[Congressional Bills 103th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 3940 Introduced in House (IH)] 103d CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 3940 To provide funds for postage for mailing of information on active stranger abduction investigations. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 2, 1994 Ms. Woolsey (for herself and Mr. Dickey) introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the Committees on Post Office and Civil Service, the Judiciary, and House Administration _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To provide funds for postage for mailing of information on active stranger abduction investigations. 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 ``Polly Klaas Child Rescue Act of 1994''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The Congress finds that-- (1) stranger abductions of children are a tragic reality in the United States, and the story of Polly Hannah Klaas is yet another frightening example of the presence of child abduction in our society; (2) the leads that have resulted in the successful recovery of children have often been the result of the distribution of pictures of and information about abducted children or their abductors; (3) sophisticated and comprehensive mailing lists have been compiled by abduction experts, but the ability to utilize the lists to distribute pertinent information in a prompt manner is often imperiled by an initial lack of funds for postage; (4) the necessary costs to mail information about abducted children nationwide are often too great for families and their communities to provide in a prompt manner; therefore, there is often a delay in mailing out crucial information which could successfully lead to the recovery of the child; and (5) the Federal Bureau of Investigation does not use its resources to post information in public places, such as hospitals, community centers, etc., about children abducted by strangers. SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR POSTAGE FOR MAILING OF INFORMATION ON ACTIVE STRANGER ABDUCTION INVESTIGATIONS. (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 1995, for the purpose described in subsection (b), an amount equal to two percent of the amount appropriated for official mail costs of the House of Representatives for fiscal year 1994, adjusted for any increase in first-class postage rates. (b) Purpose.--The purpose referred to in subsection (a) is the payment of first-class postage for mailing of information on active investigations of children abducted by strangers. (c) Use of Funds.--Funds may be used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to pay the Postal Service for postage to be used by any local entity engaged in the search for a child abducted by a stranger. In the event that no local entity exists, the Federal Bureau of Investigation may use postage. (d) Restriction of Funds.--Funds shall not be used unless the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation determines, to the best of the Director's ability, that-- (1) a stranger abduction has occurred; (2) the stranger abduction involved occurred not more than one year before the date of the determination; (3) the mailing will benefit the investigation; (4) an accurate and appropriate mailing list is available for the mailing; and (5) funds are not immediately available and a delay in the mailing would be harmful to the investigation. (e) Limitation.--The amount that may be spent on mailings is limited to $15,000 per abducted child. SEC. 4. EMERGENCY FISCAL YEAR 1994 FUNDING. Two percent of the amount appropriated for official mail costs of the House of Representatives for fiscal year 1994 shall be made available for that fiscal year to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the purpose described in section 3(b). SEC. 5. FUNDING LEVEL FOR LATER FISCAL YEARS. If, for any fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 1995, the amount appropriated pursuant to the authorization in section 3 is less than the authorized amount, the difference may be paid from the amount appropriated for official mail costs of the House of Representatives for the fiscal year involved. SEC. 6. PROMPT IMPLEMENTATION OF MAILINGS. In instances in which the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation makes the determination defined in section 3(d), the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall transfer immediately the necessary funds for mailing to the Postal Service. Upon receiving the necessary funds from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Postal Service will expedite the mailing. <all>