The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“H.R. 1104, THE CHILD ABDUCTION PREVENTION ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E550 on March 21, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
H.R. 1104, THE CHILD ABDUCTION PREVENTION ACT
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HON. PETER HOEKSTRA
of michigan
in the house of representatives
Thursday, March 20, 2003
Mr. HOEKSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1104, the Child Abduction Prevention Act, which strengthens the punishment and consequences of criminals who dare to harm our children. An important provision in H.R. 1104 doubles the authorization level for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which serves as the national resource center and clearinghouse to aid missing and exploited children and their families.
The Center is a private, non-profit organization, mandated by Congress, working in cooperation with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention within the U.S. Department of Justice. It is a critical resource for aiding over 18,000 law enforcement agencies throughout the nation in their search for missing children.
According to statistical data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, from its inception in 1984 through the end of 2002, the Center handled 1,718,784 telephone calls through its national Hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST; trained 179,685 police and other professionals; and distributed 27,834,762 free, issue-based publications. The Center has also worked with law enforcement on 87,513 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of 71,141 children--an incredible success rate of more than 80 percent.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is uniquely positioned to access vital information to aid in the search and recovery of misisng kids. It is the only child protection non-profit organization with access to the FBI's National Crime Information Center
(NCIC) Missing Person, Wanted Person, and Unidentified Person Files; the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS); and the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS). Additionally, it is the only organization operating a 24-hour, toll-free Hotline for the recovery of missing children in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice. It is also the sole organization operating a 24-hour, toll-free child pornography tip-line in cooperation with the U.S. Customs Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Clearly, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children does our country and our nation's families a great service, and I urge my colleagues to assist the Center by supporting H.R. 1104.
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