Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2509
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2014-06-19 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Child safety and welfare
Congressional oversight
Crimes against children
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Family relationships
Foreign aid and international relief
International law and treaties
Military assistance, sales, and agreements
Separation, divorce, custody, support

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-19
text: 
Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2014 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should set a strong example for other Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Convention) countries in the resolution of cases involving children abducted abroad and brought to the United States. 
 
Directs the Secretary of State to submit to Congress an Annual Report on International Child Abduction. 
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that U.S. diplomatic and consular missions maintain a consistent reporting standard for abduction or access cases, designate at least one official in each mission to assist visiting U.S. parents resolve such cases, and monitor abduction cases; and (2) implement strategic plans for engagement with any Convention or non-Convention country in which there are five or more cases of international child abduction.
 
Directs the Secretary to enter into bilateral procedures, including memoranda of understanding, with non-Convention countries that are unlikely to become Convention countries in the foreseeable future, or with Convention countries that have unresolved abduction cases that occurred before the Convention entered into force with respect to the United States or that country. 
 
Directs the Secretary to notify the Member of Congress and Senators representing the legal residence of a left-behind parent when that parent reports an abduction to the Central Authority of the United States unless the left-behind parent does not consent to such notification.
 
Directs the President, upon a determination that the government of a foreign country has failed to resolve an abduction or access case or has engaged in a pattern of noncooperation, to take one or more specified actions to promote resolution or cooperation. 
 
Amends the the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to establish a program that: (1) prevents a child from leaving U.S. territory if the child's parent or legal guardian presents a court order to a CBP officer in time to prevent such departure, and (2) leverages other existing authorities to address the wrongful removal and return of a child.
 
Directs the Secretary to: 
 
 
convene and chair an interagency working group to prevent international parental child abduction, and 
 
 provide training on the handling of parental abduction cases to the judicial and administrative authorities in countries that have a significant number of unresolved abduction cases or that have been designated as having a pattern of noncompliance.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2014-06-19
text: Introduced in Senate