(18) the Center is now playing a significant 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;
       ``(19) 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;
       ``(20) the Center was 1 of only 10 of 300 major national 
     charities given an A+ grade in 1997 by the American Institute 
     of Philanthropy; and
       ``(21) 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.''.
       (b) Definitions.--Section 403 of the Missing Children's 
     Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5772) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) the term `Center' means the National Center for 
     Missing and Exploited Children.''.
       (c) Duties and Functions of the Administrator.--Section 404 
     of the Missing Children's Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5773) is 
     amended--
       (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and
       (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
       ``(b) Annual Grant to National Center for Missing and 
     Exploited Children.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall annually make a 
     grant to the Center, which shall be used to--
       ``(A)(i) operate a national 24-hour toll-free telephone 
     line by which individuals may report information regarding 
     the location of any missing child, or other child 13 years of 
     age or younger whose whereabouts are unknown to such child's 
     legal custodian, and request information pertaining to 
     procedures necessary to reunite such child with such child's 
     legal custodian; and
       ``(ii) coordinate the operation of such telephone line with 
     the operation of the national communications system referred 
     to in part C of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 
     5714-11);
       ``(B) operate the official national resource center and 
     information clearinghouse for missing and exploited children;
       ``(C) provide to State and local governments, public and 
     private nonprofit agencies, and individuals, information 
     regarding--
       ``(i) 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
       ``(ii) the existence and nature of programs being carried 
     out by Federal agencies to assist missing and exploited 
     children and their families;
       ``(D) coordinate public and private programs that locate, 
     recover, or reunite missing children with their families;
       ``(E) disseminate, on a national basis, information 
     relating to innovative and model programs, services, and 
     legislation that benefit missing and exploited children;
       ``(F) 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
       ``(G) provide assistance to families and law enforcement 
     agencies in locating and recovering missing and exploited 
     children, both nationally and internationally.
       ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry out this 
     subsection,

[[Page H3514]]

     $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000, 2001, 2002, and 
     2003.
       ``(c) National Incidence Studies.--The Administrator, 
     either by making grants to or entering into contracts with 
     public agencies or nonprofit private agencies, shall--
       ``(1) periodically conduct national incidence studies to 
     determine for a given year the actual number of children 
     reported missing each year, the number of children who are 
     victims of abduction by strangers, the number of children who 
     are the victims of parental kidnapings, and the number of 
     children who are recovered each year; and
       ``(2) provide to State and local governments, public and 
     private nonprofit agencies, and individuals information to 
     facilitate the lawful use of school records and birth 
     certificates to identify and locate missing children.''.
       (d) National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.--
     Section 405(a) of the Missing Children's Assistance Act (42 
     U.S.C. 5775(a)) is amended by inserting ``the Center and 
     with'' before ``public agencies''.
       (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 408 of the 
     Missing Children's Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5777) is amended 
     by striking ``1997 through 2001'' and inserting ``2000 
     through 2003''.

     SEC. 3. RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH.

       (a) Findings.--Section 302 of the Runaway and Homeless 
     Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5701) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ``accurate reporting of 
     the problem nationally and to develop'' and inserting ``an 
     accurate national reporting system to report the problem, and 
     to assist in the development of''; and
       (2) by striking paragraph (8) and inserting the following:
       ``(8) services for runaway and homeless youth are needed in 
     urban, suburban, and rural areas;''.
       (b) Authority To Make Grants for Centers and Services.--
     Section 311 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 
     5711) is amended--
       (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following:
       ``(a) Grants for Centers and Services.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants to 
     public and nonprofit private entities (and combinations of 
     such entities) to establish and operate (including 
     renovation) local centers to provide services for runaway and 
     homeless youth and for the families of such youth.
       ``(2) Services provided.--Services provided under paragraph 
     (1)--
       ``(A) shall be provided as an alternative to involving 
     runaway and homeless youth in the law enforcement, child 
     welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice systems;
       ``(B) shall include--
       ``(i) safe and appropriate shelter; and
       ``(ii) individual, family, and group counseling, as 
     appropriate; and
       ``(C) may include--
       ``(i) street-based services;
       ``(ii) home-based services for families with youth at risk 
     of separation from the family; and
       ``(iii) drug abuse education and prevention services.'';
       (2) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ``the Trust Territory 
     of the Pacific Islands,''; and
       (3) by striking subsections (c) and (d).
       (c) Eligibility.--Section 312 of the Runaway and Homeless 
     Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5712) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (8), by striking ``paragraph (6)'' and 
     inserting ``paragraph (7)'';
       (B) in paragraph (10), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (C) in paragraph (11), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (D) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(12) shall submit to the Secretary an annual report that 
     includes, with respect to the year for which the report is 
     submitted--
       ``(A) information regarding the activities carried out 
     under this part;
       ``(B) the achievements of the project under this part 
     carried out by the applicant; and
       ``(C) statistical summaries describing--
       ``(i) the number and the characteristics of the runaway and 
     homeless youth, and youth at risk of family separation, who 
     participate in the project; and
       ``(ii) the services provided to such youth by the 
     project.''; and
       (2) by striking subsections (c) and (d) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(c) Applicants Providing Street-Based Services.--To be 
     eligible to use assistance under section 311(a)(2)(C)(i) to 
     provide street-based services, the applicant shall include in 
     the plan required by subsection (b) assurances that in 
     providing such services the applicant will--
       ``(1) provide qualified supervision of staff, including on-
     street supervision by appropriately trained staff;
       ``(2) provide backup personnel for on-street staff;
       ``(3) provide initial and periodic training of staff who 
     provide such services; and
       ``(4) conduct outreach activities for runaway and homeless 
     youth, and street youth.
       ``(d) Applicants Providing Home-Based Services.--To be 
     eligible to use assistance under section 311(a) to provide 
     home-based services described in section 311(a)(2)(C)(ii), an 
     applicant shall include in the plan required by subsection 
     (b) assurances that in providing such services the applicant 
     will--
       ``(1) provide counseling and information to youth and the 
     families (including unrelated individuals in the family 
     households) of such youth, including services relating to 
     basic life skills, interpersonal skill building, educational 
     advancement, job attainment skills, mental and physical 
     health care, parenting skills, financial planning, and 
     referral to sources of other needed services;
       ``(2) provide directly, or through an arrangement made by 
     the applicant, 24-hour service to respond to family crises 
     (including immediate access to temporary shelter for runaway 
     and homeless youth, and youth at risk of separation from the 
     family);
       ``(3) establish, in partnership with the families of 
     runaway and homeless youth, and youth at risk of separation 
     from the family, objectives and measures of success to be 
     achieved as a result of receiving home-based services;
       ``(4) provide initial and periodic training of staff who 
     provide home-based services; and
       ``(5) ensure that--
       ``(A) caseloads will remain sufficiently low to allow for 
     intensive (5 to 20 hours per week) involvement with each 
     family receiving such services; and
       ``(B) staff providing such services will receive qualified 
     supervision.
       ``(e) Applicants Providing Drug Abuse Education and 
     Prevention Services.--To be eligible to use assistance under 
     section 311(a)(2)(C)(iii) to provide drug abuse education and 
     prevention services, an applicant shall include in the plan 
     required by subsection (b)--
       ``(1) a description of--
       ``(A) the types of such services that the applicant 
     proposes to provide;
       ``(B) the objectives of such services; and
       ``(C) the types of information and training to be provided 
     to individuals providing such services to runaway and 
     homeless youth; and
       ``(2) an assurance that in providing such services the 
     applicant shall conduct outreach activities for runaway and 
     homeless youth.''.
       (d) Approval of Applications.--Section 313 of the Runaway 
     and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5713) is amended to read as 
     follows:

     ``SEC. 313. APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS.

       ``(a) In General.--An application by a public or private 
     entity for a grant under section 311(a) may be approved by 
     the Secretary after taking into consideration, with respect 
     to the State in which such entity proposes to provide 
     services under this part--
       ``(1) the geographical distribution in such State of the 
     proposed services under this part for which all grant 
     applicants request approval; and
       ``(2) which areas of such State have the greatest need for 
     such services.
       ``(b) Priority.--In selecting applications for grants under 
     section 311(a), the Secretary shall give priority to--
       ``(1) eligible applicants who have demonstrated experience 
     in providing services to runaway and homeless youth; and
       ``(2) eligible applicants that request grants of less than 
     $200,000.''.
       (e) Authority for Transitional Living Grant Program.--
     Section 321 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 
     5714-1) is amended--
       (1) in the section heading, by striking ``purpose and'';
       (2) in subsection (a), by striking ``(a)''; and
       (3) by striking subsection (b).
       (f) Eligibility.--Section 322(a)(9) of the Runaway and 
     Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714-2(a)(9)) is amended by 
     inserting ``, and the services provided to such youth by such 
     project,'' after ``such project''.
       (g) Coordination.--Section 341 of the Runaway and Homeless 
     Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714-21) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 341. COORDINATION.

       ``With respect to matters relating to the health, 
     education, employment, and housing of runaway and homeless 
     youth, the Secretary--
       ``(1) in conjunction with the Attorney General, shall 
     coordinate the activities of agencies of the Department of 
     Health and Human Services with activities under any other 
     Federal juvenile crime control, prevention, and juvenile 
     offender accountability program and with the activities of 
     other Federal entities; and
       ``(2) shall coordinate the activities of agencies of the 
     Department of Health and Human Services with the activities 
     of other Federal entities and with the activities of entities 
     that are eligible to receive grants under this title.''.
       (h) Authority To Make Grants for Research, Evaluation, 
     Demonstration, and Service Projects.--Section 343 of the 
     Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714-23) is 
     amended--
       (1) in the section heading, by inserting ``evaluation,'' 
     after ``research,'';
       (2) in subsection (a), by inserting ``evaluation,'' after 
     ``research,''; and
       (3) in subsection (b)--
       (A) by striking paragraph (2); and
       (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (10) as 
     paragraphs (2) through (9), respectively.
       (i) Study.--Part D of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act 
     (42 U.S.C. 5731 et seq.) is amended by adding after section 
     344 the following:

     ``SEC. 345. STUDY

       ``The Secretary shall conduct a study of a representative 
     sample of runaways to determine the percent who leave home 
     because of sexual abuse. The report on the study shall 
     include--
       ``(1) in the case of sexual abuse , the relationship of the 
     assaulter to the runaway; and
       ``(2) recommendations on how Federal laws may be changed to 
     reduce sexual assaults on children.


[[Page H3515]]


     The study shall be completed to enable the Secretary to make 
     a report to the committees of Congress with jurisdiction over 
     this Act, and to make such report available to the public, 
     within one year of the date of the enactment of this 
     section.''
       (j) Assistance to Potential Grantees.--Section 371 of the 
     Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714a) is amended 
     by striking the last sentence.
       (k) Reports.--Section 381 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 5715) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 381. REPORTS.

       ``(a) In General.--Not later than April 1, 2000, and 
     biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall submit, to the 
     Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
     Senate, a report on the status, activities, and 
     accomplishments of entities that receive grants under parts 
     A, B, C, D, and E, with particular attention to--
       ``(1) in the case of centers funded under part A, the 
     ability or effectiveness of such centers in--
       ``(A) alleviating the problems of runaway and homeless 
     youth;
       ``(B) if applicable or appropriate, reuniting such youth 
     with their families and encouraging the resolution of 
     intrafamily problems through counseling and other services;
       ``(C) strengthening family relationships and encouraging 
     stable living conditions for such youth; and
       ``(D) assisting such youth to decide upon a future course 
     of action; and
       ``(2) in the case of projects funded under part B--
       ``(A) the number and characteristics of homeless youth 
     served by such projects;
       ``(B) the types of activities carried out by such projects;
       ``(C) the effectiveness of such projects in alleviating the 
     problems of homeless youth;
       ``(D) the effectiveness of such projects in preparing 
     homeless youth for self-sufficiency;
       ``(E) the effectiveness of such projects in assisting 
     homeless youth to decide upon future education, employment, 
     and independent living;
       ``(F) the ability of such projects to encourage the 
     resolution of intrafamily problems through counseling and 
     development of self-sufficient living skills; and
       ``(G) activities and programs planned by such projects for 
     the following fiscal year.
       ``(b) Contents of Reports.--The Secretary shall include in 
     each report submitted under subsection (a), summaries of--
       ``(1) the evaluations performed by the Secretary under 
     section 386; and
       ``(2) descriptions of the qualifications of, and training 
     provided to, individuals involved in carrying out such 
     evaluations.''.
       (l) Evaluation.--Section 384 of the Runaway and Homeless 
     Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5732) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 386. EVALUATION AND INFORMATION.

