International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking

Bill: 113-hr-4573
Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4]
Introduced: 2014-05-06 in the House
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Crime prevention
Crime victims
Crimes against children
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal justice information and records
Department of Homeland Security
Executive agency funding and structure
Foreign aid and international relief
Government information and archives
Human trafficking
International law and treaties
International organizations and cooperation
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Pornography
Sex offenses
Travel and tourism
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2014-05-06
text: 
International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish within the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the Angel Watch Center, which shall: (1) receive information on travel by child-sex offenders; (2) transmit notice of impending or current international travel by such offenders to the Secretary of State, accompanied by an advisory regarding whether the period of validity of the passport of the offender should be limited; (3) establish a system to maintain and archive all relevant information, including decisions not to transmit notification abroad and responses of destination countries to notifications; (4) establish an annual review process to ensure that the Center is consistent in procedures regarding providing notification to destination countries; (5) transmit notice of impending or current international travel of child-sex offenders to the countries of destination; and (6) establish a mechanism to receive complaints from child-sex offenders affected by notifications of destination countries. 
 
Requires the Center to engage in ongoing consultations with: (1) nongovernmental organizations that have experience in identifying and preventing child sex tourism and rescuing and rehabilitating minor victims of international sexual exploitation and trafficking, (2) the governments of countries interested in cooperating in the creation of an international sex offender travel notification system or that are primary destination or source countries for international sex tourism, and (3) Internet service and software providers regarding technology to facilitate the implementation of an international sex offender travel notification system in the United States and in other countries. 
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State to provide technical assistance to enable foreign authorities to participate more effectively in the notification program system.
 
Authorizes the Secretary of State to: (1) limit to one year or such other appropriate period the validity of a passport issued to a child-sex offender, and (2) revoke the passport or passport card of an individual who has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction in a foreign country of a child-sex offense. 
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) negotiate bilateral agreements with foreign governments to further the purposes of this Act; and (2) formally request foreign governments to notify the United States when a U.S. citizen has been arrested, convicted, or sentenced or has completed a prison sentence for a child-sex offense in the foreign country. 
 
Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to include, as indicia of serious and sustained efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons, a country's cooperation with other governments in the investigation and prosecution of such trafficking, including law enforcement cooperation and coordination arrangements with other countries in cases involving foreign nationals of such country who are suspected of engaging in severe forms of trafficking of persons in another country.
 
Encourages the President to use authorities under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to assist foreign countries in identifying sex offenders and providing and receiving notification of child sex offender international travel.

action_date: 2014-05-20
text: 
International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking - (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish within the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the Angel Watch Center, which shall: (1) receive information on travel by child-sex offenders; (2) establish a system to maintain and archive all relevant information, including decisions not to transmit notification abroad and responses of destination countries to notifications; (3) establish an annual review process to ensure that the Center is consistent in procedures regarding providing notification to destination countries; and (4) establish a mechanism to receive complaints from child-sex offenders affected by notifications of destination countries. 
 
Authorizes the Center to transmit notice to a destination country (including to such country's visa-issuing agents in the United States) of impending or current international travel of a child-sex offender to such country. Requires the Secretary, in conjunction with any appropriate agency, if the Center transmits such notice to a destination country, to make reasonable efforts to provide constructive notice through electronic or telephonic communication to the child-sex offender prior to such offender's arrival in such country, except when such constructive notice would conflict with an existing investigation involving the offender. Requires the Center to make reasonable efforts to provide constructive notice to such offender if the Center has reason to believe that transmitting notice to a destination country: (1) poses a risk to the life or well-being of the offender, or (2) is highly likely to result in the destination country denying entry to the offender. Terminates the authority of the Center to transmit such notice of international travel of a child-sex offender as of the close of the last day of the registration period of such offender under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (Walsh Act).
 
Directs the Center to establish a mechanism to receive complaints from child-sex offenders affected by notifications of destination countries. 
 
