Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children Protection Act
PL 106-71 (S.249), enacted 10/12/1999

113 STAT. 1032 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
Public Law 106-71 
106th Congress 
An Act 
Oct. 12, 1999 
[S. 249] 
Missing, 
Exploited, and 
Runaway 
Children 
Protection Act. 
42 u s e 5601 
note. 
To provide funding for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 
to reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, 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 "Missing, Exploited, and Runaway 
Children Protection Act". 
SEC. 2. NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Section 402 of the Missing Children's Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5771) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (7), by striking "and" at the end; 
(2) in paragraph (8), by striking the period at the end 
and inserting a semicolon; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
"(9) for 14 years, the National Center for Missing emd 
Exploited Children has— 
"(A) served as the national resource center and 
clearinghouse congressionally mandated under the provi-
sions of the Missing Children's Assist£ince Act of 1984; 
and 
"(B) worked in partnership with the Department of 
Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Depart-
ment of the Treasury, the Department of State, and many 
other agencies in the effort to find missing children and 
prevent child victimization; 
"(10) Congress has given the Center, which is a private 
nonprofit corporation, access to the National Crime Information 
Center of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National 
Law Enforcement Telecommunications System; 
"(11) since 1987, the Center has operated the National 
Child Pornography Tipline, in conjunction with the United 
States Customs Service and the United States Postal Inspection 
Service and, beginning this year, the Center established a 
new CyberTipline on child exploitation, thus becoming 'the 
911 for the Internet'; 
"(12) in light of statistics that time is of the essence in 
cases of child abduction, the Director of the Federal Bureau 
of Investigation in February of 1997 created a new NCIC child 
abduction CCA') flag to provide the Center immediate notifica-
tion in the most serious cases, resulting in 642 'CA' notifications 
to the Center and helping the Center to have its highest 
recovery rate in history; 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
113 STAT. 1033 
"(13) the Center has established a national and increasingly 
worldwide network, linking the Center online with each of 
the missing children clearinghouses operated by the 50 States, 
the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, as well as with 
Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom, the Royal Canadian 
Mounted Police, INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon, France, and 
others, which has enabled the Center to transmit images and 
information regarding missing children to law enforcement 
across the United States and around the world instantly; 
"(14) from its inception in 1984 through March 31, 1998, 
"(A) handled 1,203,974 calls through its 24-hour toll-
free hothne (1-800-THE-LOST) and currently averages 
700 calls per day; 
"(B) trained 146,284 law enforcement, criminal and 
juvenile justice, and healthcare professionals in child sexual 
exploitation and missing child case detection, identification, 
investigation, and prevention; 
"(C) disseminated 15,491,344 free publications to citi-
zens and professionals; and 
"(D) worked with law enforcement on the cases of 
59,481 missing children, resulting in the recovery of 40,180 
children; 
"(15) the demand for the services of the Center is growing 
dramatically, as evidenced by the fact that in 1997, the Center 
handled 129,100 calls, an all-time record, and by the fact that 
its new Internet website (www.missingkids.com) 
receives 
1,500,000 'hits' every day, and is linked with hundreds of other 
websites to provide real-time images of breaking cases of 
missing children; 
"(16) in 1997, the Center provided policy training to 256 
police chiefs £ind sheriffs from 50 States and Guam at its 
new Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training Center; 
"(17) the programs of the Center have had a remarkable 
impact, such as in the fight against infant abductions in part-
nership with the healthcare industry, during which the Center 
has performed 668 onsite hospital walk-throughs and inspec-
tions, and trained 45,065 hospital administrators, nurses, and 
security personnel, and thereby helped to reduce infant abduc-
tions in the United States by 82 percent; 
"(18) the Center is now playing a significant role in inter-
national child abduction cases, serving as a representative of 
the Department of State at cases under The Hague Convention, 
and successfully resolving the cases of 343 international child 
abductions, and providing greater support to parents in the 
United States; 
"(19) the Center is a model of public/private partnership, 
raising private sector funds to match congressional appropria-
tions and receiving extensive private in-kind support, including 
advanced technology provided by the computer industry such 
as imaging technology used to age the photographs of long-
term missing children and to reconstruct facial images of 
unidentified deceased children; 
"(20) the Center was 1 of only 10 of 300 major national 
charities given an A+ grade in 1997 by the American Institute 
of Philanthropy; and 
113 STAT. 1034 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
"(21) the Center has been redesignated as the Nation's 
missing children clearinghouse and resource center once every 
3 years through a competitive selection process conducted by 
the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of 
the Department of Justice, and has received grants from that 
Office to conduct the crucial purposes of the Center.". 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 403 of the Missing Children's Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5772) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking "and" at the end; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end 
and inserting "; and"; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
"(3) the term 'Center' means the National Center for 
Missing and Exploited Children.". 