       ``(a) In General.--If a grantee receives grants for 3 
     consecutive fiscal years under part A, B, C, D, or E (in the 
     alternative), then the Secretary shall evaluate such grantee 
     on-site, not less frequently than once in the period of such 
     3 consecutive fiscal years, for purposes of--
       ``(1) determining whether such grants are being used for 
     the purposes for which such grants are made by the Secretary;
       ``(2) collecting additional information for the report 
     required by section 384; and
       ``(3) providing such information and assistance to such 
     grantee as will enable such grantee to improve the operation 
     of the centers, projects, and activities for which such 
     grants are made.
       ``(b) Cooperation.--Recipients of grants under this title 
     shall cooperate with the Secretary's efforts to carry out 
     evaluations, and to collect information, under this title.''.
       (m) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 385 of the 
     Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5751) is amended to 
     read as follows:

     ``SEC. 388. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``(a) In General.--
       ``(1) Authorization.--There is authorized to be 
     appropriated to carry out this title (other than part E) such 
     sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2000, 2001, 2002, 
     and 2003.
       ``(2) Allocation.--
       ``(A) Parts a and b.--From the amount appropriated under 
     paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve 
     not less than 90 percent to carry out parts A and B.
       ``(B) Part b.--Of the amount reserved under subparagraph 
     (A), not less than 20 percent, and not more than 30 percent, 
     shall be reserved to carry out part B.
       ``(3) Parts c and d.--In each fiscal year, after reserving 
     the amounts required by paragraph (2), the Secretary shall 
     use the remaining amount (if any) to carry out parts C and D.
       ``(b) Separate Identification Required.--No funds 
     appropriated to carry out this title 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, unless such funds are 
     separately identified in all grants and contracts and are 
     used for the purposes specified in this title.''.
       (n) Sexual Abuse Prevention Program.--
       (1) Authority for program.--The Runaway and Homeless Youth 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 5701 et seq.) is amended--
       (A) by striking the heading for part F;
       (B) by redesignating part E as part F; and
       (C) by inserting after part D the following:

               ``PART E--SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM

     ``SEC. 351. AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may make grants to 
     nonprofit private agencies for the purpose of providing 
     street-based services to runaway and homeless, and street 
     youth, who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being 
     subjected to, sexual abuse, prostitution, or sexual 
     exploitation.
       ``(b) Priority.--In selecting applicants to receive grants 
     under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give priority to 
     nonprofit private agencies that have experience in providing 
     services to runaway and homeless, and street youth.''.
       (2) Authorization of appropriations.--Section 388(a) of the 
     Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5751), as amended 
     by subsection (m) of this section, is amended by adding at 
     the end the following:
       ``(4) Part e.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out part E such sums as may be necessary for fiscal 
     years 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.''.
       (o) Consolidated Review of Applications.--The Runaway and 
     Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5701 et seq.) is amended by 
     inserting after section 383 the following:

     ``SEC. 385. CONSOLIDATED REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.

       ``With respect to funds available to carry out parts A, B, 
     C, D, and E, nothing in this title shall be construed to 
     prohibit the Secretary from--
       ``(1) announcing, in a single announcement, the 
     availability of funds for grants under 2 or more of such 
     parts; and
       ``(2) reviewing applications for grants under 2 or more of 
     such parts in a single, consolidated application review 
     process.''.
       (p) Definitions.--The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 
     U.S.C. 5701 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 
     386, as amended by subsection (l) of this section, the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 387. DEFINITIONS.

       ``In this title:
       ``(1) Drug abuse education and prevention services.--The 
     term `drug abuse education and prevention services'--
       ``(A) means services to runaway and homeless youth to 
     prevent or reduce the illicit use of drugs by such youth; and
       ``(B) may include--
       ``(i) individual, family, group, and peer counseling;
       ``(ii) drop-in services;
       ``(iii) assistance to runaway and homeless youth in rural 
     areas (including the development of community support 
     groups);
       ``(iv) information and training relating to the illicit use 
     of drugs by runaway and homeless youth, to individuals 
     involved in providing services to such youth; and
       ``(v) activities to improve the availability of local drug 
     abuse prevention services to runaway and homeless youth.
       ``(2) Home-based services.--The term `home-based 
     services'--
       ``(A) means services provided to youth and their families 
     for the purpose of--
       ``(i) preventing such youth from running away, or otherwise 
     becoming separated, from their families; and
       ``(ii) assisting runaway youth to return to their families; 
     and
       ``(B) includes services that are provided in the residences 
     of families (to the extent practicable), including--
       ``(i) intensive individual and family counseling; and
       ``(ii) training relating to life skills and parenting.
       ``(3) Homeless youth.--The term `homeless youth' means an 
     individual--
       ``(A) who is--
       ``(i) not more than 21 years of age; and
       ``(ii) for the purposes of part B, not less than 16 years 
     of age;
       ``(B) for whom it is not possible to live in a safe 
     environment with a relative; and
       ``(C) who has no other safe alternative living arrangement.
       ``(4) Street-based services.--The term `street-based 
     services'--
       ``(A) means services provided to runaway and homeless 
     youth, and street youth, in areas where they congregate, 
     designed to assist such youth in making healthy personal 
     choices regarding where they live and how they behave; and
       ``(B) may include--
       ``(i) identification of and outreach to runaway and 
     homeless youth, and street youth;
       ``(ii) crisis intervention and counseling;
       ``(iii) information and referral for housing;
       ``(iv) information and referral for transitional living and 
     health care services;
       ``(v) advocacy, education, and prevention services related 
     to--

       ``(I) alcohol and drug abuse;
       ``(II) sexual exploitation;
       ``(III) sexually transmitted diseases, including human 
     immunodeficiency virus (HIV); and
       ``(IV) physical and sexual assault.

