I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8365 
To amend the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction 
Prevention and Return Act of 2014 to make modifications to that Act. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 10, 2024 
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend the Sean and David Goldman International Child 
Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2014 to make 
modifications to that Act. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sean and David Gold-
man Act Amendments’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 3 of the Sean and David Goldman Inter-
national Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 
2014 (22 U.S.C. 9101) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3)— 
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(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
(A), by striking ‘‘ ‘abduction case’ means a’’ 
and inserting ‘‘ ‘abduction case’ means— 
‘‘(A) a’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘(A) has been reported’’ 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(i) has been reported’’; 
(C) in clause (i) (as so designated), by 
striking ‘‘; and’’ at the end; 
(D) by striking ‘‘(B) meets the criteria’’ 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(ii) meets the criteria’’; 
(E) in clause (ii) (as so designated), by 
striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 
and’’; and 
(F) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) includes any case reported involving 
an application filed with the Central Authority 
of the United States or directly with the foreign 
central authority by a parent seeking rights of 
access or return.’’;’’; 
(2) by amending paragraph (7) to read as fol-
lows: 
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‘‘(7) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’ means— 
‘‘(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 
the Committee on Appropriations, the Com-
mittee on Judiciary, and the Committee on 
Homeland Security of the House of Representa-
tives; and 
‘‘(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 
the Committee on Appropriations, the Com-
mittee on Judiciary, and the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
of the Senate.’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘16’’ and in-
serting ‘‘18’’. 
SEC. 3. ACTION IN THE CASE OF ABDUCTED CHILDREN 
WHO REACH THE AGE OF 16. 
Section 201 of the Sean and David Goldman Inter-
national Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 
2014 (22 U.S.C. 9121) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(d) ACTION IN THE CASE OF ABDUCTED CHILDREN 
WHO REACH THE AGE OF 16.— When an individual who 
is an abducted child attains 16 years of age, a consular 
officer from a United States diplomatic mission in the 
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country in which such individual resides shall, until either 
the parent seeking assistance or the individual (after at-
taining 18 years of age) requests the officer to cease, an-
nually— 
‘‘(1) attempt to contact such individual, engag-
ing other agencies and foreign counterparts as nec-
essary to obtain a verified location; 
‘‘(2) advise such individual of applicable rights 
under section 51.28 of title 22, Code of Federal 
Regulations, including with respect to executing an 
application for a passport on the individual’s own 
behalf; and 
‘‘(3) advise such individual of applicable rights 
under sections 3301 through 3327 of title 38, 
United States Code.’’. 
SEC. 4. STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD AB-
DUCTION. 
Section 202 of the Sean and David Goldman Inter-
national Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 
2014 (22 U.S.C. 9122) is amended by inserting the fol-
lowing new subsection after subsection (g): 
‘‘(h) STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD 
ABDUCTION.— 
‘‘(1) STUDY REQUIRED.— Not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this subsection, 
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the Secretary of State shall seek to enter into an 
agreement with an appropriate nongovernmental or-
ganization to study and publish a report on the 
grave harm to abducted children and left-behind 
parents as a result of international parental child 
abduction. 
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026 to carry out 
the study described in paragraph (1).’’. 
Æ 
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