(c) DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.—Section 
404 of the Missing Children's Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5773) 
is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and 
(2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following: 
"(b) ANNUAL GRANT TO NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND 
EXPLOITED CHILDREN.— 
"(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall annually make 
a grant to the Center, which shall be used to— 
"(A)(i) operate a national 24-hour toll-free telephone 
line by which individuals may report information regarding 
the location of any missing child, or other child 13 years 
of age or younger whose whereabouts are unknown to 
such child's legal custodian, and request information per-
taining to procedures necessary to reunite such child with 
such child's legal custodian; and 
"(ii) coordinate the operation of such telephone line 
with the operation of the national communications system 
referred to in part C of the Runaway and Homeless Youth 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5714-11); 
"(B) operate the official national resource center and 
information clearinghouse for missing and exploited chil-
dren; 
"(C) provide to State and local governments, public 
and private nonprofit agencies, and individuals, informa-
tion regarding— 
"(i) free or low-cost legal, restaurant, lodging, and 
transportation services that are available for the ben-
efit of missing and exploited children and their fami-
lies; and 
"(ii) the existence and nature of programs being 
carried out by Federal agencies to assist missing and 
exploited children and their families; 
"(D) coordinate public and private programs that 
locate, recover, or reunite missing children with their fami-
lies; 
"(E) disseminate, on a national basis, information 
relating to innovative and model programs, services, and 
legislation that benefit missing and exploited children; 
"(F) provide technical assistance and training to law 
enforcement agencies. State and local governments, ele-
ments of the criminal justice system, public and private 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
113 STAT. 1035 
nonprofit agencies, and individuals in the prevention, inves-
tigation, prosecution, and treatment of cases involving 
missing and exploited children; and 
"(G) provide assistance to families and law enforcement 
agencies in locating and recovering missing and exploited 
children, both nationally and internationally. 
"(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is author-
ized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry out this 
subsection, $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000, 2001, 
2002, and 2003. 
"(c) NATIONAL INCIDENCE STUDIES.—The Administrator, either Grants, 
by making grants to or entering into contracts with public agencies Contracts, 
or nonprofit private agencies, shall— 
"(1) periodically conduct national incidence studies to deter-
mine for a given year the actual number of children reported 
missing each year, the number of children who are victims 
of abduction by strangers, the number of children who are 
the victims of parental kidnapings, and the number of children 
who are recovered each year; and 
"(2) provide to State and local governments, public and 
private nonprofit agencies, and individuals information to facili-
tate the lawful use of school records and birth certificates 
to identify and locate missing children.". 
(d) 
NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHIL-
DREN.—Section 405(a) of the Missing Children's Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5775(a)) is amended by inserting "the Center and with" 
before "public agencies". 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 408 
of 
the 
Missing Children's Assistsmce Act (42 U.S.C. 5777) is amended 
by striking "1997 through 2001" and inserting "2000 through 2003". 
SEC. 3. RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Section 302 of the Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5701) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (5), by striking "accurate reporting of 
the problem nationally and to develop" and inserting "an 
accurate national reporting system to report the problem, and 
to assist in the development of'; and 
(2) by striking paragraph (8) and inserting the following: 
"(8) services for runaway and homeless youth are needed 
in urban, suburban, and rural areas;". 
