[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 1478-1481]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL AMBER ALERT NETWORK ACT OF 2003

  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Dole). Under the previous order, the 
clerk will report S. 121.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 121) to enhance the operation of the AMBER Alert 
     communications network in order to facilitate the recovery of 
     abducted children, to provide for enhanced notification on 
     highways of alerts and information on such children, and for 
     other purposes.

  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Madam President, I have a parliamentary 
inquiry. I had asked for the yeas and nays, and there was determined to 
be a sufficient second.
  Could you inform me, on the Nelson amendment, what is the 
parliamentary situation?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The yeas and nays have been ordered on that 
amendment.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, if I could ask the Chair to direct the 
Senator's attention to the Senator from Nevada, it is my understanding 
we have a vote scheduled for 5:15. There are 15 minutes of debate prior 
to that time. The two leaders are trying to figure out what votes are 
going to come next. We have a series of amendments that have been 
offered today. I ask that my friend from Florida withhold until the two 
leaders have determined the time for the vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah is recognized.
  Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I rise in strong support of S. 121, the 
National AMBER Alert Network Act of 2003. Specifically, I congratulate 
and thank my colleagues who have worked so hard toward the passage of 
this needed legislation: Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Dianne 
Feinstein. Both of them are deserving of the credit for this bill. I am 
very proud to align myself with both of them.
  Senator Hutchison has been a great leader in this area, and I am very 
much appreciative of her. Also, Senator Leahy and others have worked 
hard on this bill.
  The horrific kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart in my home State of Utah 
is illustrative of a terrifying wave of recent child abductions that 
has swept our Nation. Clearly, there is a tremendous need for 
legislation to help communities fight these terrible crimes.
  Without question, when it comes to child abductions, time is of the 
essence. We are all too aware that child abductors prey on the 
youngest, most innocent and vulnerable members of our society--often 
for the purpose of committing other serious violent crimes against 
them.
  Too often, it is only a matter of hours before a kidnapper abuses, 
assaults or kills the child victim.
  According to figures released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 
almost 75 percent of the murders that occur following child abductions 
happen within the first 3 hours.
  AMBER Alert systems are critical to successful search and recovery 
efforts because they enable law enforcement authorities to galvanize 
entire communities to assist in the safe recovery of child victims.
  We recently witnessed the success of the AMBER Alert system in 
California where the system was used to broadcast the disappearance of 
Nichole Timmons. After she was recognized, Nichole was safely recovered 
in the neighboring State of Nevada.
  In another recent California case, the AMBER Alert system was used to 
broadcast the disappearances of Tamera Brooks and Jaqueline Marris. 
Just hours after their abduction, and minutes before their possible 
murder, the two young women were found.
  My home State of Utah recently adopted a statewide alert program 
aimed at preventing child abduction called the Rachel Alert. The 
program was named after young Rachel Runyan who was kidnapped from 
behind her home in Sunset, UT, and later found murdered.
  I know that law enforcement agencies are working closely with 
broadcasters and the public to develop AMBER Alert systems across our 
country. Despite these efforts, however, I believe a National AMBER 
Alert Coordinator in the Department of Justice is needed to assist 
States in developing effective alert plans that can be coordinated 
nationwide.
  Fortunately, we already have the technology in place to do just 
that--the Emergency Broadcast System. For years, broadcasters have been 
cooperating with Government officials and reaching Americans across our 
country by issuing emergency alerts on our televisions and radios. We 
have all experienced an interruption in regular programming so that a 
news breaking announcement can be made. With the addition of a National 
AMBER Alert Coordinator and continued cooperation between law 
enforcement officials and broadcasters, we can create an effective 
national AMBER Alert system.
  Just now, I walked into the Senate Chamber with Ed Smart, who, as the 
country knows, has joined with his wife and family to launch one of the 
most brave, concerted, and vigilant efforts ever known to locate their 
precious daughter, Elizabeth.
  On many occasions, Ed and Lois Smart have educated me about the need 
for enhanced efforts to combat child abduction, such as the National 
AMBER Alert Network Act.
  This measure is overwhelmingly supported by the Smart family and all 
the parents who have firsthand experience with the uncertainty, pain, 
and trauma that exist while waiting for news about an abducted child.
  We have no greater resource than our children, and we need to see to 
it that we do all we can to protect them from predators of all types.
  So let us pass this legislation for Elizabeth Smart and Rachel Runyon 
and, indeed, for all children in our Nation.
  Madam President, I yield the remainder of our time to the 
distinguished Senator from Texas, who deserves so much credit for being 
on top of this bill and bringing it to the Senate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, how much time do I have?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Five minutes forty-five seconds.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, Senator Feinstein and I introduced 
this bill last session. Under the leadership of Senator Leahy and 
Senator Hatch, it went through in a remarkably short amount of time. 
Everyone could see the need for this bill, something that could be done 
on a volunteer basis, but with that Coordinator in the Department of 
Justice, we could really make a difference when a child is abducted in 
this country.
  Unfortunately, the bill died in the House. So we have introduced the 
bill again. And this time, once again, through the leadership of 
Senator Hatch and Senator Leahy, it has gone through the committee in 
record time. I hope we can pass this bill and give the House plenty of 
time to also pass this legislation and send it to the President.
  The President has asked for this bill. He knows we need legislation 
on the books to create this Coordinator and to help every abducted 
child have a chance to live.
  A Department of Justice study shows that 75 percent of child 
homicides