Requires the Center to engage in ongoing consultations with: (1) nongovernmental organizations that have experience in identifying and preventing child sex tourism and rescuing and rehabilitating minor victims of international sexual exploitation and trafficking, (2) the governments of countries interested in cooperating in the creation of an international sex offender travel notification system or that are primary destination or source countries for international sex tourism, and (3) Internet service and software providers regarding technology to facilitate the implementation of an international sex offender travel notification system in the United States and in other countries. 
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State to provide technical assistance to enable foreign authorities to participate more effectively in the notification program system.
 
(Sec. 5) Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) negotiate bilateral agreements with foreign governments to further the purposes of this Act; and (2) formally request foreign governments to notify the United States when a U.S. citizen has been arrested, convicted, or sentenced or has completed a prison sentence for a child-sex offense in the foreign country. 
 
(Sec. 6) Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to include, as indicia of a serious and sustained efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons, a country's cooperation with other governments in the investigation and prosecution of such trafficking, including trafficking related to sex tourism.
 
(Sec. 7) Encourages the President to use authorities under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to assist foreign countries in identifying sex offenders and providing and receiving notification of child sex offender international travel.

action_date: 2014-12-11
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the House on May 20, 2014. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 
International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking - (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish within the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the Angel Watch Center, which shall: (1) receive information on travel by child-sex offenders; (2) establish a system to maintain and archive all relevant information, including decisions not to transmit notification abroad and responses of destination countries to notifications; (3) establish an annual review process to ensure that the Center is consistent in procedures regarding providing notification to destination countries; and (4) establish a mechanism to receive complaints from child-sex offenders affected by notifications of destination countries. 
 
Authorizes the Center to transmit notice to a destination country (including to such country's visa-issuing agents in the United States) of impending or current international travel of a child-sex offender to such country. Requires the Secretary, in conjunction with any appropriate agency, if the Center transmits such notice to a destination country, to make reasonable efforts to provide constructive notice through electronic or telephonic communication to the child-sex offender prior to such offender's arrival in such country, except when such constructive notice would conflict with an existing investigation involving the offender. Requires the Center to make reasonable efforts to provide constructive notice to such offender if the Center has reason to believe that transmitting notice to a destination country: (1) poses a risk to the life or well-being of the offender, or (2) is highly likely to result in the destination country denying entry to the offender. Terminates the authority of the Center to transmit such notice of international travel of a child-sex offender as of the close of the last day of the registration period of such offender under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (Walsh Act).
 
Directs the Center to establish a mechanism to receive complaints from child-sex offenders affected by notifications of destination countries. 
 
Requires the Center to engage in ongoing consultations with: (1) nongovernmental organizations that have experience in identifying and preventing child sex tourism and rescuing and rehabilitating minor victims of international sexual exploitation and trafficking, (2) the governments of countries interested in cooperating in the creation of an international sex offender travel notification system or that are primary destination or source countries for international sex tourism, and (3) Internet service and software providers regarding technology to facilitate the implementation of an international sex offender travel notification system in the United States and in other countries. 
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State to provide technical assistance to enable foreign authorities to participate more effectively in the notification program system.
 
(Sec. 5) Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) negotiate bilateral agreements with foreign governments to further the purposes of this Act; and (2) formally request foreign governments to notify the United States when a U.S. citizen has been arrested, convicted, or sentenced or has completed a prison sentence for a child-sex offense in the foreign country. 
 
(Sec. 6) Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to include, as indicia of serious and sustained efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons, a country's cooperation with other governments in the investigation and prosecution of such trafficking, including trafficking related to sex tourism.
 
(Sec. 7) Encourages the President to use authorities under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to assist foreign countries in identifying sex offenders and providing and receiving notification of child sex offender international travel.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-12-11
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 645.
action_date: 2014-12-11
text: Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Menendez without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2014-12-11
text: Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Menendez without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2014-12-11
text: Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2014-12-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2014-07-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
action_date: 2014-05-21
text: Received in the Senate.
action_date: 2014-05-20
text: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4529-4531)
action_date: 2014-05-20
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H4529-4531)
action_date: 2014-05-20
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4573.
action_date: 2014-05-20
text: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4529-4534)
action_date: 2014-05-20
text: Mr. Royce moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
action_date: 2014-05-09
text: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2014-05-09
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2014-05-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2014-05-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2014-05-06
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-05-06
text: Introduced in House