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HR 3781 97th Congress House

Missing Children Act

Official title: A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to authorize the Attorney General to acquire and exchange information to assist Federal, State, and local officia… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to authorize the Attorney General to acquire and exchange information to assist Federal, State, and local officials in the identification of certain deceased individuals and in the location of missing children.

Introduced: November 20, 1981 See on congress.gov
Crime and Law Enforcement Children and youthCriminal justice informationGovernment records, documents, and informationInformation servicesRunaway children
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This bill died when the 97th Congress ended
It never became law before the 97th Congress (1981–1982) 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
Aug 18, 1982
See H.R.6976.
Nov 30, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Nov 18, 1981
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Jun 5, 1981
Referred to Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights.
Jun 3, 1981
Referred to House Committee on The Judiciary.
Jun 3, 1981
Introduced in House
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 Latest action August 18, 1982

See H.R.6976.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Missing Children Act - Directs the Attorney General to collect and preserve information which would assist in: (1) the identification of any deceased individual who has not been identified within 30 days of his or her death; and (2) the location of any missing child who is under the age of 17, does not have a history of running away, and has been missing for at least 48 hours.

 Related & companion bills 6
  • HR 6976 Related bill Missing Children Act
  • HR 4893 Identical bill Missing Children Act
  • HR 5070 Identical bill Missing Children Act
  • HR 5291 Identical bill Missing Children Act
  • HR 5394 Identical bill Missing Children Act
  • S 1355 Identical bill Missing Children Act
 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 3
All 3 Democratic 1 Republican 1
D
Markey, Edward J.
Massachusetts · Nov 20, 1981
 R
Smith, Christopher H.
New Jersey · Nov 20, 1981
STENHOLM, CHARLES
· Nov 20, 1981
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3781: Missing Children Act. 97th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/97-HR-3781/
MLA
"H.R. 3781: Missing Children Act." 97th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/97-HR-3781/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3781, 97th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/97-HR-3781/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3781: Missing Children Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/97-HR-3781/)
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