I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3965
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 
MARCH 11, 2004
Ms. WOOLSEY (for herself, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of 
Texas, Mr. FROST, Mr. LAMPSON, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. BACA, Mr. SHER-
MAN, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. MOORE, Mr. CARDOZA, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. 
CHABOT, Mr. PAYNE, and Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi) 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 2004’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings:
(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
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. Valuable 
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. 
(13) Where practiced, the flagging of school 
records has proven to be an effective tool in assisting 
law enforcement authorities find abducted children.
SEC. 3. 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 back to the State 
from which the child was taken; 
(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. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘family abduction’’ means the 
taking, keeping, or concealing of a child or children 
by a parent, other family member, or person acting 
on behalf of the parent or family member, that pre-
vents another individual from exercising lawful cus-
tody or visitation rights. 
(2) 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) The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ means any Indian 
tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or com-
munity, including any Alaska Native village or re-
gional or village corporation as defined in or estab-
lished pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settle-
ment Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), which is recog-
nized as eligible for the special programs and serv-
ices provided by the United States to Indians be-
cause of their status as Indians. 
(4) 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, Guam, the Vir-
gin Islands, any territory or possession of the United 
States, and any Indian tribe. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
For the purpose of carrying out this Act, there are 
authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General
$500,000 for fiscal year 2005 and such sums as may be 
necessary for each of fiscal years 2006 and 2007.
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