[[Page 1479]]

occur within 3 hours of abduction. AMBER Alerts have gone out within 17 
minutes of an abduction. That means we are giving law enforcement 
personnel the help they need to find this person who takes a child and 
wants to do harm to this child.
  Forty-three abducted children have been recovered with the assistance 
of AMBER Alerts. We now have 85 regional AMBER Alerts in this country, 
up from 53 when we introduced the bill last summer.
  People like Joann Donnellan are running the National Center for 
Missing and Exploited Children and have provided the technical 
assistance to States and local governments to help us find these 
children quickly.
  In fact, this bill is named for Amber Hagerman of Arlington, TX, who 
was abducted in 1996 and found murdered. Her death had such an impact 
on the community that it was determined that if we could get the word 
out and try to find someone who had taken a child, that it would help 
save these children.
  In fact, we have found that AMBER Alerts have been so effective that 
an abductor who saw an AMBER Alert sign in California went to the side 
of the road and let the child out because he knew he was going to be 
caught and that he was in trouble. So it is very effective.
  What we want to do is have a Coordinator in the Justice Department 
who a local law enforcement official can call and not have to make 10 
calls to contiguous States. He or she can make that one call to the 
AMBER Alert Coordinator in the Justice Department. That person will 
then be able to put the word out in contiguous States, without having 
to go through different call lists and wasting time.
  We know that time saves lives in AMBER Alerts. When a child is 
abducted, if we can save time, we can give that child the chance to not 
be harmed or horribly murdered, as we have seen in so many instances 
with child abductions.
  It is hard for me to understand how someone could prey on a 
defenseless child. It is the worst nightmare a parent would have to 
hear, that her child or his child has been taken by a stranger and you 
don't know what has happened. I have met with the parents of Elizabeth 
Smart, the wonderful couple from Utah, who have lost their child to an 
abductor and still have not heard from her. The agony they must go 
through every day is something no parent can imagine.
  With this bill, we will put the coordinator in place. We will help 
set criteria for when an AMBER Alert would go out. We thank the 
National Association of Broadcasters and the local broadcasters 
associations because they voluntarily put the word out through radio 
and television in a community where this has occurred.
  We want to make that go further and wider. We also want to try to 
help States with signage and help them know what works. For instance, 
the blinking signs on highways have been very effective.
  This is a bill that will make a difference. We know that if we can 
find a child within 24 hours, we have the best chance for them to be 
recovered safely.
  I thank Senator Feinstein, my cosponsor of this bill, and thank again 
Senators Hatch and Leahy for pushing this bill through the Judiciary 
Committee in record time because we know this bill needs to be on the 
books.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I am very pleased the Senate is again 
taking up and passing the AMBER Alert Network Act. I remember last year 
when Senator Hutchison would meet me coming in one door of the Senate 
and she would say: This bill is extremely important. Can we get it up 
and pass it.
  And before I would get to the other door, Senator Feinstein would 
grab me saying the same thing.
  I went to the Judiciary Committee with it. I must say with the strong 
help and support of the then-ranking member, now chairman of the 
committee, Senator Hatch. In the course of just 1 week after we 
introduced this, we held a hearing on the AMBER Alert bill. We passed 
it in the Judiciary Committee, and we passed it in the full Senate. 
