Feingold Cosponsors Legislation to Aid States with Child Abduction Cases Bill Would Offer Federal Grants to Help States Pay for Costs Associated With an Abduction of a Child by a Family Member March 11, 2004 Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today joined a bipartisan group of his Senate colleagues in introducing the Family Abduction Act. Each year, 203,900 children--78 percent of all abductions--in the U.S. are kidnaped by a family member, usually a non-custodial parent. This legislation would provide matching grants of up to $500,000 to states to assist with the costs of extradition of individuals suspected of committing the crime of family abduction. As nearly 70 percent of law enforcement agencies lack a written policy on how to respond to a family abduction, the bill would provide financial assistance to agencies to investigate possible abductions and to provide training for agencies in how best to respond to family abductions. "I hope that this legislation will help make it easier for Wisconsin and other states across the country to deal with family abduction cases," Feingold said. "These matching funds can be used for everything from providing training to helping investigate possible abductions." The Family Abduction Act would also provide assistance to public schools to help with costs associated with flagging school records. Where flagging is mandatory, school districts notify law enforcement authorities when a missing child's school records are requested for transfer to a new school. With the new school address in hand, law enforcement has a vital piece of information to help locate the missing child. The Family Abduction Act is supported by the Polly Klaas Foundation and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. "Today's schools are already strapped for funds, so any assistance from the federal government to help in flagging records would go a long way in tracking possible abductions," Feingold said. Feingold also announced his support today for the Bring Our Child Home Act. This legislation would make it easier for law enforcement to intervene to help stop an international parental abduction and the wrongful retention of American children abroad. Most importantly, this bill would establish a National Registry of Custody Orders. Providing a national registry would allow law enforcement the confidence to intervene in situations and aid a custodial parent to be reunited with their child, or to stop an abduction in progress.

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