Federal Bill gives police new tools in searching for missing children

Poster's Note: OK, my friends time to put our keystrokes into action! E-mail your Federal Senators and Congressional representatives and tell them you support this bill and all legislation to help the children!


U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Patrick
Leahy (D-VT) have introduced the Access to Information About Missing
Children Act of 2010, a bipartisan bill that would help local law
enforcement locate missing children whose whereabouts could be
discovered through basic information on tax returns. Currently the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is barred from sharing the information
with law enforcement officials even though in many cases the IRS may
have information about the location of a missing child. “As
a former prosecutor, I know that returning missing children to their
families is one of law enforcement’s highest priorities,” Klobuchar
said. “This legislation will cut red tape and provide police and
prosecutors access to leads that can help bring missing children home.
From the investigators on the case, to the anxious parents waiting at
home, we can provide new information to help track down missing children
and bring criminals to justice.” “Our nation’s youth are
our most precious asset, and law enforcement must employ every tool
available to them to protect those most vulnerable,” Sen. Cornyn said.
“This bill will aid investigators in cutting through red tape when time
is of the essence, and is the beginning of a bipartisan effort to find a
common-sense solution that will help return missing children to their
distraught parents.” “I am pleased to
cosponsor the bipartisan Access to Information about Missing Children
Act,” said Leahy. “I was concerned to learn recently that a gap in
existing law prohibits state and local law enforcement from obtaining
information from the IRS that could be used to investigate and prosecute
cases involving missing and exploited children. This important
legislation will close the gap and in doing so, give law enforcement an
additional tool to find and protect missing children.” Over
800,000 children are reported missing each year, and more than 200,000
of those cases are the result of family abductions. Family abductors
frequently assume false identities and travel to different states to
escape detection. However, a significant number of these abductors
continue to file federal tax returns. According to a 2007 Treasury
Department study, captors filed missing children’s social security
numbers with the IRS in more than a third of cases. If
passed, the bill would grant law enforcement access to names and
addresses on federal tax returns as long as they obtain court orders
from a federal district court or magistrate judge.