I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4614 
To amend the PROTECT Act to expand the national AMBER Alert system 
to territories of the United States, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 4, 2019 
Mr. SABLAN (for himself and Mrs. RADEWAGEN) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the PROTECT Act to expand the national 
AMBER Alert system to territories of the United States, 
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 ‘‘AMBER Alert Nation-
wide Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. COOPERATION WITH DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 
SECURITY. 
Subtitle A of title III of the PROTECT Act (34 
U.S.C. 20501 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 301— 
(A) in subsection (b)— 
(i) in paragraph (1), by inserting 
‘‘(including airports, maritime ports, bor-
der crossing areas and checkpoints, and 
ports of exit from the United States)’’ 
after ‘‘gaps in areas of interstate travel’’; 
and 
(ii) in paragraphs (2) and (3), by in-
serting ‘‘, territories of the United States, 
and tribal governments’’ after ‘‘States’’; 
and 
(B) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security,’’ after ‘‘Sec-
retary of Transportation’’; and 
(2) in section 302— 
(A) in subsection (b), in paragraphs (2), 
(3), and (4) by inserting ‘‘, territorial, tribal,’’ 
after ‘‘State’’; and 
(B) in subsection (c)— 
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(i) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, 
the Secretary of Homeland Security,’’ after 
‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, 
territorial, tribal,’’ after ‘‘State’’. 
SEC. 3. AMBER ALERTS ALONG MAJOR TRANSPORTATION 
ROUTES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 303 of the PROTECT 
Act (34 U.S.C. 20503) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘AND 
MAJOR
TRANSPORTATION
ROUTES’’ 
after 
‘‘ALONG HIGHWAYS’’; 
(2) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘(referred to in this sec-
tion as the ‘Secretary’)’’ after ‘‘Secretary of 
Transportation’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘and at airports, mari-
time ports, border crossing areas and check-
points, and ports of exit from the United 
States’’ after ‘‘along highways’’; 
(3) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘other motorist infor-
mation systems to notify motorists’’ and 
inserting ‘‘other information systems to no-
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tify motorists, aircraft passengers, ship 
passengers, and travelers’’; and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘, aircraft passengers, 
ship passengers, and travelers’’ after ‘‘nec-
essary to notify motorists’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘other motorist information systems to no-
tify motorists’’ and inserting ‘‘other infor-
mation systems to notify motorists, air-
craft passengers, ship passengers, and 
travelers’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (D), by inserting 
‘‘, aircraft passengers, ship passengers, 
and travelers’’ after ‘‘support the notifica-
tion of motorists’’; 
(iii) in subparagraph (E), by inserting 
‘‘, aircraft passengers, ship passengers, 
and travelers’’ after ‘‘motorists’’, each 
place it appears; 
(iv) in subparagraph (F), by inserting 
‘‘, aircraft passengers, ship passengers, 
and travelers’’ after ‘‘motorists’’; and 
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(v) in subparagraph (G), by inserting 
‘‘, aircraft passengers, ship passengers, 
and travelers’’ after ‘‘motorists’’; 
(4) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘other motor-
ist information systems to notify motorists’’, each 
place it appears, and inserting ‘‘other information 
systems to notify motorists, aircraft passengers, ship 
passengers, and travelers’’; 
(5) by amending subsection (d) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(d) FEDERAL SHARE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the Federal share of the cost of any ac-
tivities funded by a grant under this section may not 
exceed 80 percent. 
‘‘(2) WAIVER.—If the Secretary determines 
that American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana 
Islands, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands of the 
United States is unable to comply with the require-
ment under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall waive 
such requirement.’’; 
(6) in subsection (g)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘In this section’’ and in-
serting ‘‘In this subtitle’’; and 
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(B) by striking ‘‘or Puerto Rico’’ and in-
serting ‘‘American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, 
the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Is-
lands of the United States, and any other terri-
tory of the United States’’; and 
(7) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘fiscal year 
2004’’ and inserting ‘‘each of fiscal years 2019 
through 2023’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 
The table of contents in section 1(b) of the PROTECT 
Act (Public Law 108–21) is amended by striking the item 
relating to section 303 and inserting the following: 
‘‘Sec. 303. Grant program for notification and communications systems along 
highways and major transportation routes for recovery of ab-
ducted children.’’. 
SEC. 4. AMBER ALERT COMMUNICATION PLANS IN THE 
TERRITORIES. 
Section 304 of the PROTECT Act (34 U.S.C. 20504) 
is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(4), by inserting ‘‘a terri-
torial government or’’ after ‘‘with’’; 
(2) by amending subsection (c) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(c) FEDERAL SHARE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the Federal share of the cost of any ac-
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tivities funded by a grant under this section may not 
exceed 50 percent. 
‘‘(2) WAIVER.—If the Attorney General deter-
mines that American Samoa, Guam, the Northern 
Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of 
the United States, or an Indian tribe is unable to 
comply with the requirement under paragraph (1), 
the Attorney General shall waive such require-
ment.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘, including 
territories of the United States’’ before the period at 
the end. 
SEC. 5. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
shall conduct a study assessing— 
(1) the implementation of the amendments 
made by this Act; 
(2) any challenges related to integrating the 
territories of the United States into the AMBER 
Alert system; 
(3) the readiness, educational, technological, 
and training needs of territorial law enforcement 
agencies in responding to cases involving missing, 
abducted, or exploited children; and 
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(4) any other related matters the Attorney Gen-
eral or the Secretary of Transportation determines 
appropriate. 
(b) REPORT REQUIRED.—The Comptroller General 
shall submit a report on the findings of the study required 
under subsection (a) to— 
(1) the Committee on the Judiciary and the 
Committee on Environment and Public Works of the 
Senate; 
(2) the Committee on the Judiciary and the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 
the House of Representatives; and 
(3) each of the delegates or resident commis-
sioner to the House of Representatives from Amer-
ican Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, 
Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United 
States. 
(c) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Comptroller Gen-
eral shall make the report required under subsection (b) 
available on a public Government website. 
(d) OBTAINING OFFICIAL DATA.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Comptroller General 
may secure information necessary to conduct the 
study under subsection (a) directly from any Federal 
agency and from any territorial government receiv-
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ing grant funding under the PROTECT Act. Upon 
request of the Comptroller General, the head of a 
Federal agency or territorial government shall fur-
nish the requested information to the Comptroller 
General. 
(2) AGENCY RECORDS.—Notwithstanding para-
graph (1), nothing in this subsection shall require a 
Federal agency or any territorial government to 
produce records subject to a common law evidentiary 
privilege. Records and information shared with the 
Comptroller General shall continue to be subject to 
withholding under sections 552 and 552a of title 5, 
United States Code. The Comptroller General is ob-
ligated to give the information the same level of con-
fidentiality and protection required of the Federal 
agency or territorial government. The Comptroller 
General may be requested to sign a nondisclosure or 
other agreement as a condition of gaining access to 
sensitive or proprietary data to which the Comp-
troller General is entitled. 
(3) PRIVACY
OF
PERSONAL
INFORMATION.— 
The Comptroller General, and any Federal agency 
and any territorial government that provides infor-
mation to the Comptroller General, shall take such 
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actions as are necessary to ensure the protection of 
the personal information of a minor. 
Æ 
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