(b) AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS FOR CENTERS AND SERVICES.— 
Section 311 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 
5711) is amended— 
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following: 
"(a) GRANTS FOR CENTERS AND SERVICES.— 
"(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make grants to 
public and nonprofit private entities (and combinations of such 
entities) to establish and operate (including renovation) local 
centers to provide services for runaway and homeless youth 
and for the families of such youth. 
"(2) SERVICES PROVIDED.—Services provided under para-
graph (D— 
"(A) shall be provided as an alternative to involving 
runaway and homeless youth in the law enforcement, child 
welfare, mental health, gmd juvenile justice systems; 
"(B) shall include— 
113 STAT. 1036 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
"(i) safe and appropriate shelter; and 
"(ii) individual, family, and group counseling, as 
appropriate; and 
"(C) may include— 
"(i) street-based services; 
"(ii) home-based services for families with youth 
at risk of separation from the family; and 
"(iii) drug abuse education and prevention serv-
ices."; 
(2) in subsection (b)(2), by striking "the Trust Territory 
of the Pacific Islands,"; and 
(3) by striking subsections (c) and (d). 
(c) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 312 of the Rimaway £ind Homeless 
Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5712) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (8), by striking "paragraph (6)" and 
inserting "paragraph (7)"; 
(B) in paragraph (10), by striking "and" at the end; 
(C) in paragraph (11), by striking the period at the 
end and inserting "; and"; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
Reports. 
"(12) shall submit to the Secretary an annual report that 
includes, with respect to the year for which the report is 
submitted— 
"(A) information regarding the activities carried out 
under this part; 
"(B) the achievements of the project under this part 
carried out by the applicant; and 
"(C) statistical summaries describing— 
"(i) the number and the characteristics of the run-
away and homeless youth, and youth at risk of family 
separation, who participate in the project; and 
"(ii) the services provided to such youth by the 
project."; and 
(2) by striking subsections (c) and (d) and inserting the 
following: 
"(c) APPLICANTS PROVIDING STREET-BASED SERVICES.—^To be 
eligible to use assistance under section 311(a)(2)(C)(i) to provide 
street-based services, the applicant shall include in the plan 
required by subsection (b) assurances that in providing such services 
the applicant will— 
"(1) provide qualified supervision of staff, including on-
street supervision by appropriately trained staff; 
"(2) provide backup personnel for on-street staff; 
"(3) provide initial and periodic training of staff who provide 
such services; and 
"(4) conduct outreach activities for runaway and homeless 
youth, and street youth. 
"(d) 
APPLICANTS PROVIDING HOME-BASED SERVICES.—To 
be 
eligible to use assistance under section 311(a) to provide home-
based services described in section 311(a)(2)(C)(ii), an applicant 
shall include in the plan required by subsection (b) assurances 
that in providing such services the applicant will— 
"(1) provide counseling and information to youth and the 
families (including unrelated individuals in the family house-
holds) of such youth, including services relating to basic life 
skills, interpersonal skill building, educational advancement, 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
113 STAT. 1037 
job attainment skills, mental and physical health care, par-
enting skills, financial planning, and referral to sources of 
other needed services; 
"(2) provide directly, or through an arrangement made 
by the applicant, 24-hour service to respond to family crises 
(including immediate access to temporary shelter for runaway 
and homeless youth, and youth at risk of separation from 
the family); 
"(3) establish, in partnership with the families of runaway 
and homeless youth, and youth at risk of separation from 
the family, objectives and measures of success to be achieved 
as a result of receiving home-based services; 
"(4) provide initial and periodic training of staff who provide 
home-based services; and 
"(5) ensure that— 
"(A) caseloads will remain sufficiently low to allow 
for intensive (5 to 20 hours per week) involvement with 
each family receiving such services; and 
"(B) staff providing such services will receive qualified 
supervision. 