       ``(5) Street youth.--The term `street youth' means an 
     individual who--
       ``(A) is--
       ``(i) a runaway youth; or
       ``(ii) indefinitely or intermittently a homeless youth; and
       ``(B) spends a significant amount of time on the street or 
     in other areas that increase the risk to such youth for 
     sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, prostitution, or drug 
     abuse.
       ``(6) Transitional living youth project.--The term 
     `transitional living youth project' means a project that 
     provides shelter and

[[Page H3516]]

     services designed to promote a transition to self-sufficient 
     living and to prevent long-term dependency on social 
     services.
       ``(7) Youth at risk of separation from the family.--The 
     term `youth at risk of separation from the family' means an 
     individual--
       ``(A) who is less than 18 years of age; and
       ``(B)(i) who has a history of running away from the family 
     of such individual;
       ``(ii) whose parent, guardian, or custodian is not willing 
     to provide for the basic needs of such individual; or
       ``(iii) who is at risk of entering the child welfare system 
     or juvenile justice system as a result of the lack of 
     services available to the family to meet such needs.''.
       (q) Redesignation of Sections.--Sections 371, 372, 381, 
     382, and 383 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 
     5714b-5851 et seq.), as amended by this Act, are redesignated 
     as sections 380, 381, 382, 383, and 384, respectively.
       (r) Technical Amendments.--The Runaway and Homeless Youth 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 5701 et seq.) is amended--
       (1) in section 331, in the first sentence, by striking 
     ``With'' and all that follows through ``the Secretary'', and 
     inserting ``The Secretary''; and
       (2) in section 344(a)(1), by striking ``With'' and all that 
     follows through ``the Secretary'', and inserting ``The 
     Secretary''.

     SEC. 4. STUDY OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE.

       (a) Contract for Study.--Not later than 60 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education 
     shall enter into a contract with the National Academy of 
     Sciences for the purposes of conducting a study regarding the 
     antecedents of school violence in urban, suburban, and rural 
     schools, including the incidents of school violence that 
     occurred in Pearl, Mississippi; Paducah, Kentucky; Jonesboro, 
     Arkansas; Springfield, Oregon; Edinboro, Pennsylvania; 
     Fayetteville, Tennessee; Littleton, Colorado; and Conyers, 
     Georgia. Under the terms of such contract, the National 
     Academy of Sciences shall appoint a panel that will--
       (1) review the relevant research about adolescent violence 
     in general and school violence in particular, including the 
     existing longitudinal and cross-sectional studies on youth 
     that are relevant to examining violent behavior,
       (2) relate what can be learned from past and current 
     research and surveys to specific incidents of school 
     shootings,
       (3) interview relevant individuals, if possible, such as 
     the perpetrators of such incidents, their families, their 
     friends, their teachers, mental health providers, and others, 
     and
       (4) give particular attention to such issues as--
       (A) the perpetrators' early development, families, 
     communities, school experiences, and utilization of mental 
     health services,
       (B) the relationship between perpetrators and their 
     victims,
       (C) how the perpetrators gained access to firearms,
       (D) the impact of cultural influences and exposure to the 
     media, video games, and the Internet, and
       (E) such other issues as the panel deems important or 
     relevant to the purpose of the study.

     The National Academy of Sciences shall utilize professionals 
     with expertise in such issues, including psychiatrists, 
     social workers, behavioral and social scientists, 
     practitioners, epidemiologists, statisticians, and 
     methodologists.
       (b) Report.--The National Academy of Sciences shall submit 
     a report containing the results of the study required by 
     subsection (a), to the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, the President pro tempore of the Senate, the 
     Chair and ranking minority Member of the Committee on 
     Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, 
     and the Chair and ranking minority Member of the Committee on 
     Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, not 
     later than January 1, 2001, or 18 months after entering into 
     the contract required by such subsection, whichever is 
     earlier.
       (c) Appropriation.--Of the funds made available under 
     Public Law 105-277 for the Department of Education, $2.1 
     million shall be made available to carry out this section.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Delaware (Mr. Castle) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Missing, Exploited and 
Runaway Children's Protection Act. This legislation authorizes the 
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and the Missing Children's Assistance 
Act. It provides an authorization for the National Center for Missing 
and Exploited Children and it directs the National Academy of Sciences 
to conduct a study of the cultural influences on youth violence.
  Mr. Speaker, this is National Missing Children's Day, and obviously, 
we have had a great number of hardships in America in recent weeks that 
all of us want to address. Hopefully, what we are going to do today 
will in some small part start to address these problems.
  This legislation authorizes the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to 
provide services for the 0.5 million to 1.5 million youth estimated to 
run away annually. The legislation continues the runaway and homeless 
youth programs found in current law, including the basic center grants 
and the transitional living grants.
  These effective programs protect youth by keeping them off the 
streets, away from criminal activities and out of desperate 
circumstances. These programs provide assistance to homeless and other 
youth who are without adult support so they learn to live independently 
and become productive adults.
  This legislation also provides for the continuation of services under 
the Missing Children's Assistance Act. For instance, this act 
authorizes grants for research, demonstration projects and service 
programs in areas such as abduction prevention education.
  The provision of this bill that I particularly want to focus my 
colleagues' attention on is its authorization of an appropriation for 
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The National 
Center for Missing and Exploited Children helps families who have a 
missing child locate that child. Since 1984, the Center has worked with 
law enforcement on the cases of 67,173 missing children, resulting in 
the recovery of 46,031 children. In 1998 alone, it assisted in finding 
5,835 missing children.
  The Center works with the families of 80 missing children in my own 
State of Delaware. The Center services, including its National Missing 
Child Hotline, are essential to all families of missing children.
  Recognizing the Center's substantial success rate in recovering 
missing children and its annual designation as the national 
clearinghouse for information on missing children, the legislation 
authorizes a $10 million yearly appropriation for fiscal years 2000 
through 2003 for the Center. This authorization ensures that for the 
next 4 years the Center can focus on providing assistance to families 
without interruption.
  Some of my colleagues may remember that I have been working to get 
this legislation passed since the 105th Congress. I am pleased we are 
one step closer to completing this effort. The Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act, the Missing Children's Assistance Act and the National 
Center for Missing and Exploited Youth provide much needed services for 
missing and runaway youth.
  Finally, I would like to mention an important study contained in this 
legislation. As Members may know, my subcommittee has held hearings on 
the issue of school violence in response to the tragic shootings that 
have traumatized our Nation's schools. The gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Greenwood), an active member of the subcommittee, has crafted 
legislation to help us obtain information on why students commit such 
violent acts.
  A great deal of blame has been spread around, and I believe it is 
important that we really understand the causal factors that place youth 
at risk for school violence.
  Before I conclude, I would like to thank several Members for their 
assistance on this legislation. I would like to thank the chairman of 
the committee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling). I would 
also like to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood) and 
the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), who will be managing the bill 
on the opposite side of the aisle, as well as the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Scott), for their hard work on the school violence study.
  Mr. Speaker, this is good legislation and it deserves the support of 
the House of Representatives. The Senate has already passed comparable 
legislation. We would like to pass our legislation and proceed to 
conference as quickly as possible. It has been far too long that these 
important programs have been without an authorization.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 249, the Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children 
Protection Act makes vital improvements to the National Center for 
Missing and

