IIB 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 515 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 28, 2015 

Received 

FEBRUARY 4, 2015 

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

AN ACT 

To protect children from exploitation, especially sex trafficking in tourism, by providing advance notice of intended travel by registered child-sex offenders outside 

the United States to the government of the country 

of destination, requesting foreign governments to notify 

the United States when a known child-sex offender is 

seeking to enter the United States, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘International Megan’s Law to Prevent Demand for Child 

4 Sex Trafficking’’. 

5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

6 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

Sec. 4. Angel Watch Center. 

Sec. 5. Sense of Congress provisions. 

Sec. 6. Enhancing the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. 

Sec. 7. Assistance to foreign countries to meet minimum standards for the 

elimination of trafficking. 

Sec. 8. Rules of construction. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress finds the following: 

9 (1) Megan Nicole Kanka, who was 7 years old, 

10 was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered in 

11 1994, in the State of New Jersey by a violent pred12 ator living across the street from her home. Unbe13 knownst to Megan Kanka and her family, he had 

14 been convicted previously of a sex offense against a 

15 child. 

16 (2) In 1996, Congress adopted Megan’s Law 

17 (Public Law 104–145) as a means to encourage 

18 States to protect children by identifying the where19 abouts of sex offenders and providing the means to 

20 monitor their activities. 


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1 (3) In 2006, Congress passed the Adam Walsh 

2 Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (Public 

3 Law 109–248) to protect children and the public at 

4 large by establishing a comprehensive national sys5 tem for the registration and notification to the pub6 lic and law enforcement officers of convicted sex of7 fenders. 

8 (4) Law enforcement reports indicate that 

9 known child-sex offenders are traveling internation10 ally, and that the criminal background of such indi11 viduals may not be known to local law enforcement 

12 prior to their arrival. 

13 (5) The commercial sexual exploitation of mi14 nors in child sex trafficking and pornography is a 

15 global phenomenon. The International Labour Orga16 nization has estimated that 1.8 million children 

17 worldwide are victims of child sex trafficking and 

18 pornography each year. 

19 (6) Child sex tourism, where an individual trav20 els to a foreign country and engages in sexual activ21 ity with a child in that country, is a form of child 

22 exploitation and, where commercial, child sex traf23 ficking. 

24 (7) According to research conducted by The 

25 Protection Project of The Johns Hopkins University 


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1 Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International 

2 Studies, sex tourists from the United States who 

3 target children form a significant percentage of child 

4 sex tourists in some of the most significant destina5 tion countries for child sex tourism. 

6 (8) In order to protect children, it is essential 

7 that United States law enforcement be able to iden8 tify child-sex offenders in the United States who are 

9 traveling abroad and child-sex offenders from other 

10 countries entering the United States. Such identi11 fication requires cooperative efforts between the 

12 United States and foreign governments. In exchange 

13 for providing notice of child-sex offenders traveling 

14 to the United States, foreign authorities will expect 

15 United States authorities to provide reciprocal notice 

16 of child-sex offenders traveling to their countries. 

17 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

18 In this Act: 

19 (1) CENTER.—The term ‘‘Center’’ means the 

20 Angel Watch Center established pursuant to section 

21 4(a). 

22 (2) CHILD-SEX OFFENDER.— 

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘child-sex of24 fender’’ means an individual who is a sex of25 fender described in paragraph (3) or (4) of secVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:33 Feb 04, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H515.RFS H515

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1 tion 111 of the Adam Walsh Child Protection 

2 and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16911) by 

3 reason of being convicted of a child-sex offense. 

4 (B) DEFINITION OF CONVICTED.—In this 

5 paragraph, the term ‘‘convicted’’ has the mean6 ing given the term in paragraph (8) of section 

7 111 of such Act. 

8 (3) CHILD-SEX OFFENSE.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘child-sex of10 fense’’ means a specified offense against a 

11 minor, as defined in paragraph (7) of section 

12 111 of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and 

13 Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16911), includ14 ing— 

15 (i) an offense (unless committed by a 

16 parent or guardian) involving kidnapping; 

17 (ii) an offense (unless committed by a 

18 parent or guardian) involving false impris19 onment; 

20 (iii) solicitation to engage in sexual 

21 conduct; 

22 (iv) use in a sexual performance; 

23 (v) solicitation to practice prostitu24 tion; 


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1 (vi) video voyeurism as described in 

2 section 1801 of title 18, United States 

3 Code; 

4 (vii) possession, production, or dis5 tribution of child pornography; 

6 (viii) criminal sexual conduct involving 

7 a minor, or the use of the Internet to fa8 cilitate or attempt such conduct; and 

9 (ix) any conduct that by its nature is 

10 a sex offense against a minor. 

