‘‘(1) each year thousands of children are ab-
ducted or removed from the control of a parent having 
legal custody without such parent’s consent, under 
circumstances which immediately place the child in 
grave danger; 
‘‘(2) many missing children are at great risk of 
both physical harm and sexual exploitation; 
‘‘(3) in many cases, parents and local law en-
forcement officials have neither the resources nor the 
expertise to mount expanded search efforts; 
‘‘(4) abducted children are frequently moved 
from one locality to another, requiring the coopera-
tion and coordination of local, State, and Federal law 
enforcement efforts; 
‘‘(5) the National Center for Missing and Ex-
ploited Children—
‘‘(A) serves as the national resource center 
and clearinghouse; 
‘‘(B) works in partnership with the Depart-
ment of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion, the Department of the Treasury, the De-
partment of State, and many other agencies in 
the effort to find missing children and prevent 
child victimization; and
‘‘(C) operates a national and increasingly 
worldwide network, linking the Center online 
with each of the missing children clearinghouses 
operated by the 50 States, the District of Colum-
bia, and Puerto Rico, as well as with Scotland 
Yard in the United Kingdom, the Royal Cana-
dian Mounted Police, INTERPOL headquarters 
in Lyon, France, and others, which enable the 
Center to transmit images and information re-
garding missing children to law enforcement 
across the United States and around the world 
instantly.’’. 
SEC. 202. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) ANNUAL GRANT TO NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISS-
ING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN.—Section 404(b)(2) of the 
Missing Children’s Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5773(b)(2)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘2005’’ and inserting ‘‘2008’’. 
(b) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) of the Missing Chil-
dren’s Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5777(a)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘2005.’’ and inserting ‘‘2008’’.
Union Calendar No. 60
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 1925
[Report No. 108–118] 
A BILL 
To reauthorize programs under the Runaway and 
Homeless Youth Act and the Missing Children’s 
Assistance Act, and for other purposes. 
MAY 20, 2003
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed
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 ‘‘Runaway, Homeless, 
and Missing Children Protection Act’’. 
TITLE I—AMENDMENTS TO RUN-
AWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH 
ACT 
SEC. 101. AMENDMENT TO FINDINGS. 
Section 302 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5701) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 302. FINDINGS. 
‘‘The Congress finds that—
‘‘(1) youth who have become homeless or who 
leave and remain away from home without parental 
permission, are at risk of developing, and have a dis-
proportionate share of, serious health, behavioral, and 
emotional problems because they lack sufficient re-
sources to obtain care and may live on the street for 
extended periods thereby endangering themselves and 
creating a substantial law enforcement problem for 
communities in which they congregate; 
‘‘(2) many such young people, because of their 
age and situation, are urgently in need of temporary 
shelter and services, including services that are lin-
guistically appropriate and acknowledge the environ-
ment of youth seeking these services; 
‘‘(3) in view of the interstate nature of the prob-
lem, it is the responsibility of the Federal Government 
to develop an accurate national reporting system to 
report the problem, and to assist in the development 
of an effective system of care (including preventive 
and aftercare services, emergency shelter services, ex-
tended residential shelter, and street outreach services) 
outside the welfare system and the law enforcement 
system; 
‘‘(4) to make a successful transition to adulthood, 
runaway youth, homeless youth, and other street 
youth need opportunities to complete high school or 
earn a general equivalency degree, learn job skills, 
and obtain employment; and 
‘‘(5) improved coordination and collaboration be-
tween the Federal programs that serve runaway and 
homeless youth are necessary for the development of a 
long-term strategy for responding to the needs of this 
population.’’. 
SEC. 102. GRANT PROGRAM CONFORMING AMENDMENT. 
The heading for part A of the Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5711 et seq.) is amended by striking
‘‘RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH’’ and inserting ‘‘BASIC 
CENTER’’. 
SEC. 103. GRANTS FOR SERVICES PROVIDED. 
Section 311(a)(2)(C) of the Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5711(a)(2)(C)) is amended—
(1) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’; 
(2) in clause (iii) by striking the period and in-
serting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) after clause (iii) by inserting the following: 
‘‘(iv) at the request of runaway and 
homeless youth, testing for sexually trans-
mitted diseases.’’. 
SEC. 104. REPEAL OF OBSOLETE PROVISION RELATING TO 
CERTAIN ALLOTMENTS. 
Section 311(b) the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5711(b)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Subject to 
paragraph (3), the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’; 
(2) by striking paragraph (3); and 
(3) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para-
graph (3). 
SEC. 105. ELIGIBILITY PROVISION. 
Section 312(a) of the Runaway and Homeless Youth 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5712(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘juveniles’’ 
each place it appears and inserting ‘‘youth’’.
SEC. 106. RECOGNITION OF STATE LAW RELATING TO CA-
PACITY LIMITATION ON ELIGIBLE RUNAWAY 
AND HOMELESS YOUTH CENTERS. 
Section 312(b)(2)(A) of the Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5712(b)(2)(A)) is amended by insert-
ing after ‘‘youth’’ the following: ‘‘, except where the appli-
cant assures that the State where the center or locally con-
trolled facility is located has a State or local law or regula-
tion that requires a higher maximum to comply with licen-
sure requirements for child and youth serving facilities’’. 
SEC. 107. MATERNITY GROUP HOMES. 
(a) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 322(a)(1) of the Runaway 
and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714–2(a)(1)) is 
amended—
(1) by inserting after ‘‘group homes,’’ the fol-
lowing: ‘‘including maternity group homes,’’; and 
(2) by inserting after ‘‘use of credit,’’ the fol-
lowing: ‘‘parenting skills (as appropriate),’’. 