[[Page H3517]]

Exploited Children and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and deserves 
the strong support of all the Members here today.
  This legislation will streamline and refocus the existing basic 
Center grants, the transitional living grants and the drug education 
program into one reauthorization, while maintaining the distinct nature 
of each program. I believe this is an essential improvement that will 
strengthen the ability of localities to provide services to the 
vulnerable populations of runaway and homeless children.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 249 also requires a National Academy of Sciences 
study to examine which factors contribute to violence around and in our 
schools. This study will better enable us to understand what leads our 
young people to commit such tragic acts as those in Littleton, 
Colorado, and other places that have shared the unfortunate experience 
of having school violence touch its teachers, parents, students and 
communities.
  This study, which has been a cooperative effort between the gentleman 
from Delaware (Mr. Castle), the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Greenwood), the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling), and myself is necessary so we can gain a 
better understanding of the profile of those most likely to commit 
violence and provide them with appropriate interventions and supportive 
services.
  It is my hope we can constructively use the results of this study to 
lessen the violence which presently is troubling our schools.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe this legislation is worthy of Members' 
support, and I urge its adoption.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling), the distinguished chairman 
of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

                              {time}  1045

  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the 
time.
  I, too, rise in support of the Missing, Exploited and Runaway 
Children's Protection Act. The programs and activities under this 
legislation aim to improve the well-being of our Nation's runaway, 
homeless, and missing children. This legislation authorizes the Runaway 
and Homeless Youth Act. And one program under this Act is the 
Transitional Living Project for ages 16 to 21, children who cannot 
safely live at home.
  I share the enthusiasm of the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) 
for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Center 
has trained at least 42 law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania on how 
best to handle missing children's cases, a service available to law 
enforcement officers across the country.
  Additionally, on its web site and through other avenues, the Center 
provides actual photographs of missing children along with age 
progression computerized images of the missing children. Currently, the 
Center's web site includes a photograph and computerized image of 51 
missing children from Pennsylvania. I must commend the Center on its 
extraordinary success rate in finding missing children.
  Another key provision of the legislation will address an issue that 
has weighed heavily on our minds over the past few months. In a hearing 
held by the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families last 
week, we heard firsthand testimony from students who have been the 
victims of violent acts in their schools. We heard loud and clear the 
fear in their voices and their concerns about future violence in their 
schools.
  But we still have no clear answers to the core casual factors of 
school violence. This legislation includes a study to be performed by 
the National Academy of Science which will explore the causes of school 
violence. Information gathered through this study will help us to 
improve the effectiveness of our current violence prevention efforts.
  I would like to thank members of the committee for their hard work 
and their staffs, particularly the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) 
for his leadership. Also, I would like to thank the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) 
and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) for their guidance on the 
School Science Study. The result is a quality piece of legislation.
  I encourage my colleagues to support the legislation.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy).
  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding me the time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the House amendments to the 
Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children's Protection Act. I want to 
thank the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce for their bipartisan work on this legislation.
  I also want to thank the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) for his 
excellent work as a sponsor of this legislation and the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Kildee), my dear colleague.
  The bill before us today provides the resources for families to deal 
with the terrible issue of missing, exploited and runaway children. The 
National Center for Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children operates a 
National Resource Center and a toll-free hot line to provide assistance 
to state and local governments in finding missing children and 
preventing the exploitation of children.
  I believe this is important, Mr. Speaker. This legislation utilizes 
all of our law enforcement and child services tools once a child is 
missing, but the legislation also is designed to prevent the terrible 
occurrence of a missing, exploited or runaway child. I am glad that we 
are addressing this bill today.
  In the last 6 weeks, I have had a personal experience. I got a call 
late one Saturday night and it was my girlfriend of over 30 years. She 
said, ``Carolyn, I do not know what I am going to do. My daughter's two 
children have been kidnapped.''
  With that, I gave her the information, only because I have learned 
about this through Congress. I gave her the phone numbers to call. And 
within hours, the photos of the missing children were put out across 
this country. I am happy to say that one child has been recovered. The 
other one is still missing. But with all the resources coming together, 
I am grateful that we, hopefully, will find the other child.
  Also, since being in Congress, one of the provisions of this bill is 
also helping with children that have nowhere else to go. I have been 
privileged to meet and work with a number of groups on Long Island; and 
I have to tell my colleagues, I was shocked on how many homeless 
children we have just on Long Island.
  We have found that we can give them shelter. We have found that we 
can give them training. We have found that they turn their lives around 
and become productive citizens. This is something that really helps our 
children across this Nation. It is something that we should be working 
on more and more. It shows, when we work together, we can make a 
difference here in Congress.
  I am glad that we are addressing this bill today, and I urge my 
colleagues to support this important bill. I thank the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce for their bipartisan work.
  I believe the true measure of our Government's efficiency can be 
found in the way we treat our children, the extent to which we protect 
our children. The legislation before us today demonstrates there is an 
important role in protecting our children and saving our children's 
lives. I thank everyone for the work that they have done, and may we 
continue to do this.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood), another distinguished gentleman from the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who has worked hard in the Congress of the 
United States on the issues of children.
  Mr. GREENWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of the Missing, Exploited and 
Runaway Children's Protection Act; and I do so with a deep sense of 
gratitude. As a former caseworker who worked with abused and neglected 
children, I understand the importance of this legislation.

