[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 87 (Thursday, June 29, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H4897-H4898]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             REUNITING MISSING CHILDREN WITH THEIR FAMILIES

  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak 
out of order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentlewoman from 
California is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand tonight 
and thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for passing H.R. 
4416, a bill I introduced to help missing children be reunited with 
their families. Let me first begin by thanking Chairman Tom Davis and 
Ranking Member Waxman for reporting this measure out of the House 
Committee on Government Reform. I would also like to thank Chairman 
Ehlers for the role that he and the Committee on House Administration 
have played in moving this legislation forward.
  Mr. Speaker, my bill will permanently authorize the use of official 
franked and penalty mail to assist in the location of missing and 
exploited children. Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita opened many 
eyes to the undeniable reality that faces so many of America's most 
vulnerable. In the aftermath of those disasters, TV screens across the 
country aired photographs and other information about missing children 
throughout the gulf region. Fortunately, in the days and months since, 
the children missing as a result of these hurricanes have been reunited 
with their families, and that is very good news.
  However, one thing remains clear. This Congress should take every 
reasonable step available to help families, not only those from the 
gulf coast but all across America be reunited with their loved ones 
that have been missing. My bill represents one step in that effort.
  I have reviewed this matter at great length in the course of my work 
as ranking member of the Committee on House Administration and as a 
member of the Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards. In my 
judgment, the congressional frank presents an ideal opportunity to 
distribute information about missing and exploited children in addition 
to being an effective way for Members to communicate with their 
constituents about our important work.
  Beginning in 1985 and for a period of 3 years, section 3220 of title 
39 of the U.S. Code authorized the use of Federal penalty mail to 
assist in U.S. Department of Justice efforts to locate and recover 
missing children. Congress subsequently reauthorized this law three 
times for various lengths of time, but the last reauthorization expired 
4 years ago, and unfortunately it has not been renewed or extended.
  This program, which is entirely voluntary, has been a joint effort 
between the Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing 
and Exploited Children. By permanently authorizing this legislation, we 
are providing Federal agencies and the United States Congress with the 
opportunity to help in the recovery of missing and exploited children 
throughout this country.
  Under the provisions of my bill, biographical data and pictures of 
children featured in the National Center for Missing and Exploited 
Children's photo distribution program can be included in various 
categories of official Federal Government mail.
  According to the center, one in six of these featured children is 
recovered as a direct result of someone in the general public 
recognizing the child in the picture and notifying authorities. The 
U.S. Postal Service reports that in fiscal year 2005, U.S. Government 
agencies mailed over 1.3 billion pieces of penalty mail. If only 50 
percent of this mail had included a picture and biographical sketch of 
one of the more

[[Page H4898]]

than 797,000 children currently reported as missing, there would have 
been over 708 million chances of a missing child being identified and 
reunited with his or her family.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to include in the Record a letter that I 
received from the president of the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children, Mr. Ernie Allen, urging reauthorization of this 
program and emphasizing its value and importance.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a very important piece of legislation that 
Congress has supported for almost 20 years. I am grateful that this 
body will continue that support by the passing of my bill on Monday so 
that we can do our part to help bring these children home safely.
         National Center for Missing & Exploited Children,
                                   Alexandria, VA, March 24, 2006.
     Hon. Juanita Millender-McDonald,
     Rayburn House Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Millender-McDonald: On behalf of the 
     National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (``NCMEC''), 
     I am writing to commend you for introducing H.R. 4416, a bill 
     to reauthorize the use of official and franked mail to assist 
     in the location and recovery of missing children.
       NCMEC can attest to the fact that distributing photos of 
     missing children is extremely successful. We began our photo 
     distribution program in 1984 and now have 345 public and 
     private partners. We are pleased to report that one out of 
     every six missing children in our program has been recovered 
     as a direct result of the photo being recognized by a member 
     of the public. We are grateful to the members of Congress and 
     executive branch offices that have chosen to join us in our 
     efforts over the years.
       Thank you for your initiative in continuing this program 
     that has proven to be a valuable tool in the search for 
     missing children.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Ernie Allen,
     President.

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