That is almost unheard of.
  This is a case of what can happen in the Senate when people set aside 
political or partisan labels, work together and make sure something can 
pass.
  It was unfortunate that the House did not pass it but now we will 
give them a chance. I am proud to join Senator Hutchison and Senator 
Feinstein as an original cosponsor of the legislation.
  Senator Hutchison said it very well, the reasons for the legislation, 
as did Senator Hatch. I commend those Senators for their leadership. 
Senator Hutchison and Senator Feinstein have been absolutely dynamic in 
this case. Because of their support, they made it possible for Senator 
Hatch and I to get the unanimous support of the Judiciary Committee to 
move this bill.
  It has been credited with recovering 43 children nationwide; 84 
modified versions have been adopted in local, regional and Statewide 
locations. And 33 States have a Statewide plan.
  My home State of Vermont is not yet one of them, but this bill would 
help towns and counties in States such as mine to build and maintain 
the AMBER Alert.
  We spoke about how parents feel. I can imagine, when my children were 
growing up, the terrible fear that my wife and I would have had at the 
disappearance of any one of them. I don't know how a parent or 
grandparent gets through that. I don't know how members of the family 
get through it. The most vulnerable and most trusting part of our 
society is our children. Because they are the most vulnerable and the 
most trusting, we, not only as legislators but as parents, as family 
members, owe a particular duty to them.
  I know President Bush is ready to sign this bill as soon as it is 
passed by both bodies and goes to his desk. I urge all Senators to vote 
for it to send a very clear message to the other body that we support 
it. It is a bipartisan bill. They would then pass it. The President 
will sign it.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Madam President, I am pleased to support the National 
Amber Alert Network Act of 2003. I urge the House of Representatives to 
take prompt action to pass this critical legislation and for the 
President to support it.
  We have all heard the stories of parents who have found themselves 
trying to find a child who has been abducted, while fearing serious 
injury or even death. While local law enforcement officials work 
tirelessly to locate these children, the reality is that they are not 
always able to find a child in time without the help of the public.
  What has made the difference around the country in many communities 
is the Amber program, a system designed to get critical information to 
the general public that might lead to locating a child and his or her 
abductor before the worst can happen.
  The National Amber Alert Network Act of 2003 builds upon successful 
local programs and encourages other communities to develop Amber 
programs. The National Amber Alert Network Act of 2003 would enhance 
local programs by giving State and local communities help in 
apprehending an abductor who takes a child and then crosses State 
lines. In Wisconsin, there are three Amber programs in effect, in 
Madison, in La Crosse and in Green Bay. But, if a child is taken from 
Wisconsin and brought across State lines to another State, the local 
Amber programs have no uniform way to get critical information from one 
State to another.
  The National Amber Alert Network Act of 2003 would allow communities 
the flexibility to develop Amber programs that are responsive to the 
needs of their areas and provide Federal assistance and coordination 
for local programs. The National Amber Alert Network Act would have the 
Department of Justice create a national coordinator to work on 
interstate issues, develop voluntary minimum standards for the issuance 
and dissemination of Amber alerts, and provide matching grants for the 
development and enhancement of local Amber alert plans.
  The cost of implementing the National Amber Alert Network Act of 2003

