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Washington, DC– Today, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed Congressman Brett Guthrie’s (KY-02) bill, the Improving Support for Missing and Exploited Children Act of 2017 (H.R.1808).

The Improving Support for Missing and Exploited Children Act of 2017 updates the programming of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and ensures the center can continue to carry out its critical work on behalf of vulnerable children.

“As a father, I cannot imagine the horror moms and dads in this country experience when they discover one of their children has been taken, abused, or exploited,” said Guthrie. “Sadly, that’s a nightmare hundreds of thousands of parents in this country face. Last year alone, there were more than 465,000 reports of missing children — and those were just the cases that were reported. I was proud to introduce the Improving Support for Missing and Exploited Children Act to ensure that we take care of these children. I look forward to seeing this important piece of legislation signed into law.”

Congressman Guthrie spoke on the House floor to urge his colleagues to support the Improving Support for Missing and Exploited Children Act of 2017. See below for the text of his remarks as prepared.

“I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1808, the Improving Support for Missing and Exploited Children Act of 2017, and I yield myself as much time as I may consume. 

“As a father, I cannot imagine the horror moms and dads in this country experience when they discover one of their children has been taken, abused, or exploited. Sadly, that’s a nightmare hundreds of thousands of parents in this country face. Last year alone, there were more than 465,000 reports of missing children — and those were just the cases that were reported.

“The well-being of America’s children has long been a national priority. In 1984, Congress established the Missing and Exploited Children’s program to help coordinate state and local efforts to recover children who are missing and better protect and support kids who are victims of abuse and exploitation. As part of that program, we provide a grant that is used to support the work of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

“For more than 30 years, NCMEC has worked to provide help to people across the country — partnering with parents, law enforcement, non-profits, and other public and private entities — in efforts to recover, protect, and support missing and exploited children and their families. We’re here today to ensure this important work continues.

“H.R. 1808 updates and streamlines the Missing Children’s Assistance Act — making positive changes that will enable us to strengthen our efforts. This includes reforms to encourage and increase public awareness of new and innovative ways to recover and protect missing and exploited children. The bill better protects the growing number of children who go missing from state care or are victims of sex trafficking, while also providing transparency surrounding recovery and prevention efforts.

“In recent years, some of the advances in technology have, unfortunately, made it easier for kids to be victimized and exploited. H.R. 1808 ensures the law aimed at recovering and protecting exploited children is able to effectively identify and locate today’s abductors and criminal offenders — many of whom are turning to more modern techniques to commit their disturbing crimes.

“The Improving Support for Missing and Exploited Children Act of 2017 delivers important reforms that will provide the tools needed to effectively serve vulnerable youth, help bring perpetrators to justice, and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly.

“I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1808, and I reserve the balance of my time.”

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