National Child Identification Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.1764 | Sponsor: Rep. Norcross, Donald (D-NJ)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
National Child Identification Act of 2021
This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to award grants for state attorneys general to distribute in-home fingerprint and DNA identification kits to parents of children who attend kindergarten or elementary school. The kits may be turned over to law enforcement to assist in locating missing or trafficked children.

To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to State attorneys 
 general to provide identification kits for missing children, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Child Identification Act of 
2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The proactive collection and central storage of 
        comprehensive identification information about individual 
        children by local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies 
        is resource intensive.
            (2) The National Child Identification Program, known as 
        ``Safety Blitz''--
                    (A) is a national community service initiative that 
                has partnered with the Department of Justice, 
                Department of State, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 
                State attorneys general, local law enforcement 
                agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community 
                organizations to provide families with an inkless, in-
                home fingerprint and DNA identification kit, which can 
                be turned over to law enforcement, by the parent or 
                guardian of a child to provide information on a missing 
                or trafficked child; and
                    (B) promotes the proactive collection and storage 
                of comprehensive identification information within the 
                home, decentralizing the process for law enforcement 
                agencies that often lack the resources to collect and 
                centrally store vital identification information 
                related to individual children.

SEC. 3. GRANTS TO PROVIDE IDENTIFICATION KITS FOR MISSING CHILDREN.

    (a) Authorization.--The Attorney General is authorized to award 
grants to State attorneys general to provide, for distribution to 
parents of children who attend kindergarten or elementary school (as 
such term is defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965), inkless, in-home fingerprint and DNA 
identification kits, which can be turned over to Federal, State, 
tribal, or local law enforcement in an effort to locate and return 
missing or trafficked children.
    (b) Application.--A State attorney general seeking a grant under 
this section shall submit to the Attorney General an application at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Attorney General may reasonably require.
    (c) Grant Amount.--Grants under this section shall be allocated to 
each State in an amount which bears the same ratio of--
            (1) for fiscal year 2022--
                    (A) the population of children who attend 
                kindergarten or elementary school of the State to--
                    (B) such population of all States; and
            (2) for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027--
                    (A) the population described in paragraph (1)(A) 
                that were newly enrolled in school in that State during 
                the previous fiscal year to--
                    (B) such population of all States.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section--
            (1) $52,800,000 for fiscal year 2022; and
            (2) $9,800,000 each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
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