[[Page 1480]]

is small when we consider the price every parent and community must pay 
when children are not protected. I am hopeful the National Amber Alert 
Network Act will help local programs continue to reunite families and 
apprehend their abductors.
  (At the request of Mr. Leahy, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)
 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, today, the Senate will vote 
on a bill that will save children's lives by expanding the existing 
AMBER Alert program nationwide.
  I want to commend Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison for her continued 
leadership on this legislation. Her work on this bill has been 
extraordinary.
  I also want give a special thanks to Senator Hatch, Chairman of the 
Judiciary Committee, and to Senator Leahy, the Ranking Member, for 
putting the National Amber Alert Network Act on the fast track to the 
Senate Floor.
  Senator Hutchison and I introduced the bill on January 9th, 2003. 
Now, just a couple of weeks later, we are voting on Senate passage. I 
am hopeful that this tidal wave of Senate support will carry over to 
the House and we soon will have a national AMBER Alert law.
  So what are AMBER Alerts? AMBER Alerts are official bulletins 
transmitted over the airwaves to enlist the public's help in tracking 
down child abductors fleeing a crime scene.
  AMBER Alerts are such powerful tools because they can be issued 
within minutes of an abduction and reach a wide public audience.
  Statistics show that children in the most dangerous abduction cases 
have precious little time until their safety is compromised.
  According to a study by the U.S. Department of Justice, 74 percent of 
children who were abducted, and later found murdered, are killed in the 
first hours after being taken.
  Simply put, we need more AMBER Alerts because they may be the best 
tool law enforcement has to save kidnaped children facing imminent 
danger.
  The National AMBER Alert Network Act has three key components.
  First, the legislation would authorize $20 million to the Department 
of Transportation and $5 million to the Department of Justice in FY 
2004 to provide grants for the development of AMBER Alert systems, 
electronic message boards, and training and education programs in 
states that do not have AMBER Alerts.
  To date, AMBER Alert systems exist in 34 states and a total of 85 
local, regional and state jurisdictions. This bill would help the 
expansion of AMBER Alerts to new jurisdictions.
  Second, the bill would build upon the President's Executive Order by 
authorizing a national coordinator for AMBER Alerts in the Department 
of Justice to expand the network of AMBER Alert systems and to 
coordinate the issuance of region-wide AMBER Alerts.
  Third, the bill provides a framework for the Department of Justice to 
establish minimum standards for the regional coordination of AMBER 
alerts. The Department of Justice, working with the National Center for 
Missing and Exploited Children and other private organizations with 
expertise in this area, would build upon the best standards currently 
in place.
  The effectiveness of AMBER Alerts depends on the continued judicious 
use of the system so that the public does not grow to ignore the 
warnings.
  Furthermore, it is the specific intent of this bill not to interfere 
with the operation of the 85 AMBER plans that are working today.
  Participation in regional AMBER plans is voluntary, and any plan that 
wishes to go it alone may still do so.
  I urge members to support this bill because AMBER Alerts have a 
proven track record.
  Nationally, since 1996, the AMBER Alert has been credited with the 
safe return of 43 children to their families, including one case in 
which an abductor reportedly released the child after hearing the alert 
himself.
  I would like to briefly describe two of these cases: the rescues of 
10-year-old Nichole Timmons from Riverside and four-year-old Jessica 
Cortez from Los Angeles.
  Last fall, Nichole Timmons and her mother Sharon attended a hearing 
of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism, and 
Government Information on the AMBER Alert program.
  In moving testimony, Sharon described how Nichole was abducted from 
their Riverside home on August 20, 2002 and how an AMBER Alert brought 
her daughter back to her within hours of the abduction.
  In Nichole's case, an Alert was issued not just in California, but in 
Nevada as well.
  After learning about the Alert, a tribal police officer in Nevada 
spotted the truck of Nichole's abductor and stopped him within 24 hours 
of the abduction.
  He was found with duct tape and a metal pipe. The AMBER Alert was the 
only reason that Nichole was able to return home to her mother--safe.
  I can't think of any testimony in support of a bill more powerful 
than the sight of a mother sitting next to her daughter who she thought 
might be gone forever.
  The second case I want to mention is that of Jessica Cortez. Jessica 
disappeared from Echo Park in Los Angeles on August 11, 2002.
  But when Jessica's abductor took her to a clinic for medical care, 
receptionist Denise Leon recognized Jessica from the AMBER Alert and 
notified law enforcement.
  Without the publicity generated by the Alert, Jessica could have been 
lost to her parents forever.
  Through this legislation, we will extend to every corner of the 
nation a network of AMBER Alerts that will protect our children.
  This program will increase the odds that an abducted child will 
return to his or her family safely.
  But importantly, it will deter potential abductors from taking a 
child in the first place.
  As Marc Klaas said at a hearing on the bill last fall, this 
legislation will ``save kid's lives.''
  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I yield back whatever time remains on 
this side.
  Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I yield back whatever time we have, and I 
ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read 
the third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on the passage of the bill.
  The yeas and nays have been ordered. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I announce that the Senator from Kansas (Mr. 
Brownback) is necessarily absent.
  Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from New Mexico (Mr. Bingaman), 
the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Daschle), the Senator from 
California (Mrs. Feinstein), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Graham), the 
Senator from Iowa (Mr. Harkin) the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. 
Hollings), and the Senator from Arkansas (Mrs. Lincoln) are necessarily 
absent.
  I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from 
Arkansas (Mrs. Lincoln) would vote ``Aye''.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 92, nays 0, as follows:

                       [Rollcall Vote No. 9 Leg.]

                                YEAS--92

     Akaka
     Alexander
     Allard
     Allen
     Baucus
     Bayh
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bond
     Boxer
     Breaux
     Bunning
     Burns
     Byrd
     Campbell
     Cantwell
     Carper
     Chafee
     Chambliss
     Clinton
     Cochran
     Coleman
     Collins
     Conrad
     Cornyn
     Corzine
     Craig
     Crapo
     Dayton
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Dole
     Domenici
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Edwards
     Ensign
     Enzi
     Feingold
     Fitzgerald
     Frist
     Graham (SC)
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagel
     Hatch
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Inouye
     Jeffords
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Kerry
     Kohl

[[Page 1481]]


     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lott
     Lugar
     McCain
     McConnell
     Mikulski
     Miller
     Murkowski
     Murray
     Nelson (FL)
     Nelson (NE)
     Nickles
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Santorum
     Sarbanes
     Schumer
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stabenow
     Stevens
     Sununu
     Talent
     Thomas
     Voinovich
     Warner
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--8

     Bingaman
     Brownback
     Daschle
     Feinstein
     Graham (FL)
     Harkin
     Hollings
     Lincoln
  The bill (S. 121) was passed, as follows:

                                 S. 121

       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 ``National AMBER Alert Network 
     Act of 2003''.

     SEC. 2. NATIONAL COORDINATION OF AMBER ALERT COMMUNICATIONS 
                   NETWORK.

       (a) Coordination Within Department of Justice.--The 
     Attorney General shall assign an officer of the Department of 
     Justice to act as the national coordinator of the AMBER Alert 
     communications network regarding abducted children. The 
     officer so designated shall be known as the AMBER Alert 
     Coordinator of the Department of Justice.
       (b) Duties.--In acting as the national coordinator of the 
     AMBER Alert communications network, the Coordinator shall--
       (1) seek to eliminate gaps in the network, including gaps 
     in areas of interstate travel;
       (2) work with States to encourage the development of 
     additional elements (known as local AMBER plans) in the 
     network;
       (3) work with States to ensure appropriate regional 
     coordination of various elements of the network; and
       (4) act as the nationwide point of contact for--
       (A) the development of the network; and
       (B) regional coordination of alerts on abducted children 
     through the network.
       (c) Consultation With Federal Bureau of Investigation.--In 
     carrying out duties under subsection (b), the Coordinator 
     shall notify and consult with the Director of the Federal 
     Bureau of Investigation concerning each child abduction for 
     which an alert is issued through the AMBER Alert 
     communications network.
       (d) Cooperation.--The Coordinator shall cooperate with the 
     Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Communications 
     Commission in carrying out activities under this section.

     SEC. 3. MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR ISSUANCE AND DISSEMINATION OF 
                   ALERTS THROUGH AMBER ALERT COMMUNICATIONS 
                   NETWORK.

