[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 172 (Thursday, November 19, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE RUNAWAY REPORTING IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2009

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 19, 2009

  Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speker, today I am proud to introduce bipartisan 
legislation, the Runaway Reporting Improvement Act of 2009, along with 
my friends and colleagues Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Conyers of 
Michigan, and Mr. Cardoza of California.
  One of the few things more terrible than learning that a child was 
missing would be learning that everything possible wasn't being done to 
find him or her. Shockingly, the New York Times recently reported that 
many runaway children are missing not only from their homes, but also 
from the very database meant to help law enforcement officers find 
them.
  If no one knows that a child is missing, that child is unlikely to be 
found. It is imperative that everyone--parents, communities, and 
especially law enforcement authorities--combine their resources and 
work together to find and protect missing children. The National Crime 
Information Center (NCIC) database is designed to help make information 
sharing easier. Virtually every law enforcement officer in the United 
States can access the NCIC database, which means that they can more 
easily cooperate in investigating and resolving multi-jurisdictional 
cases.
  Every child reported to have run away is supposed to be listed in the 
NCIC database as a missing person. However, according to the New York 
Times' series ``Running in the Shadows,'' as many as 16 percent of 
reported runaways are never entered into the NCIC database. Madam 
Speaker, this is outrageous and unacceptable. Without an NCIC entry, 
law enforcement officers will not share information or resources, and 
are much less likely to find or protect a missing child.
  The Runaway Reporting Improvement Act of 2009 would help solve this 
problem and protect missing children by making two small but useful 
changes to the current law. First, the bill would require law 
enforcement agencies to certify that they comply with federal law by 
entering all missing children into the NCIC database. Second, it would 
require that law enforcement officers provide someone who reports their 
child missing with information about the services of the National 
Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Runaway 
Switchboard, as well as 24-hour, toll-free contact information for 
those resources. NCMEC and NRS have a long and successful history of 
helping parents and law enforcement agencies work together to find and 
protect missing kids.
  Madam Speaker, we simply must do better by our children. The 
necessary resources are already in place. The Runaway Reporting 
Improvement Act of 2009, will help ensure that those existing resources 
are used to find and protect the children who need them most.

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