Child Abduction Prevention Act
Latest action · Oct 9, 2002 Received in the Senate.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedSep 19, 2002
- Passed HouseOct 8, 2002
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
(Sec. 102) Includes aggravated child abuse and child torture murders within the scope of the definition of first degree murder.
(Sec. 103) Increases: (1) maximum and minimum penalties for sexual exploitation and other abuse of children; and (2) penalties for transportation for illegal sexual activity and related crimes.
(Sec. 104) Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to increase penalties for kidnaping. Amends the code to increase the minimum mandatory sentence for kidnaping involving children.
(Sec. 105) Prohibits: (1) traveling in or into the United States for the purpose of engaging in an illicit sexual act with another (currently, with a juvenile); (2) traveling in foreign commerce and engaging in such sexual conduct; and (3) arranging or facilitating such travel knowing its purpose. Makes attempts or conspiracies punishable in the same manner as a completed violation. Establishes as a defense that the defendant reasonably believed that the person with whom the defendant engaged in commercial sex had attained age 18.
(Sec. 106) Provides for mandatory life imprisonment of a person convicted of a Federal sex offense in which a minor is the victim if the person has a prior sex conviction in which a minor was the victim, unless a death sentence is imposed.
Title II: Investigations and Prosecutions - Subtitle A: Law Enforcement Tools To Protect Children - (Sec. 201) Authorizes the interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications in the investigation of: (1) sexual exploitation of children; (2) selling or buying children; (3) certain activities relating to material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, and constituting or containing child pornography; and (4) transportation for illegal sexual activity.
(Sec. 202) Eliminates statutes of limitations for child abduction and for felony offenses of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and other abuse of children, transportation for illegal sexual activity, or sex trafficking of children or by force.
Subtitle B: No Pretrial Release for Those Who Rape or Kidnap Children - Bars pretrial release for persons charged with such offenses..
Subtitle C: No Waiting Period To Report Missing Children ("Suzanne's Law") - Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require each Federal, State, and local law enforcement agency to report each case of a missing child under age 21 (currently, 18) reported to it to the Department of Justice's (DOJ) National Crime Information Center.
Subtitle D: Record-keeping to Demonstrate Minors Were Not Used in Production of Pornography - Directs the Attorney General to report to Congress: (1) detailing the number of times since January 1993 that DOJ has inspected the records of any producer of sexually explicit materials; and (2) indicating the number of violations prosecuted as a result of those inspections.
Title III: Public Outreach - (Sec. 301) Directs the Attorney General to assign a DOJ officer to act as national coordinator of the AMBER Alert communications network regarding abducted children (to be known as the AMBER Alert Coordinator of DOJ).
(Sec. 302) Requires the Coordinator to establish minimum standards for the issuance of alerts and the extent of alert dissemination.
(Sec. 303) Directs: (1) the Secretary of Transportation to provide grants to States for the development or enhancement of notification or communications systems along highways for alerts for the recovery of abducted children; and (2) the Attorney General to 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. Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Transportation for FY 2003 to carry out this section.
(Sec. 305) Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to increase authorized appropriations for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
(Sec. 306) Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the use of COPS ("Cops on the Beat"; community policing) grants to assist a State in enforcing a law that requires that a convicted sex offender register his or her address with a State or local law enforcement agency and be subject to criminal prosecution for failure to comply.