"(e) 
APPLICANTS PROVIDING DRUG ABUSE 
EDUCATION AND 
PREVENTION SERVICES.—To be eligible to use assistance under sec-
tion 311(a)(2)(C)(iii) to provide drug abuse education and prevention 
services, an applicant shall include in the plan required by sub-
section (b)— 
"(1) a description of— 
"(A) the types of such services that the applicant pro-
poses to provide; 
"(B) the objectives of such services; £ind 
"(C) the types of information and training to be pro-
vided to individuals providing such services to runaway 
and homeless youth; and 
"(2) an assurance that in providing such services the 
applicant shall conduct outreach activities for runaway and 
homeless youth.". 
(d) APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS.—Section 313 of the Runaway 
and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5713) is amended to read 
as follows: 
"SEC. 313. APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS. 
"(a) IN GENERAL.—^An application by a public or private entity 
for a grant under section 311(a) may be approved by the Secretary 
after taking into consideration, with respect to the State in which 
such entity proposes to provide services under this part— 
"(1) the geographical distribution in such State of the pro-
posed services under this part for which all grant applicants 
request approval; and 
"(2) which areas of such State have the greatest need 
for such services. 
"(b) PRIORITY.—In selecting applications for grants under sec-
tion 311(a), the Secretary shall give priority to— 
"(1) eligible applicants who have demonstrated experience 
in providing services to runaway and homeless youth; and 
"(2) eligible applicants that request grants of less than 
$200,000.". 
113 STAT. 1038 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
(e) AUTHORITY FOR TRANSITIONAL LIVING GRANT PROGRAM.— 
Section 321 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 
5714-1) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking "PURPOSE AND"; 
(2) in subsection (a), by striking "(a)"; and 
(3) by striking subsection (b). 
(f) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 322(a)(9) of the Runaway and Home-
less Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714-2(a)(9)) is amended by inserting 
", and the services provided to such youth by such project," after 
"such project". 
(g) COORDINATION.—Section 341 of the Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714-21) is amended to read as follows: 
"SEC. 341. COORDINATION. 
"With respect to matters relating to the health, education, 
employment, and housing of runaway and homeless youth, the 
Secretary— 
"(1) in conjunction with the Attorney General, shall coordi-
nate the activities of agencies of the Department of Health 
and Human Services with activities under any other Federal 
juvenile crime control, prevention, and juvenile 
offender 
accountability program and with the activities of other Federal 
entities; and 
"(2) shall coordinate the activities of agencies of the Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services with the activities of 
other Federal entities and with the activities of entities that 
are eligible to receive grants under this title.", 
(h) AUTHORITY To MAKE GRANTS FOR RESEARCH, EVALUATION, 
DEMONSTRATION, AND SERVICE PROJECTS.—Section 343 of the Run-
away and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714-23) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by inserting "EVALUATION," after 
"RESEARCH,"; 
(2) in subsection (a), by inserting "evaluation," after 
"research,"; and 
(3) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking paragraph (2); and 
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (10) as 
paragraphs (2) through (9), respectively. 
(i) STUDY.—Part D of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act 
(42 tj.S.C. 5731 et seq.) is amended by adding after section 344 
the following: 
42 use 5714-25. 
"SEC. 345. STUDY. 
Reports. 
Public 
information. 
Deadline. 
"The Secretary shall conduct a study of a representative sample 
of runaways to determine the percent who leave home because 
of sexual abuse. The report on the study shall include— 
"(1) in the case of sexual abuse, the relationship of the 
assaulter to the runaway; and 
"(2) recommendations on how Federal laws may be changed 
to reduce sexual assaults on children. 
The study shall be completed to enable the Secretary to make 
a report to the committees of Congress with jurisdiction over this 
Act, and to make such report available to the public, within one 
year of the date of the enactment of this section.". 
(j) ASSISTANCE TO POTENTIAL GRANTEES.—Section 371 of the 
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714a) is amended 
by striking the last sentence. 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
113 STAT. 1039 
(k) REPORTS.—Section 381 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5715) is amended to read as follows: 
"SEC. 381. REPORTS. 
