I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1978 
To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to improve the ability 
of State and local governments to prevent the abduction of children 
by family members, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 2, 2009 
Ms. WOOLSEY (for herself, Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California, Mr. STARK, 
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, and Mr. GRIJALVA) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to improve 
the ability of State and local governments to prevent 
the abduction of children by family members, and for 
other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Family Abduction Pre-
vention Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
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(1) each year more than 203,000 children in 
the United States (approximately 78 percent of all 
abducted children) are abducted by a family mem-
ber, usually a parent; 
(2) more than half of the parents who abduct 
their children have a history of alcohol or substance 
abuse, a criminal record, or a history of violence; 
(3) the most common motive for family abduc-
tion is revenge against the other parent, not pro-
tecting the child’s safety; 
(4) children who are abducted by family mem-
bers suffer emotional, psychological, and often phys-
ical abuse at the hands of their abductors; 
(5) children who are victims of family abduc-
tions are forced to leave behind family, friends, their 
homes, their neighborhoods, their schools, and all 
that is familiar to them; 
(6) children who are victims of family abduc-
tions are often told that the parent who did not 
abduct the child has died, does not love them, or will 
harm them; 
(7) children who are abducted by their parents 
or other family members are sometimes forced to 
live in fear of discovery and may be compelled to 
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conceal their true identity, including their real 
names, family histories, and even their gender; 
(8) children who are victims of family abduc-
tions are often denied the opportunity to attend 
school or to receive health and dental care; 
(9) child psychologists and law enforcement au-
thorities now classify family abduction as a form of 
child abuse; 
(10) approximately 70 percent of local law en-
forcement agencies do not have written guidelines 
for what to do in the event of a family abduction or 
how to facilitate the recovery of an abducted child; 
(11) the first few hours of a family abduction 
are crucial to recovering an abducted child, and val-
uable hours are lost when law enforcement is not 
prepared to employ the most effective techniques to 
locate and recover abducted children; 
(12) when parents who may be inclined to 
abduct their own children receive counseling and 
education on the harm suffered by children under 
these circumstances, the incidence of family abduc-
tions is greatly reduced; and 
(13) where practiced, the flagging of school 
records has proven to be an effective tool in assisting 
law enforcement authorities find abducted children. 
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SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) FAMILY
ABDUCTION.—The term ‘‘family 
abduction’’ means the taking, keeping, or concealing 
of a child or children by a parent, other family mem-
ber, or person acting on behalf of the parent or fam-
ily member, that prevents another individual from 
exercising lawful custody or visitation rights. 
(2) FLAGGING.—The term ‘‘flagging’’ means 
the process of notifying law enforcement authorities 
of the name and address of any person requesting 
the school records of an abducted child. 
(3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 
means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other orga-
nized group or community, including any Alaska Na-
tive village or regional or village corporation as de-
fined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Na-
tive Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), 
which is recognized as eligible for the special pro-
grams and services provided by the United States to 
Indians because of their status as Indians. 
(4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, 
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Guam, the Virgin Islands, any territory or posses-
sion of the United States, and any Indian tribe. 
SEC. 4. GRANTS TO STATES. 
(a) MATCHING GRANTS.—The Attorney General shall 
make grants to States for projects involving— 
(1) the extradition of individuals suspected of 
committing a family abduction; 
(2) the investigation by State and local law en-
forcement agencies of family abduction cases; 
(3) the training of State and local law enforce-
ment agencies in responding to family abductions 
and recovering abducted children, including the de-
velopment of written guidelines and technical assist-
ance; 
(4) outreach and media campaigns to educate 
parents on the dangers of family abductions; and 
(5) the flagging of school records. 
(b) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Not less than 50 
percent of the cost of a project for which a grant is made 
under this section shall be provided by non-Federal 
sources. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
For the purpose of carrying out this Act, there are 
authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General 
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such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 
2010, 2011, and 2012. 
Æ 
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