       (a) Establishment of Minimum Standards.--Subject to 
     subsection (b), the AMBER Alert Coordinator of the Department 
     of Justice shall establish minimum standards for--
       (1) the issuance of alerts through the AMBER Alert 
     communications network; and
       (2) the extent of the dissemination of alerts issued 
     through the network.
       (b) Limitations.--(1) The minimum standards established 
     under subsection (a) shall be adoptable on a voluntary basis 
     only.
       (2) The minimum standards shall, to the maximum extent 
     practicable (as determined by the Coordinator in consultation 
     with State and local law enforcement agencies), provide that 
     the dissemination of an alert through the AMBER Alert 
     communications network be limited to the geographic areas 
     most likely to facilitate the recovery of the abducted child 
     concerned.
       (3) In carrying out activities under subsection (a), the 
     Coordinator may not interfere with the current system of 
     voluntary coordination between local broadcasters and State 
     and local law enforcement agencies for purposes of the AMBER 
     Alert communications network.
       (c) Cooperation.--(1) The Coordinator shall cooperate with 
     the Secretary of Transportation and the Federal 
     Communications Commission in carrying out activities under 
     this section.
       (2) The Coordinator shall also cooperate with local 
     broadcasters and State and local law enforcement agencies in 
     establishing minimum standards under this section.

     SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM FOR NOTIFICATION AND COMMUNICATIONS 
                   SYSTEMS ALONG HIGHWAYS FOR RECOVERY OF ABDUCTED 
                   CHILDREN.

       (a) Program Required.--The Secretary of Transportation 
     shall carry out a program to provide grants to States for the 
     development or enhancement of notification or communications 
     systems along highways for alerts and other information for 
     the recovery of abducted children.
       (b) Activities.--Activities funded by grants under the 
     program under subsection (a) may include--
       (1) the development or enhancement of electronic message 
     boards along highways and the placement of additional signage 
     along highways; and
       (2) the development or enhancement of other means of 
     disseminating along highways alerts and other information for 
     the recovery of abducted children.
       (c) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of any 
     activities funded by a grant under the program under 
     subsection (a) may not exceed 50 percent.
       (d) Distribution of Grant Amounts on Geographic Basis.--The 
     Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, ensure 
     the distribution of grants under the program under subsection 
     (a) on an equitable basis throughout the various regions of 
     the United States.
       (e) Administration.--The Secretary shall prescribe 
     requirements, including application requirements, for grants 
     under the program under subsection (a).
       (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--(1) There is 
     authorized to be appropriated for the Department of 
     Transportation $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2004 to carry out 
     this section.
       (2) Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 
     appropriations in paragraph (1) shall remain available until 
     expended.

     SEC. 5. GRANT PROGRAM FOR SUPPORT OF AMBER ALERT 
                   COMMUNICATIONS PLANS.

       (a) Program Required.--The Attorney General shall carry out 
     a program to provide grants to States for the development or 
     enhancement of programs and activities for the support of 
     AMBER Alert communications plans.
       (b) Activities.--Activities funded by grants under the 
     program under subsection (a) may include--
       (1) the development and implementation of education and 
     training programs, and associated materials, relating to 
     AMBER Alert communications plans;
       (2) the development and implementation of law enforcement 
     programs, and associated equipment, relating to AMBER Alert 
     communications plans; and
       (3) such other activities as the Secretary considers 
     appropriate for supporting the AMBER Alert communications 
     program.
       (c) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of any 
     activities funded by a grant under the program under 
     subsection (a) may not exceed 50 percent.
       (d) Distribution of Grant Amounts on Geographic Basis.--The 
     Attorney General shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 
     ensure the distribution of grants under the program under 
     subsection (a) on an equitable basis throughout the various 
     regions of the United States.
       (e) Administration.--The Attorney General shall prescribe 
     requirements, including application requirements, for grants 
     under the program under subsection (a).
       (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--(1) There is 
     authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Justice 
     $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2004 to carry out this section.
       (2) Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 
     appropriations in paragraph (1) shall remain available until 
     expended.

  Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. CRAIG. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

                          ____________________