[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 197 (Thursday, December 13, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7624-S7625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   AMBER ALERT NATIONWIDE ACT OF 2018

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of 
S. 3461 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 3461) to amend the PROTECT Act to expand the 
     national AMBER Alert system to territories of the United 
     States, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the 
Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I further ask unanimous consent that the amendment at 
the desk be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a 
third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered 
made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 4111) was agreed to, as follows:

               (Purpose: To strike the funding provision)

         On page 9, strike line 22 and all that follows through 
     page 10, line 16.

  The bill (S. 3461), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 3461

       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 ``AMBER Alert Nationwide Act 
     of 2018''.

     SEC. 2. COOPERATION WITH DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

       Subtitle A of title III of the PROTECT Act (34 U.S.C. 20501 
     et seq.) is amended--
       (1) in section 301--
       (A) in subsection (b)--
       (i) in paragraph (1), by inserting after ``gaps in areas of 
     interstate travel'' the following: ``(including airports, 
     maritime ports, border crossing areas and checkpoints, and 
     ports of exit from the United States)''; and
       (ii) in paragraphs (2) and (3), by inserting ``, 
     territories of the United States, and tribal governments'' 
     after ``States''; and
       (B) in subsection (d), by inserting after ``Secretary of 
     Transportation'' the following: ``, the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security,''; and
       (2) in section 302--
       (A) in subsection (b), in paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) by 
     inserting ``, territorial, tribal,'' after ``State''; and
       (B) in subsection (c)--
       (i) in paragraph (1), by inserting after ``Secretary of 
     Transportation'' the following: ``, the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security,''; and
       (ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, territorial, 
     tribal,'' after ``State''.

     SEC. 3. AMBER ALERTS ALONG MAJOR TRANSPORTATION ROUTES.

       (a) In General.--Section 303 of the PROTECT Act (34 U.S.C. 
     20503) is amended--
       (1) in the section heading, by inserting after ``along 
     highways'' the following: ``and major transportation 
     routes'';
       (2) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by inserting after ``Secretary of Transportation'' the 
     following: ``(referred to in this section as the 
     `Secretary')''; and
       (B) by inserting after ``along highways'' the following: 
     ``and at airports, maritime ports, border crossing areas and 
     checkpoints, and ports of exit from the United States'';
       (3) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (1)--
       (i) by striking ``other motorist information systems to 
     notify motorists'' and inserting ``other information systems 
     to notify motorists, aircraft passengers, ship passengers, 
     and travelers''; and
       (ii) by inserting after ``necessary to notify motorists'' 
     the following: ``, aircraft passengers, ship passengers, and 
     travelers'';
       (B) in paragraph (2)--
       (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``other motorist 
     information systems to notify motorists'' and inserting 
     ``other information systems to notify motorists, aircraft 
     passengers, ship passengers, and travelers'';
       (ii) in subparagraph (D), by inserting after ``support the 
     notification of motorists'' the following: ``, aircraft 
     passengers, ship passengers, and travelers'';
       (iii) in subparagraph (E), by inserting after 
     ``motorists'', each place it appears, the following: ``, 
     aircraft passengers, ship passengers, and travelers'';
       (iv) in subparagraph (F), by inserting after ``motorists'' 
     the following: ``, aircraft passengers, ship passengers, and 
     travelers''; and
       (v) in subparagraph (G), by inserting after ``motorists'' 
     the following: ``, aircraft passengers, ship passengers, and 
     travelers'';
       (4) in subsection (c), by striking ``other motorist 
     information systems to notify motorists'', each place it 
     appears, and inserting ``other information systems to notify 
     motorists, aircraft passengers, ship passengers, and 
     travelers'';
       (5) by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:
       ``(d) Federal Share.--
       ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
     Federal share of the cost of any activities funded by a grant 
     under this section may not exceed 80 percent.

[[Page S7625]]

       ``(2) Waiver.--If the Secretary determines that American 
     Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or 
     the Virgin Islands of the United States is unable to comply 
     with the requirement under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
     waive such requirement.'';
       (6) in subsection (g)--
       (A) by striking ``In this section'' and inserting ``In this 
     subtitle''; and
       (B) by striking ``or Puerto Rico'' and inserting ``American 
     Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the 
     Virgin Islands of the United States, and any other territory 
     of the United States''; and
       (7) in subsection (h), by striking ``fiscal year 2004'' and 
     inserting ``each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022''.
       (b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of 
     contents in section 1(b) of the PROTECT Act (Public Law 108-
     21) is amended by striking the item relating to section 303 
     and inserting the following:

``Sec. 303. Grant program for notification and communications systems 
              along highways and major transportation routes for 
              recovery of abducted children.''.

     SEC. 4. AMBER ALERT COMMUNICATION PLANS IN THE TERRITORIES.

       Section 304 of the PROTECT Act (34 U.S.C. 20504) is 
     amended--
       (1) in subsection (b)(4), by inserting after ``with'' the 
     following: ``a territorial government or'';
       (2) by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:
       ``(c) Federal Share.--
       ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
     Federal share of the cost of any activities funded by a grant 
     under this section may not exceed 50 percent.
       ``(2) Waiver.--If the Attorney General determines that 
     American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto 
     Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, or an Indian 
     tribe is unable to comply with the requirement under 
     paragraph (1), the Attorney General shall waive such 
     requirement.''; and
       (3) in subsection (d), by inserting before the period at 
     the end the following: ``, including territories of the 
     United States''.

     SEC. 5. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 5 years after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 
     conduct a study assessing--
       (1) the implementation of the amendments made by this Act;
       (2) any challenges related to integrating the territories 
     of the United States into the AMBER Alert system;
       (3) the readiness, educational, technological, and training 
     needs of territorial law enforcement agencies in responding 
     to cases involving missing, abducted, or exploited children; 
     and
       (4) any other related matters the Attorney General or the 
     Secretary of Transportation determines appropriate.
       (b) Report Required.--The Comptroller General shall submit 
     a report on the findings of the study required under 
     subsection (a) to--
       (1) the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives;
       (2) the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the 
     Senate;
       (3) the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 
     the House of Representatives; and
       (4) each of the delegates or resident commissioner to the 
     House of Representatives from American Samoa, Guam, the 
     Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands 
     of the United States.
       (c) Public Availability.--The Comptroller General shall 
     make the report required under subsection (b) available on a 
     public Government website.
       (d) Obtaining Official Data.--
       (1) In general.--The Comptroller General may secure 
     information necessary to conduct the study under subsection 
     (a) directly from any Federal agency and from any territorial 
     government receiving grant funding under the PROTECT Act. 
     Upon request of the Comptroller General, the head of a 
     Federal agency or territorial government shall furnish the 
     requested information to the Comptroller General.
       (2) Agency records.--Notwithstanding paragraph (1), nothing 
     in this subsection shall require a Federal agency or any 
     territorial government to produce records subject to a common 
     law evidentiary privilege. Records and information shared 
     with the Comptroller General shall continue to be subject to 
     withholding under sections 552 and 552a of title 5, United 
     States Code. The Comptroller General is obligated to give the 
     information the same level of confidentiality and protection 
     required of the Federal agency or territorial government. The 
     Comptroller General may be requested to sign a nondisclosure 
     or other agreement as a condition of gaining access to 
     sensitive or proprietary data to which the Comptroller 
     General is entitled.
       (3) Privacy of personal information.--The Comptroller 
     General, and any Federal agency and any territorial 
     government that provides information to the Comptroller 
     General, shall take such actions as are necessary to ensure 
     the protection of the personal information of a minor.

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