"(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than April 1, 2000, and biennially Deadline. 
theregifter, the Secretary shall submit, to the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, a report on the 
status, activities, and accomplishments of entities that receive 
grants under parts A, B, C, D, and E, with particular attention 
to— 
"(1) in the case of centers funded under part A, the ability 
or effectiveness of such centers in— 
"(A) alleviating the problems of runaway and homeless 
youth; 
"(B) if applicable or appropriate, reuniting such youth 
with their families and encouraging the resolution of 
intrafamily problems through counseling and other serv-
ices; 
"(C) strengthening family relationships and encour-
aging stable living conditions for such youth; and 
"(D) assisting such youth to decide upon a future course 
of action; and 
"(2) in the case of projects funded under part B— 
"(A) the number and characteristics of homeless youth 
served by such projects; 
"(B) the types of activities carried out by such projects; 
"(C) the effectiveness of such projects in alleviating 
the problems of homeless youth; 
"(D) the effectiveness of such projects in preparing 
homeless youth for self-sufficiency; 
"(E) the effectiveness of such projects in assisting 
homeless youth to decide upon future education, employ-
ment, and independent living; 
"(F) the ability of such projects to encourage the resolu-
tion of intrafamily problems through counseling and 
development of self-sufficient living skills; and 
"(G) activities and programs planned by such projects 
for the following fiscal year. 
"(b) CONTENTS OF REPORTS.—The Secretary shall include in 
each report submitted under subsection (a), summaries of— 
"(1) the evaluations performed by the Secretary under sec-
tion 386; and 
"(2) descriptions of the qualifications of, and training pro-
vided to, individuals involved in carrying out such evaluations.". 
(1) EVALUATION.—Section 384 of the Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5732) is amended to read as follows: 
"SEC. 386. EVALUATION AND INFORMATION. 
"(a) IN GENERAL.—If a grantee receives grants for 3 consecutive 
fiscal years under part A, B, C, D, or E (in the alternative), then 
the Secretary shall evaluate such grantee on-site, not less frequently 
than once in the period of such 3 consecutive fiscal years, for 
purposes of— 
"(1) determining whether such grants are being used for 
the purposes for which such grants are made by the Secretary; 
"(2) collecting additional information for the report required 
by section 384; and 
113 STAT. 1040 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
42 use 5715. 
42 use 5714a. 
"(3) providing such information and assistance to such 
grantee as will enable such grantee to improve the operation 
of the centers, projects, and activities for which such grants 
are made. 
"(b) COOPERATION.—Recipients of grants under this title shall 
cooperate with the Secretary's efforts to carry out evaluations, and 
to collect information, under this title.". 
(m) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 385 of the 
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5751) is amended 
to read as follows: 
"SEC. 388. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
"(a) IN GENERAL.— 
"(1) AUTHORIZATION.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out this title (other than part E) such sums 
as may be necessary for fiscal years 2000, 2001, 2002, and 
2003. 
"(2) ALLOCATION.— 
"(A) PARTS A AND B.—From the amount appropriated 
under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall 
reserve not less than 90 percent to carry out parts A 
andB. 
"(B) PART B.—Of the amount reserved under subpara-
graph (A), not less than 20 percent, and not more than 
30 percent, shall be reserved to carry out part B. 
"(3) PARTS C AND D.—In each fiscal year, after reserving 
the amounts required by paragraph (2), the Secretary shall 
use the remaining amount (if any) to carry out parts C and 
D. 
"(b) SEPARATE IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED.—NO funds appro-
priated to carry out this title may be combined with fiinds appro-
priated under any other Act if the purpose of combining such 
funds is to make a single discretionary grant, or a single discre-
tionary payment, unless such funds are separately identified in 
all grants and contracts and are used for the purposes specified 
in this title.". 
(n) SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM.— 
(1) AUTHORITY FOR PROGRAM.—The Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5701 et seq.) is amended— 
(A) by striking the heading for part F; 
(B) by redesignating part E as part F; and 
(C) by inserting after part D the following: 
"PART E—SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION 
PROGRAM 
42 use 5714^1. 
"SEC. 351. AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS. 
"(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make grants to nonprofit 
private agencies for the purpose of providing street-based services 
to runaway £mid homeless, and street youth, who have been sub-
jected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, sexual abuse, prostitu-
tion, or sexual exploitation. 