Title IV: Miscellaneous - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize the Secret Service, under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury and at the request of any State or local law enforcement agency or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, to provide forensic and investigative assistance in support of investigations involving missing or exploited children.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 446 | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended | Passed390–24 | Oct 8, 2002 |
Cosponsors 17
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 19, 2002 to Oct 1, 2002; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-PA | George W. Gekas | Original | Sep 19, 2002 |
| R-TX | Lamar Smith | Original | Sep 19, 2002 |
| D-CA | Adam B. Schiff | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| D-TX | Charles W. Stenholm | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| R-UT | Chris Cannon | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| D-KS | Dennis Moore | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| R-NC | Howard Coble | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| R-NY | John E. Sweeney | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| R-SC | Lindsey Graham | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| R-WI | Mark Green | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| D-MA | Martin T. Meehan | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| R-PA | Melissa A. Hart | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| R-IN | Mike Pence | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| R-MI | Mike Rogers | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| R-FL | Ric Keller | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| R-OH | Steve Chabot | Oct 1, 2002 | |
| R-TN | William L. Jenkins | Oct 1, 2002 |
Committees 4
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Sep 19, 2002Markup Oct 2, 2002Reported Oct 7, 2002 |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Sep 20, 2002Hearings Oct 1, 2002Markup Oct 1, 2002Reported Oct 1, 2002 | |
| House | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Referred Sep 19, 2002 |
| House | Armed Services Committee | Referred Sep 19, 2002 |
| Military Personnel Subcommittee | Referred Oct 7, 2002 | |
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred Sep 19, 2002 |
Actions 22
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 9, 2002Received in the Senate.
- Oct 8, 2002Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H7187)
- Oct 8, 2002Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 390 - 24 (Roll no. 446). (text: CR 10/7/2002 H7048-7050)
- Oct 8, 2002Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Oct 7, 2002Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 107-723, Part I.
In the Congressional Record 5
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1881 | Ron Paul R-TX | Oct 17, 2002 |
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1838 | Lee Terry R-NE | Oct 11, 2002 |
| House · Extensions | Debate and remarks E1809, H7305 | Lynn C. Woolsey D-CA, Nick Lampson D-TX | Oct 9, 2002 |
| House · Extensions | Debate and remarks E1787, E1793, E1799Recorded votes H7187enact | Earl Blumenauer D-OR, Fortney Pete Stark D-CA, James L. Oberstar D-MN | Oct 8, 2002 |
| House | Debate and remarks H7048–H7053Text printed H7048–H7050 | Edward R. Royce R-CA, F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. R-WI, Lamar Smith R-TX, Martin Frost D-TX, Robert C. "Bobby" Scott D-VA, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX | Oct 7, 2002 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Oct 7, 2002H.R. 5422, Child Abduction Prevention Act<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary on October 2, 2002</p>
- Oct 7, 2002H.R. 5422, Child Abduction Prevention ActCost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary on October 2, 2002
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 107-35 | H.R. 896 and H.R. 1989104 pages | Natural Resources Committee | Jun 7, 2001 |
Titles 4
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To prevent child abduction, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Child Abduction Prevention Act
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Child Abduction Prevention Act
- Popular Titles
- Enhance AMBER Alert bill
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
- Administrative procedure
- Americans in foreign countries
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Assault
- Authorization
- Bail
- Child abuse
- Child pornography
- Child safety
- Child sexual abuse
- Civil actions and liability
- Community policing
- Congress
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Conspiracy
- Courts-martial and courts of inquiry
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Criminal investigation
- Criminal justice information
- Criminal justice information systems
- Department of Justice
- Economics and Public Finance
- Electronic surveillance
- Ex-offenders
- Executive reorganization
- Families
- Federal aid to law enforcement
- Federal aid to transportation
- Federal officials
- Federal-local relations
- Federal-state relations
- Fines (Penalties)
- Foreign Trade and International Finance
- Forensic medicine
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government paperwork
- Health
- Identification of criminals
- Information networks
- Informers
- International Affairs
- Kidnapping
- Law
- Life imprisonment
- Limitation of actions
- Mandatory sentences
- Missing children
- Murder
- Parole
- Police communication systems
- Police training
- Pornography
- Pretrial procedure
- Probation
- Prosecution
- Prostitution
- Radio broadcasting
- Rape
- Recidivists
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Secret service
- Sentences (Criminal procedure)
- Sentencing guidelines
- Sex crimes
- Sex offenders
- Sex-oriented businesses
- Signs and signboards
- Standards
- State laws
- Torture
- Traffic signs and signals
- Transportation and Public Works
- Travel
- U.S. Sentencing Commission
- Wiretapping
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 8, 2002Engrossed in House
- Sep 19, 2002Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
