To reauthorize permanently the use of penalty and franked mail in efforts relating to the location and recovery of missing children.
Public Law 109-426 · H.R. 4416 · 109th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 20, 2006 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA-37)
Cosponsors (70): Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Rep. Donald Payne,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Makes permanent the authority to use official (penalty and franked) mail in efforts relating to the location and recovery of missing children.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 16 actions.
- Dec 20, 2006Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 109-426.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 11, 2006FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 7, 2006FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Jun 27, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Jun 26, 2006FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4416.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Ms. Ros-Lehtinen moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jun 8, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Nov 18, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.