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HR 291 103th Congress House

Missing Service Personnel Act of 1993

Official title: To amend title 10, United States Code, to establish procedures for determining whether members of the Armed Forces in a missing status or certain civilian offi… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To amend title 10, United States Code, to establish procedures for determining whether members of the Armed Forces in a missing status or certain civilian officers and employees are deceased, to require certain information to be kept in the personnel files of such persons, and for other purposes.

Introduced: October 28, 1993 See on congress.gov
Armed Forces and National Security Classified defense informationDeath and dyingFamiliesFreedom of information
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Governmental investigationsJudicial review of administrative actsMissing in actionPersonnel records
This bill died when the 103rd Congress ended
It never became law before the 103rd Congress (1993–1994) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 6 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Apr 14, 1994
Re-referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Feb 28, 1994
Unfavorable Executive Comment Received from DOD.
Jan 28, 1993
Executive Comment Requested from DOD.
Jan 28, 1993
Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Forces and Personnel.
Jan 5, 1993
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Jan 5, 1993
Introduced in House
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 Latest action April 14, 1994

Re-referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Missing Service Personnel Act of 1993 - Requires the responsible armed forces commander, after receiving notice that a person under his command is missing, to conduct an informal investigation to determine such person's whereabouts and, if appropriate, to place such person in a missing status.

Provides for the convening of boards of inquiry to: (1) investigate evidence relating to the disappearance of a person; (2) recommend whether to continue such person in a missing status or make a finding that such person has deserted, is absent without leave, or is dead; and (3) report its recommendations and findings.

Provides for the convening of a board of further inquiry, if a board of initial inquiry recommends that such person be continued in a missing status.

Directs the Secretary concerned, upon the written request of a member of the immediate family of a missing person who, before the date of the enactment of this Act, was determined by the Secretary to be dead, to: (1) convene a board of further inquiry to determine whether such finding of death should be upheld or such person should be placed in a missing status; and (2) report its findings.

Requires the Secretary, within three years after a board of further inquiry recommends a missing status for any person, to reconvene such board to review such status.

Directs the Secretary to invite each member of the immediate family of the missing person to board meetings unless attendance would place such member in danger. Prohibits any such board from declaring a missing person dead unless: (1) evidence other than the passage of a period of fewer than 50 years suggests that such person is dead; (2) no evidence which reasonably suggests that such person is alive is in the possession of the Government; (3) Government representatives have made a complete search of the area where such person was last seen (unless the United States is not granted access to such area); and (4) Government representatives have checked the records of the government or entity having control over the area where such person was last seen (unless the Government is not granted access to such records).

Provides for judicial review of determinations of death.

Sets forth penalties for knowingly withholding information pertaining to a missing person from that person's personnel file. Requires the Secretary concerned to make the contents of such file available to a member of the immediate family of such person upon written request.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 291: Missing Service Personnel Act of 1993. 103rd Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-291/
MLA
"H.R. 291: Missing Service Personnel Act of 1993." 103rd Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-291/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 291, 103rd Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-291/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 291: Missing Service Personnel Act of 1993](https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-291/)
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