[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16559]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   RUNAWAY REPORTING IMPROVEMENT ACT

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 30, 2013

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, it is estimated 
that each year in the United States 1.6 million children and youth run 
away or are thrown out of their homes. Every child reported to have run 
away is required by law to be listed in the National Crime Information 
Center (NCIC) database as a missing person. This cooperative effort of 
federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies aids in information-
sharing and promotes cooperation in investigating and resolving multi-
jurisdictional cases. The NCIC database is an important part of the 
puzzle because it can be accessed by virtually every law enforcement 
officer in the United States. Without an NCIC entry, officers in one 
part of the country have no way to know that a child is missing at all.
  Sadly, an estimated 16 percent of reported runaways are never entered 
in the NCIC database as missing persons. Without an NCIC entry, law 
enforcement officers will not share information or resources, and are 
far less able to discover or protect a missing child because law 
enforcement doesn't know to look for him or her.
  To help address this problem, my colleague Rep. Ted Poe and I are 
introducing the Runaway Reporting Improvement Act. This legislation 
would require law enforcement agencies to certify that they are 
complying with the law and entering all runaway children into the NCIC 
database. Additionally, agencies would be required to give parents or 
guardians of missing children information about the help available 
through the 24-hour, toll-free phone numbers for the National Center 
for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Runaway Safeline. 
These two organizations provide referral services and counseling to the 
parents or guardians of missing children.
  The necessary resources are already in place. We simply must do 
better by our children. The Runaway Reporting Improvement Act will help 
ensure that existing processes are used to find and protect those most 
vulnerable.

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