[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8365 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8365

   To amend the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction 
  Prevention and Return Act of 2014 to make modifications to that Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2024

   Mr. Smith of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction 
  Prevention and Return Act of 2014 to make modifications to that Act.

    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 ``Sean and David Goldman Act 
Amendments''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 3 of the Sean and David Goldman International Child 
Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 9101) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
                striking ```abduction case' means a'' and inserting 
                ```abduction case' means--
                    ``(A) a'';
                    (B) by striking ``(A) has been reported'' and 
                inserting the following:
                            ``(i) has been reported'';
                    (C) in clause (i) (as so designated), by striking 
                ``; and'' at the end;
                    (D) by striking ``(B) meets the criteria'' and 
                inserting the following:
                            ``(ii) meets the criteria'';
                    (E) in clause (ii) (as so designated), by striking 
                the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (F) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) includes any case reported involving an 
                application filed with the Central Authority of the 
                United States or directly with the foreign central 
                authority by a parent seeking rights of access or 
                return.'';'';
            (2) by amending paragraph (7) to read as follows:
            ``(7) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        `appropriate congressional committees' means--
                    ``(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 
                Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on 
                Judiciary, and the Committee on Homeland Security of 
                the House of Representatives; and
                    ``(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 
                Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on 
                Judiciary, and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
                Governmental Affairs of the Senate.''; and
            (3) in paragraph (11), by striking ``16'' and inserting 
        ``18''.

SEC. 3. ACTION IN THE CASE OF ABDUCTED CHILDREN WHO REACH THE AGE OF 
              16.

    Section 201 of the Sean and David Goldman International Child 
Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 9121) is amended 
by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Action in the Case of Abducted Children Who Reach the Age of 
16.-- When an individual who is an abducted child attains 16 years of 
age, a consular officer from a United States diplomatic mission in the 
country in which such individual resides shall, until either the parent 
seeking assistance or the individual (after attaining 18 years of age) 
requests the officer to cease, annually--
            ``(1) attempt to contact such individual, engaging other 
        agencies and foreign counterparts as necessary to obtain a 
        verified location;
            ``(2) advise such individual of applicable rights under 
        section 51.28 of title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, 
        including with respect to executing an application for a 
        passport on the individual's own behalf; and
            ``(3) advise such individual of applicable rights under 
        sections 3301 through 3327 of title 38, United States Code.''.

SEC. 4. STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION.

    Section 202 of the Sean and David Goldman International Child 
Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 9122) is amended 
by inserting the following new subsection after subsection (g):
    ``(h) Study of International Parental Child Abduction.--
            ``(1) Study required.-- Not later than 1 year after the 
        date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary of 
        State shall seek to enter into an agreement with an appropriate 
        nongovernmental organization to study and publish a report on 
        the grave harm to abducted children and left-behind parents as 
        a result of international parental child abduction.
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.-- There is 
        authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of fiscal 
        years 2025 and 2026 to carry out the study described in 
        paragraph (1).''.
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