(b) DEFINITION.—Section 322 of the Runaway and 
Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714–2) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(c) DEFINITION.—In this part, the term ‘maternity 
group home’ means a community-based, adult-supervised 
transitional living arrangement that provides pregnant or 
parenting youth and their children with a supportive and 
supervised living arrangement in which such pregnant or
parenting youth are required to learn parenting skills, in-
cluding child development, family budgeting, health and 
nutrition, and other skills to promote their long-term eco-
nomic independence in order to ensure the well-being of 
their children.’’. 
SEC. 108. LIMITED EXTENSION OF 540-DAY SHELTER ELIGI-
BILITY PERIOD. 
Section 322(a)(2) of the Runaway and Homeless Youth 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5714–2(a)(2)) is amended by inserting after 
‘‘days’’ the following: ‘‘, except that a youth in a program 
under this part who is under the age of 18 years on the 
last day of the 540-day period may, if otherwise qualified 
for the program, remain in the program until the earlier 
of the youth’s 18th birthday or the 180th day after the end 
of the 540-day period’’. 
SEC. 109. PART A PLAN COORDINATION ASSURANCES. 
Section 312(b)(4)(B) of the Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5712(b)(4)(B)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘personnel’’ and all that follows through the semicolon 
and inserting ‘‘McKinney-Vento school district liaisons, 
designated under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-
Vento 
Homeless 
Assistance 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 
11432 
(g)(1)(J)(ii)), to assure that runaway and homeless youth 
are provided information about the educational services
available to such youth under subtitle B of title VII of that 
Act;’’. 
SEC. 110. PART B PLAN COORDINATION AGREEMENT. 
Section 322(a) of the Runaway and Homeless Youth 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5714–2(a)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon at the 
end of paragraph (13); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of para-
graph (14) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new para-
graph: 
‘‘(15) to coordinate services with McKinney-
Vento school district liaisons, designated under section 
722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless As-
sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)), to assure 
that runaway and homeless youth are provided infor-
mation about the educational services available to 
such youth under subtitle B of title VII of that Act.’’. 
SEC. 111. PART B PLAN DEVELOPMENT. 
Section 322(a)(7) of the Runaway and Homeless Youth 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5714–2(a)(7)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(7) to develop an adequate plan to ensure prop-
er referral of homeless youth to social service, law en-
forcement, educational (including post-secondary edu-
cation), vocational, training (including services and
programs for youth available under the Workforce In-
vestment Act of 1998), welfare (including programs 
under the Personal Responsibility and Work Oppor-
tunity Reconciliation Act of 1996), legal service, and 
health care programs and to help integrate and co-
ordinate such services for youths;’’. 
SEC. 112. COORDINATION OF PROGRAMS. 
Section 341 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5714–21) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 
semicolon at the end; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new para-
graph: 
‘‘(3) shall consult, as appropriate, the Secretary 
of Housing and Urban Development to ensure coordi-
nation of programs and services for homeless youth.’’. 
SEC. 113. CLARIFICATION OF GRANT AUTHORITY. 
Section 343(a) of the Runaway and Homeless Youth 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5714–23(a)) is amended by inserting after 
‘‘service projects’’ the following: ‘‘regarding activities under 
this title’’.
SEC. 114. TECHNICAL AMENDMENT RELATING TO DEM-
ONSTRATION PROJECTS. 
The section heading of section 344 of the Runaway and 
Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714–24) is amended by 
striking ‘‘TEMPORARY’’. 
SEC. 115. REPEAL OF OBSOLETE PROVISION RELATING TO 
STUDY. 
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 
5701 et seq.) is amended by striking section 345 (42 U.S.C. 
5714–25). 
SEC. 116. AGE LIMIT FOR HOMELESS YOUTH. 
Section 387(3)(A)(i) of the Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5732a(3)(A)(i)) is amended by insert-
ing after ‘‘of age’’ the following: ‘‘, or, in the case of a youth 
seeking shelter in a center under part A, not more than 
18 years of age’’. 
SEC. 117. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) OTHER THAN PART E.—Section 388(a)(1) of the 
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5751(a)(1)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘such sums as may be necessary 
for fiscal years 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003’’ and inserting 
‘‘$105,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, and such sums as may 
be necessary for fiscal years 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008’’. 
(b) PART E.—Section 388(a)(4) of the Runaway and 
Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5751(a)(4)) is amended by
striking ‘‘2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003’’ and inserting 
‘‘2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008’’. 
(c) PART B ALLOCATION.—Section 388(a)(2)(B) of the 
Runaway 
and 
Homeless 
Youth 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 
5751(a)(2)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘not less than 20 
percent, and not more than 30 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘45 
percent and, in those fiscal years in which continuation 
grant obligations and the quality and number of applicants 
for parts A and B warrant not more than 55 percent’’. 
SEC. 118. REPORT ON PROMISING STRATEGIES TO END 
YOUTH HOMELESSNESS. 
Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
in consultation with the United States Interagency Council 
on Homelessness, shall submit to the Congress a report on 
promising strategies to end youth homelessness. 
SEC. 119. STUDY OF HOUSING SERVICES AND STRATEGIES. 
The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
conduct a study of programs funded under part B of the 
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714–1 et 
seq.) to report on long-term housing outcomes for youth 
after exiting the program. The study of any such program 
should provide information on housing services available to 
youth upon exiting the program, including assistance in 
locating and retaining permanent housing and referrals to