11 (B) OTHER OFFENSES.—The term ‘‘child12 sex offense’’ includes a sex offense described in 

13 paragraph (5)(A) of section 111 of the Adam 

14 Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 

15 that is a specified offense against a minor, as 

16 defined in paragraph (7) of such section. 

17 (C) FOREIGN CONVICTIONS; OFFENSES IN18 VOLVING CONSENSUAL SEXUAL CONDUCT.—The 

19 limitations contained in subparagraphs (B) and 

20 (C) of section 111(5) of the Adam Walsh Child 

21 Protection and Safety Act of 2006 shall apply 

22 with respect to a child-sex offense for purposes 

23 of this Act to the same extent and in the same 

24 manner as such limitations apply with respect 


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1 to a sex offense for purposes of the Adam 

2 Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. 

3 (4) JURISDICTION.—The term ‘‘jurisdiction’’ 

4 means any of the following: 

5 (A) A State. 

6 (B) The District of Columbia. 

7 (C) The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 

8 (D) Guam. 

9 (E) American Samoa. 

10 (F) The Northern Mariana Islands. 

11 (G) The United States Virgin Islands. 

12 (H) To the extent provided in, and subject 

13 to the requirements of, section 127 of the Adam 

14 Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 

15 (42 U.S.C. 16927), a federally recognized In16 dian tribe. 

17 (5) MINOR.—The term ‘‘minor’’ means an indi18 vidual who has not attained the age of 18 years. 

19 SEC. 4. ANGEL WATCH CENTER. 

20 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 

21 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

22 Homeland Security shall establish within the Child Exploi23 tation Investigations Unit of United States Immigration 

24 and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the Department of 

25 Homeland Security a Center, to be known as the ‘‘Angel 


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1 Watch Center’’, to carry out the activities specified in sub2 section (d). 

3 (b) LEADERSHIP.—The Center shall be headed by the 

4 Director of ICE, in collaboration with the Commissioner 

5 of United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 

6 and in consultation with the Attorney General. 

7 (c) MEMBERS.—The Center shall consist of the fol8 lowing: 

9 (1) The Director of ICE. 

10 (2) The Commissioner of CBP. 

11 (3) Individuals who are designated as analysts 

12 in ICE or CBP. 

13 (4) Individuals who are designated as program 

14 managers in ICE or CBP. 

15 (d) ACTIVITIES.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Center shall carry out 

17 the following activities: 

18 (A) Receive information on travel by child19 sex offenders. 

20 (B) Establish a system to maintain and ar21 chive all relevant information, including the re22 sponse of destination countries to notifications 

23 under subsection (e) where available, and deci24 sions not to transmit notification abroad. 


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1 (C) Establish an annual review process to 

2 ensure that the Center is consistent in proce3 dures to provide notification to destination 

4 countries or not to provide notification to des5 tination countries, as appropriate. 

6 (2) INFORMATION REQUIRED.—The United 

7 States Marshals Service’s National Sex Offender 

8 Targeting Office shall make available to the Center 

9 information on travel by child-sex offenders in a 

10 timely manner for purposes of carrying out the ac11 tivities described in paragraph (1) and subsection 

12 (e). 

13 (e) NOTIFICATION.— 

14 (1) TO COUNTRIES OF DESTINATION.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Center may trans16 mit notice of impending or current international 

17 travel of a child-sex offender to the country or 

18 countries of destination of the child-sex of19 fender, including to the visa-issuing agent or 

20 agents in the United States of the country or 

21 countries. 

22 (B) FORM.—The notice under this para23 graph may be transmitted through such means 

24 as determined appropriate by the Center, in25 cluding through an ICE attache ́. 


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1 (2) TO OFFENDERS.— 

2 (A) GENERAL NOTIFICATION.— 

3 (i) IN GENERAL.—If the Center trans4 mits notice under paragraph (1) of im5 pending international travel of a child-sex 

6 offender to the country or countries of des7 tination of the child-sex offender, the Sec8 retary of Homeland Security, in conjunc9 tion with any appropriate agency, shall 

10 make reasonable efforts to provide con11 structive notice through electronic or tele12 phonic communication to the child-sex of13 fender prior to the child-sex offender’s ar14 rival in the country or countries. 

15 (ii) EXCEPTION.—The requirement to 

16 provide constructive notice under clause (i) 

17 shall not apply in the case of impending 

18 international travel of a child-sex offender 

19 to the country or countries of destination 

20 of the child-sex offender if such construc21 tive notice would conflict with an existing 

22 investigation involving the child-sex of23 fender. 

24 (B) SPECIFIC NOTIFICATION REGARDING

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1 FENDER.—If the Center has reason to believe 

2 that to transmit notice under paragraph (1) 

3 poses a risk to the life or well-being of the 

4 child-sex offender, the Center shall make rea5 sonable efforts to provide constructive notice 

6 through electronic or telephonic communication 

7 to the child-sex offender of such risk. 