"(b) PRIORITY.—In selecting applicants to receive grants under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall give priority to nonprofit private 
agencies that have experience in providing services to runaway 
and homeless, and street youth.". 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
113 STAT. 1041 
(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 388(a) of 
the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5751), as 
amended by subsection (m) of this section, is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
"(4) PART E.—There is authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out part E such sums as may be necessary for fiscal 
years 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.". 
(o) CONSOLIDATED REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—The Runaway 
and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5701 et seq.) is amended 
by inserting after section 383 the following: 
"SEC. 385. CONSOLIDATED REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS. 
"With respect to funds available to carry out parts A, B, C, 
D, and E, nothing in this title shall be construed to prohibit the 
Secretary from— 
"(1) announcing, in a single announcement, the availability 
of funds for grants under 2 or more of such parts; and 
"(2) reviewing applications for grants under 2 or more 
of such parts in a single, consolidated application review 
process.". 
(p) DEFINITIONS.—The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 
U.S.C. 5701 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 386, 
as amended by subsection (1) of this section, the following: 
"SEC. 387. DEFINITIONS. 
"In this title: 
"(1) DRUG ABUSE EDUCATION AND PREVENTION SERVICES.— 
The term 'drug abuse education and prevention services'— 
"(A) means services to runaway and homeless youth 
to prevent or reduce the illicit use of drugs by such youth; 
and 
"(B) may include— 
"(i) individual, family, group, and peer counseling; 
"(ii) drop-in services; 
"(iii) assistance to runaway and homeless youth 
in rural areas (including the development of commu-
nity support groups); 
"(iv) information and training relating to the illicit 
use of drugs by runaway and homeless youth, to 
individuals involved in providing services to such 
youth; and 
"(v) activities to improve the availability of local 
drug abuse prevention services to runaway and home-
less youth. 
"(2) 
HOME-BASED 
SERVICES.—The 
term 
'home-based 
services'— 
"(A) means services provided to youth and their fami-
lies for the purpose o
f
— 
"(i) preventing such youth from running away, or 
otherwise becoming separated, from their families; and 
"(ii) assisting runaway youth to return to their 
families; and 
"(B) includes services that are provided in the resi-
dences of families (to the extent practicable), including— 
"(i) intensive individual and family counseling; and 
"(ii) training relating to life skills and parenting. 
"(3) HOMELESS YOUTH.—The term 'homeless youth' means 
an individual— 
42 u s e 5731a. 
42 u s e 5732a. 
69-194 - 01 - 35 :QL 3 Parti 
113 STAT. 1042 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
"(A) who is— 
"(i) not more than 21 years of age; and 
"(ii) for the purposes of part B, not less than 16 
years of age; 
"(B) for whom it is not possible to live in a safe environ-
ment with a relative; and 
"(C) who has no other safe alternative living arrange-
ment. 
"(4) 
STREET-BASED 
SERVICES.—The term 
'street-based 
services'— 
"(A) means services provided to runaway and homeless 
youth, and street youth, in areas where they congregate, 
designed to assist such youth in making healthy personal 
choices regarding where they live and how they behave; 
and 
"(B) may include— 
"(i) identification of and outreach to runaway and 
homeless youth, and street youth; 
"(ii) crisis intervention and counseling; 
"(iii) information and referral for housing; 
"(iv) information and referral for transitional living 
and health care services; 
"(v) advocacy, education, and prevention services 
related to— 
"(I) alcohol and drug abuse; 
"(II) sexual exploitation; 
"(III) sexually transmitted diseases, including 
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); and 
"(IV) physical and sexual assault. 
"(5) STREET YOUTH.—The term 'street youth' meeuis an 
individual who— 
"(A) is— 
"(i) a runaway youth; or 
"(ii) indefinitely or intermittently a homeless 
youth; and 
"(B) spends a significant amount of time on the street 
or in other areas that increase the risk to such youth 
for sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, prostitution, or drug 
abuse. 