[[Page H3518]]

  I would like to focus my remarks on that part that I worked on, and 
that is the study that we are asking the National Academy of Science to 
conduct with regard to school violence.
  Mr. Speaker, the Nation has been horrified and people have been 
saddened and perplexed and to some extent we have been divided over the 
issues of these school shootings. America asks the question, ``Why? Why 
would children take firearms to their schools and shoot their 
classmates and shoot their teachers?'' America then quickly responds 
with the command, ``Do something. Somebody do something.'' And, as 
policymakers, that is part of our responsibility.
  Mr. Speaker, I think, for the most part, the short-term efforts to 
prevent school violence must be community based and they must be school 
based and they must be home based. But there are some things that the 
Congress can do and there are things that we need to do in terms of a 
long-run strategy.
  This legislation will direct the National Academy of Sciences to do a 
study on the antecedents of school violence. Researchers, the best 
social scientists and child psychologists that we can gather in this 
country, will literally travel to Pearl, Mississippi, to Paducah, 
Kentucky, to Jonesboro, Arkansas, to Springfield, Oregon, to Edinboro, 
Pennsylvania, to Fayetteville, Tennessee, indeed to Littleton, 
Colorado; and, regretfully, most recently we have had to amend this 
language to include Conyers, Georgia.
  The scientists will interview, when they can, the perpetrators, the 
actual shooters. They will interview their parents, their siblings, 
their neighbors, their classmates, their teachers, their guidance 
counselors, any professionals that have dealt with these young people, 
to try to find out what were the early childhood experiences of these 
kids, what were their school experiences, what were the relationships 
between the perpetrators and the victims, how did the perpetrators gain 
access to firearms, and what were the impact of cultural influences and 
exposure to the media, video games and the Internet.
  They will report back to America about their findings. And, 
hopefully, in a sober and thoughtful and disciplined way, America will 
understand how some of our communities impacted some of our children in 
ways that made them so inexplicably violent.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my experience that the left-most of our political 
spectrum tends to look at this issue and turn immediately and almost 
exclusively to guns and the right-most of our political spectrum tends 
to look exclusively at the cultural impacts.
  It is my belief that we need to look at the children. We need to 
understand how our children are affected by experiences in their home, 
in their schools and in their communities and how we as a society can 
value our children more than we do so that all of our children are 
uplifted by our actions.
  I would like to thank the chairman, the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Goodling), for his help and cooperation with this. I would like to 
thank the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. 
Castle), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Scott) and the Speaker for his condolences, his help as 
well.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Klink).
  Mr. KLINK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me 
the time.
  Mr. Speaker, I think a lot of good work has been done on this bill; 
and I would like to laud Members on both sides of the aisle for this 
work.
  The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is a private, 
non-Federal corporation that was founded back in 1984; and they have 
helped over the last 15 years to recover over 40,000 missing children. 
I first worked with them back in 1985. They were one year in existence 
at that time. And I was a news reporter working back in Pennsylvania.
  One afternoon after getting off the school bus near the town of 
Cabot, Pennsylvania, 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan disappeared, never to be 
seen or heard from again. There was a police bulletin which went out, 
went all over the Nation, looking for a van with a ski scene on the 
side. That is what they believed the people were driving who they 
thought abducted Cherrie.
  That was never proven. The van was never found. But a very quiet, 
rural community was upended. The family was upended. This 8-year-old 
girl had just gotten off the bus on her way home, never to be seen, 
never to be heard from again. Where do they look? Where do they turn 
to?
  And finally, the people from that community found the National Center 
for Missing and Exploited Children. People in the community worked 
together. They searched. They looked for clues. They put out every kind 
of feeler they could trying to find out who knew about this young 
girl's abduction. And they collected money for a reward. All told, they 
collected from their hard-earned dollars $58,000.
  Last October, when it was determined that Cherrie was not going to 
come back and she was declared legally dead, that $58,000 was presented 
by me along with those people, the friends and neighbors of Cherrie 
Mahan, a $58,000 check, to the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children so that that money could be used as a resource to 
help establish computer networks across this country to find runaway 
kids, to find kids who have been abducted, and to help fight against 
violence in our schools.
  In return, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 
gave an $8,000 TRAC system, called Technology to Recover Abducted Kids, 
back to the Butler State Police Barracks in Butler, Pennsylvania. And 
they hoped that if they ever have to see another sad situation like the 
tragic disappearance of Cherrie Mahan, that the community will be 
better prepared, that they will be better armed with this new 
technology, and that we in the Federal Government can be a partner in 
that, making sure that the resources are there so that the sadness that 
the Mahan family has had to live with will never be felt by other 
families across this Nation.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).
  (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, this measure, S. 249, focuses on the terrible problem 
confronting all too many American families: missing, exploited and 
runaway children. I commend the sponsors of the House and Senate 
resolution, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) and the 
distinguished senator from Utah (Mr. Hatch), for their diligence in 
bringing it to the Congress.
  As a parent, few things can be more painful than the uncertainty and 
anxiety that arises when a child becomes missing. The void of not 
having a loved one present, plus the fear and anxiety of what that 
loved one may be undergoing, are cruel hardships that no one should 
ever have to endure.
  Although this measure focuses primarily upon the domestic aspect of 
this problem and improves the way our Government addresses the problems 
that may be associated with missing or exploited children, I want to 
highlight an issue that I have become increasingly involved with, the 
problem of internationally abducted children.
  In an interdependent world, we are finding American citizens often 
marrying and having children with foreign nationals and a corresponding 
increase in the number of children that are taken to or illegally 
retained in another country.
  This measure highlights the excellent work of our National Center for 
Missing and Exploited Children. I join in commending that organization 
and add my voice to those who feel that the role of NCMEC should be 
straightened in the cases of international parental abductions. Our 
citizens deserve an able advocate for their rights as parents, and I am 
confident that NCMEC is the appropriate organization to serve this 
vital function.
  There are efforts underway in some parts of our Government to curtail 
NCMEC's role in assisting our citizens recover their illegally abducted 
or wrongfully retained children from other countries. I urge that all 
supporters of this measure exercise their vigilance to make certain 
that does not

[[Page H3519]]

occur. Our citizens who are victims of child abduction deserve to have 
an organization such as the NCMEC to support them.
  I thank the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) for his courtesy in 
yielding, and I urge our colleagues to fully approve S. 249 on behalf 
of our missing, exploited and runaway children.

