[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 25, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E948]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            INTRODUCING THE RECOVERING MISSING CHILDREN ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 2011

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues and fellow 
Ways and Means members Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Patrick Tiberi (R-OH), 
and my colleague Joe Courtney (D-CT), to introduce the Recovering 
Missing Children Act. Today, May 25th is National Missing Children's 
Day. This legislation will help state and local law enforcement access 
the resources they need to bring missing children home safely.
  Each year, more than 200,000 children are abducted by family members. 
These are usually not the stories that make national headlines, but the 
effects can be just as devastating. Even when there is a happy ending 
and young people are returned home, challenges remain. As one young 
woman who experienced a family abduction explains, ``I had to get to 
know my mother from scratch, while at the same time dealing with my own 
prejudices and fear I had built up toward this stranger from years on 
the run and the negative messages from my father.''
  In the case of a missing child, any information that might lead to 
the child's return is crucial. Recently, the U.S. Treasury Department 
studied 1,700 parental abductions and found that in over one third of 
the cases, tax returns were filed using the missing child's Social 
Security number. Hundreds of those tax returns had a new address for 
the child and the abductor. Tragically, law enforcement officers were 
not allowed access to this information.
  The Recovering Missing Children Act amends the Internal Revenue Code 
to add the case of a missing or exploited child to the list of 
exceptions allowing the release of Internal Revenue Service, IRS, tax 
return information. The privacy of one's IRS information is vital and 
must be protected. However, the law makes exceptions for the release of 
select information in specific cases, such as for child support 
enforcement, verifying information for Medicare benefits, or if someone 
has defaulted on a student loan. The chance to find a missing child and 
bring him or her home deserves such an exception.
  The Recovering Missing Children Act requires a Federal court order 
for the release of this information to ensure that taxpayers' rights to 
privacy are respected. It also limits the release of such information 
to only Federal, state and local law enforcement agents personally and 
directly involved in the investigation of a missing or exploited child. 
The vast majority of missing children cases are investigated by state 
and local law enforcement. They need all possible resources at their 
disposal to make sure these children are safe and home where they 
belong.
  I urge my colleagues to stand with myself, Mr. Paulsen, Mr. Tiberi 
and Mr. Courtney on behalf of missing children and the law enforcement 
officers who diligently work for their safety. I ask for your support 
of the Recovering Missing Children Act.

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