An estimated 200,000 children are abducted by family members every year; in an examination of 1,700 Social Security Numbers for missing children and their alleged abductors, an inspector general study found that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had new addresses on file in more than a third of the cases
The bipartisan Recovering Missing Children Act will allow the IRS to disclose tax records to state and local law enforcement agencies while maintaining privacy protections to assist in the investigation of missing or exploited children
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced that her bill to help recover missing and exploited children was signed into law by the President this week. An estimated 200,000 children are abducted by family members every year. In an examination of 1,700 Social Security Numbers for missing children and their alleged abductors, an inspector general study found that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had new addresses on file in more than a third of the cases. The bipartisan Recovering Missing Children Act will allow the IRS to disclose tax records to state and local law enforcement agencies while maintaining privacy protections to assist in the investigation of missing or exploited children. The Senate bill was also led by Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Bob Casey (D-PA). Representative Erik Paulsen (R-MN) led the bill in the House.
“As a former prosecutor, I know that returning missing children to their families is one of the most important tasks law enforcement officers have. They need every tool available to track these children down and bring criminals to justice,” Klobuchar said. “This week, our bipartisan bill was signed into law by the President. It will help provide police and prosecutors access to critical information that could help bring missing children home.”
The Recovering Missing Children Act permits the disclosure of relevant tax return information for the purpose of aiding criminal investigations into missing or exploited children. Transfer of taxpayer information would occur only if strict standards for confidentiality and protection of the information from unauthorized use were observed by the state and local agencies.
The legislation also allows federal law enforcement to share information on a very limited basis with state and local law enforcement that are part of a task force directly involved in investigating and prosecuting such cases. Many investigations into missing and exploited children are conducted at the state and local level.
In 2012, Klobuchar introduced the Access to Information about Missing Children Act, which would grant law enforcement authorities access to information from federal tax returns, as long as they obtain court orders from a federal district court. There are already more than 30 exceptions to the general rule that the IRS cannot share information from tax filings, including exceptions for disclosures relating to the repayment of student loans, child-support payments, and certain information sought by the Census Bureau.
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