                              {time}  1045

  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Lampson).
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for 
yielding me this time.
  First, I would like to associate my remarks with those of the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) regarding his work with the 
international effort to return children who are taken from our country, 
and I look forward to working with the gentleman from New York on that 
issue.
  I rise today to encourage all of my colleagues to cast their votes in 
favor of S. 249, the Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children 
Protection Act. Two years ago when I first joined all of you in 
Congress, I wanted to address all of the problems that we face here, 
education, Social Security and health care. But unfortunately in April, 
right after my first swearing-in, all of my plans drastically changed 
when a 12-year-old little girl, Laura Kate Smither from Friendswood, 
Texas, was abducted and savagely murdered. After seeing the faces of 
the Smither family and the outpouring of support from the community of 
Friendswood, I knew that I wanted to work on behalf of our children and 
their families.
  After meeting Ernie Allen, the President of the National Center for 
Missing and Exploited Children, and his dedicated staff, I decided to 
work diligently to establish the first-ever Congressional Missing and 
Exploited Children's Caucus with my colleagues the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Cramer) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Franks) to 
provide a unified and loud voice for missing and exploited children 
here in Congress.
  I am pleased to report, as of today, this bipartisan caucus now has 
126 members. We work on legislation to impose tougher penalties on 
those who commit sexual offenses against children and to make sure our 
communities are notified when convicted sex offenders move into their 
neighborhoods.
  The caucus would not be nearly as effective in producing innovative 
legislation and helpful district safety workshops without the advice 
and programs offered at the National Center. The Center's outreach 
programs help chiefs of police and sheriffs to develop fast response 
plans through the Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training Program, to comb 
neighborhoods and streets for our children who have been reported as 
missing. The Center also focuses its educational outreach programs 
toward children who can learn how to protect themselves from the 
dangers that they face in today's world. I am proud to have helped the 
Center unveil a nationwide program called ``Know the Rules.'' It was a 
public service campaign that was started here in Washington just a 
couple of years ago.
  ``Know the Rules'' is a set of simple rules all children, but 
especially teenage girls between the ages of 12 and 17, should use in 
their everyday lives to build self-esteem and to help them escape 
potentially dangerous situations.
  I have two daughters and will become a grandfather for the first time 
in November. I am convinced that funding the National Center is as good 
an investment of taxpayer dollars as can be made to ensure the safety 
of our Nation's children.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all of our colleagues from Oregon to Ohio and 
California to Connecticut to support the National Center for Missing 
and Exploited Children on this National Missing Children's Day by 
voting for S. 249.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tancredo) who is not only from Colorado, 
but has been through a difficult 5 weeks living in the shadow of 
Columbine High School.
  Mr. TANCREDO. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, the Missing, Exploited, 
and Runaway Children's Act, but more specifically in support of the 
school violence study that has been referred to here several times.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a fact that we have now had to deal with for quite 
some time, but it has been brought home to us more dramatically in the 
last few weeks than perhaps anytime in the recent past. That fact is 
that we are a violent country.
  The character of the American people, unfortunately, we have a 
violent character. The history of this Nation is replete with violence. 
It is not a good thing that I say but it is unfortunately a true thing.
  What is completely unusual, what is not at all to be explained by our 
history, however, is the violence we see now in schools and with 
children. Because although we have always had a violent society, the 
fact is we have never in the history of this country had a situation 
where children were participants to the extent that they are today in 
that violent nature.
  So something has happened. Something has changed. This is one thing 
we know for sure, that this is a brand new phenomenon. We have to 
figure out why this is occurring.
  There was a recent study that was a fascinating study I commend to my 
colleagues. It was done by an individual who works for the armed 
forces. His task really is to desensitize members of the armed forces 
to the actual act of killing another human being because, as he says, 
this is a very difficult thing. People do not do it naturally.
  Taking the life of another member of your own species is not natural 
and you have to work at it. When we do it in the armed forces under 
controlled circumstances, you use technology to desensitize members of 
the armed forces to actually taking a life. But that is in a very 
controlled environment.
  What has happened is that some of the same technology that is used by 
the armed forces, in particular a computerized game called Doom, is a 
game that is now available to everyone, to youngsters in our society, 
over the Internet. As a matter of fact, the two shooters in Colorado, 
Mr. Klebold and Mr. Harris, were compulsive about this game, Doom, were 
into it to a very great extent.
  I do not know whether or not that one thing had everything to do with 
what happened in Columbine. I do not know how much of an impact it had 
on what they decided to do. All I do know is this, that something has 
changed in our society, and we are turning children into killers. We 
are turning children into individuals without a conscience.
  This is new, Mr. Speaker, and this is frightening. We have to find 
out why this is happening. Therefore, I commend my colleagues on the 
committee for this bill and specifically for the study on school 
violence, which I hope will bring to our attention the cause of this 
new phenomenon.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the bipartisan 
spirit in which this bill has been written from beginning to end. I 
think we have a very good bill here. I urge its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger).
  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, it is a parent's worst nightmare when you 
come in from work and you call out your child's name and she does not 
answer, and you begin to look for her and you cannot find her; and as 
you begin to search, your apprehension turns to panic and then your 
concern turns to pure terror.
  Unfortunately, that happens in literally thousands of homes in 
America today. In fact, if you are the parent of an 11-year-old girl, 
you will be sad to know that that group is the most at risk for murder 
and abduction in this country today.
  Unfortunately, there are so many of the colleagues that could speak 
today who will name the name of a child who is missing in their 
community. In my case, her name is Opal Jennings. She is a darling 
little girl who is missing from our community. Unfortunately, a number 
have been missing from our community. That is what we are talking about 
today.