"(6) TRANSITIONAL LIVING YOUTH PROJECT.—The term 
'transitional living youth project' means a project that provides 
shelter and services designed to promote a transition to self-
sufficient living and to prevent long-term dependency on social 
services. 
"(7) YOUTH AT RISK OF SEPARATION FROM THE FAMILY.— 
The term 'youth at risk of separation from the famil/ means 
an individual— 
"(A) who is less than 18 years of age; and 
"(B)(i) who has a history of running away fi-om the 
family of such individual; 
"(ii) whose parent, guardian, or custodian is not willing 
to provide for the basic needs of such individual; or 
"(iii) who is at risk of entering the child welfare system 
or juvenile justice system as a result of the lack of services 
available to the family to meet such needs.". 
(q) REDESIGNATION OF SECTIONS.—Sections 371, 372, 381, 
382, 
42 use 5714a, 
and 383 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5714b-
5714b, 5715, 
5716, 
5731. 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
113 STAT. 1043 
20 u s e 7101 
note. 
Deadline. 
5851 et seq.), as amended by this Act, are redesignated as sections 
380, 381, 382, 383, and 384, respectively. 
(r) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—The Runaway and Homeless 
Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5701 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 331, in the first sentence, by striking ''With" 42 USC 5714-11. 
and all that follows through "the Secretary, and inserting 
"The Secretary"; and 
(2) in section 344(a)(1), by striking "With" and all that 
42 USC 5714-24. 
follows through "the Secretary", and inserting "The Secretary". 
SEC. 4. STUDY OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE. 
(a) CONTRACT FOR STUDY.—Not later than 60 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall 
enter into a contract with the National Academy of Sciences for 
the purposes of conducting a study regarding the antecedents of 
school violence in urban, suburban, and rural schools, including 
the incidents of school violence that occurred in Pearl, Mississippi; 
Paducah, Kentucky; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Springfield, Oregon; 
Edinboro, Pennsylvania; Fayetteville, Tennessee; Littleton, Colo-
rado; and Conyers, Georgia. Under the terms of such contract, 
the National Academy of Sciences shall appoint a panel that will— 
(1) review the relevant research about adolescent violence 
in general and school violence in particular, including the 
existing longitudinal and cross-sectional studies on youth that 
are relevant to examining violent behavior; 
(2) relate what can be learned from past gind current 
research and surveys to specific incidents of school shootings; 
(3) interview relevant individuals, if possible, such as the 
perpetrators of such incidents, their families, their friends, 
their teachers, mental health providers, and others; and 
(4) give particular attention to such issues as— 
(A) the perpetrators' early development, 
families, 
communities, school experiences, and utilization of mental 
health services; 
(B) the relationship between perpetrators and their 
victims; 
(C) how the perpetrators gained access to firearms; 
(D) the impact of cultural influences and exposure 
to the media, video games, and the Internet; and 
(E) such other issues as the panel deems important 
or relevant to the purpose of the study. 
The National Academy of Sciences shall utilize professionals with 
expertise in such issues, including psychiatrists, social workers, 
behavioral and social scientists, practitioners, epidemiologists, stat-
isticians, and methodologists. 
(b) REPORT.—The National Academy of Sciences shall submit Deadline. 
a report containing the results of the study required by subsection 
(a), to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President 
pro tempore of the Senate, the Chair and ranking minority Member 
of the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House 
of Representatives, and the Chair and ranking minority Member 
of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
the Senate, not later than January 1, 2001, or 18 months after 
entering into the contract required by such subsection, whichever 
is earlier. 
113 STAT. 1044 
PUBLIC LAW 106-71—OCT. 12, 1999 
(c) APPROPRIATION.—Of the funds made available under Public 
Law 105-277 for the Department of Education, $2,100,000 shall 
be made available to carry out this section. 
Approved October 12, 1999. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 249 (H.R. 905): 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 106-152 accompanying H.R. 905 (Comm. on Education and 
the Workforce). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 145 (1999): 
Apr. 19, considered and passed Senate. 
May 25, considered and passed House, amended. 
Sept. 28, Senate concurred in House amendment.