8 (C) SPECIFIC NOTIFICATION REGARDING

9 PROBABLE DENIAL OF ENTRY TO OFFENDER.— 

10 If the Center has reason to believe that a coun11 try of destination of the child-sex offender is 

12 highly likely to deny entry to the child-sex of13 fender due to transmission of notice under 

14 paragraph (1), the Center shall make reason15 able efforts to provide constructive notice 

16 through electronic or telephonic communication 

17 to the child-sex offender of such probable de18 nial. 

19 (3) SUNSET.—The authority of paragraph (1) 

20 shall terminate with respect to a child-sex offender 

21 beginning as of the close of the last day of the reg22 istration period of such child-sex offender under sec23 tion 115 of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and 

24 Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16915). 


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1 (f) COMPLAINT REVIEW.—The Center shall establish 

2 a mechanism to receive complaints from child-sex offend3 ers affected by notifications of destination countries of 

4 such child-sex offenders under subsection (e). 

5 (g) CONSULTATIONS.—The Center shall seek to en6 gage in ongoing consultations with— 

7 (1) nongovernmental organizations, including 

8 faith-based organizations, that have experience and 

9 expertise in identifying and preventing child sex 

10 tourism and rescuing and rehabilitating minor vic11 tims of international sexual exploitation and traf12 ficking; 

13 (2) the governments of countries interested in 

14 cooperating in the creation of an international sex 

15 offender travel notification system or that are pri16 mary destination or source countries for inter17 national sex tourism; and 

18 (3) Internet service and software providers re19 garding available and potential technology to facili20 tate the implementation of an international sex of21 fender travel notification system, both in the United 

22 States and in other countries. 

23 (h) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of 

24 Homeland Security and the Secretary of State may pro25 vide technical assistance to foreign authorities in order to 


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1 enable such authorities to participate more effectively in 

2 the notification program system established under this 

3 section. 

4 SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS PROVISIONS. 

5 (a) BILATERAL AGREEMENTS.—It is the sense of 

6 Congress that the President should negotiate memoranda 

7 of understanding or other bilateral agreements with for8 eign governments to further the purposes of this Act and 

9 the amendments made by this Act, including by— 

10 (1) establishing systems to receive and transmit 

11 notices as required by title I of the Adam Walsh 

12 Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 

13 16901 et seq.); and 

14 (2) establishing mechanisms for private compa15 nies and nongovernmental organizations to report on 

16 a voluntary basis suspected child pornography or ex17 ploitation to foreign governments, the nearest 

18 United States embassy in cases in which a possible 

19 United States citizen may be involved, or other ap20 propriate entities. 

21 (b) NOTIFICATION TO THE UNITED STATES OF

22 CHILD-SEX OFFENSES COMMITTED ABROAD.—It is the 

23 sense of Congress that the President should formally re24 quest foreign governments to notify the United States 

25 when a United States citizen has been arrested, convicted, 


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1 sentenced, or completed a prison sentence for a child-sex 

2 offense in the foreign country. 

3 SEC. 6. ENHANCING THE MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR THE 

4 ELIMINATION OF TRAFFICKING. 

5 Section 108(b)(4) of the Trafficking Victims Protec6 tion Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7106(b)(4)) is amended by 

7 adding at the end before the period the following: ‘‘, in8 cluding severe forms of trafficking in persons related to 

9 sex tourism’’. 

10 SEC. 7. ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES TO MEET 

11 MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR THE ELIMI12 NATION OF TRAFFICKING. 

13 The President is strongly encouraged to exercise the 

14 authorities of section 134 of the Foreign Assistance Act 

15 of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2152d) to provide assistance to foreign 

16 countries directly, or through nongovernmental and multi17 lateral organizations, for programs, projects, and activi18 ties, including training of law enforcement entities and of19 ficials, designed to establish systems to identify sex offend20 ers and provide and receive notification of child sex of21 fender international travel. 

22 SEC. 8. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. 

23 (a) DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.—Nothing in this Act 

24 shall be construed to preclude or alter the jurisdiction or 

25 authority of the Department of Justice under the Adam 


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1 Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 

2 16901 et seq.), including section 113(d) of such Act, or 

3 any other provision of law, or to affect the work of the 

4 United States Marshals Service with INTERPOL. 

5 (b) ANGEL WATCH CENTER.—Nothing in this Act 

6 shall be construed to preclude the Angel Watch Center 

7 from transmitting notice with respect to any sex offender 

8 described in paragraph (3) or (4) of section 111 of the 

9 Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 

10 U.S.C. 16911) or with respect to any sex offense described 

11 in paragraph (5) of such section. 

12 (c) DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INVES13 TIGATIONS.—Activities carried out under this Act shall 

14 not impede, hinder, or otherwise impact negatively any in15 vestigations of the Department of Homeland Security. 

Passed the House of Representatives January 26, 

2015. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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