[[Page H3520]]

  The Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children Protection Act would do 
something to help those parents. It would authorize $10 million a year 
for a period of 5 years for the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children. Among other things, this money would help operate a 
24-hour toll free telephone line to report those children and public 
and private programs to locate, recover and hopefully reunite them with 
their family. This is something that needs to be done, it should have 
wonderful bipartisan support in this Congress, and it is the least we 
can do for our children.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  I would just point out a couple of things. One, we have spoken to 
various parts of this legislation, but I think we all in the House of 
Representatives need to understand the importance and the components of 
what we are dealing with here. It first authorizes, as I said in my 
opening, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and Missing Children's 
Assistance Act. It also provides an authorization, which we heard about 
very eloquently from several speakers for the National Center for 
Missing and Exploited Children; and it does, as we also heard from the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood) and others, direct the 
National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study of the cultural 
influences on youth violence.
  These things, in and of themselves, may not prevent all the problems 
of youth in this country, it will not; but it may in some small way 
start the mending process which we consider to be so important.
  I would just like to thank all of those who took the time to come to 
the floor to speak to this today and all the Members of the House, who 
I believe will be supportive of what we consider to be very significant 
legislation to help with these problems.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, organizations like the Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children should be commended and supported for their work on 
this critical issue. However, I must oppose this legislation as it is 
outside the proper Constitutional role for the federal government to 
spend money in this way; such spending is more appropriate coming from 
the states and private donations. As always, I am amazed that Members 
of Congress are so willing to be generous with their constituent's tax 
dollars, yet do not seem willing to support such causes out of their 
own pockets.
  This legislation would spend more than $268 million on issues that 
are simply outside the constitutional jurisdiction of the federal 
government. In addition, legislation like this blurs the lines between 
public and private funds, and opens good organizations to needless 
regulatory control for Congress. The legislation even opens the door to 
public money being used to support sectarian organizations, in direct 
violation of the First Amendment.
  The moral decay of our nation is a serious issue that must be 
addressed. However, after some forty years of federal meddling in 
education and other social issues, it is clear politicians on Capitol 
Hill have made matters worse for our children, not better.
  Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, today is National Missing Children's Day. 
Fitting enough, today we will also be voting on legislation to help 
locate missing, exploited and runaway children in our society.
  Congress first established Missing Children's Day in 1982 to increase 
public awareness regarding the thousands of children who disappear each 
year. Through the hard work of organizations such as the National 
Center for Missing and Exploited Children, I am proud to say that 
within the past 13 years, more than 35,000 children have been located, 
many having been saved from child abductions, molestations and sexual 
exploitation.
  Mr. Speaker, it is only fitting that today we will vote on S. 249, 
The Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children Protection Act. This 
legislation will provide funds for the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children to meet several of our nation's needs as they work 
to reunite missing and exploited children and their families.
  For parents who have missing children, every day is a struggle. I 
urge my colleagues to help families stricken with this awful tragedy by 
supporting S. 249.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is very important, and it 
is particularly significant to me due to the tragic murder of Polly 
Klaas that occurred in my home town of Petaluma in 1993.
  Polly Klaas was taken from her home at knife point during a slumber 
party while her mother slept in the next room. Richard Allen Davis, the 
brutal kidnapper, was later stopped by police in a nearby community. 
The officers did not know that there was a suspect being sought at that 
moment, so unfortunately they let him go. Could Polly have been saved 
if a more sophisticated computer system had been in place allowing 
different police jurisdictions to communicate? We'll never know.
  What I do know is that--thanks to a COPS grant recently awarded to 
the Sonoma County Police Consortium--such a computer system will soon 
be in place. This $6.2 million grant will permit the agencies in my 
district to upgrade dispatch systems, connect mobile police units, and 
increase the efficiency in filing incident reports. This is just one 
important step in improving our safely net for children.
  I am forever heartbroken that we were not able to save Polly, but I 
know that the best way we can honor Polly and other missing children is 
by doing our utmost to prevent such atrocities from happening to 
another child, another family, another community.
  This bill today, the Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children 
Protection Act, will allow such vital assistance programs as the Center 
for Missing and Exploited Children and the national toll-free hotline 
to continue. Without such resources, it is nearly impossible to conduct 
a responsive, nationwide search that could be the key to the missing 
child's survival.
  I am also proud to be a Member of the Missing and Exploited 
Children's Caucus in Congress, because it heightens awareness that we 
must continue to make progress in protecting our children. We cannot 
let our guard down. Saving the lives of the most vulnerable in our 
population should be our most important priority. Children are 25% of 
our population, but they are 100% of our future.
  Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to encourage all my colleagues to 
support the Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children Protection Act. 
Today I would like to focus on one specific facet of this Act, the 
authorization of Congressional support for the National Center for 
Missing and Exploited Children. Since 1984, the Center has proven to be 
an invaluable resource for state and local governments who struggle 
each day to recover missing children and to prevent the exploitation of 
children.
  Through its toll-free hotline, its training programs for state and 
local professionals, and its coordination of recovery programs, the 
Center is a focal point mobilizing citizens and communities in the 
pursuit of safety for all of America's children. The convergence of 
public and private resources in pursuit of this common goal has 
resulted in the recovery of more than 40,000 children--40,000 children 
who could have been lost without the contributions of the National 
Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
  The Center is particularly important to South Florida because one of 
its affiliated programs, the Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training 
Center, was established by Congress in 1996 in memory of my 
constituent, Jimmy Ryce, the son of Don and Claudine Ryce. In 1995, at 
9 years of age, Jimmy was abducted and brutally murdered while walking 
home from school. The Ryce Center, a joint project of the Center for 
Missing and Exploited Children and the Justice Department's Office of 
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, trains Chiefs of Police 
and Sheriffs in the most up-to-date methods of searching for missing 
children. The Ryce Center promotes swift, effective investigative 
response to missing and exploited children cases, provides 
comprehensive training in case investigations, ensures the consistent 
and meaningful use of reporting systems, and promotes the use of 
important national resources to assist in these cases.
  The Ryce Center is an invaluable resource to law enforcement 
officials throughout the country, and in just a few short years has 
made enormous strides in changing the way America deals with cases of 
missing and exploited children. In the face of a problem which none of 
us should have to face, Don and Claudine have turned their personal 
tragedy in to a positive effort to help ensure the safety of millions 
of American children just like Jimmy. I urge all of my colleagues to 
support the passage of this bill.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on 
S. 249.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Sununu). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Delaware?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 249, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

[[Page H3521]]

  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________