Recovering Missing Children Act
Public Law 114-184 · H.R. 3209 · 114th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Jun 30, 2016 · Taxation
Sponsor: Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN-3)
Cosponsors (30): Rep. Joe Courtney, Rep. Louise Slaughter,
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.
Recovering Missing Children Act
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit federal law enforcement officials to seek an ex parte order in federal court for the disclosure of tax returns or return information for criminal investigations pertaining to missing or exploited children.
If the order is granted, the information may be disclosed to federal officers and employees who are personally and directly engaged in judicial or administrative proceedings, investigations, or federal grand jury proceedings to enforce a federal criminal statute pertaining to a missing or exploited child.
A federal agency may disclose to state and local law enforcement agencies information obtained under the authority provided by this bill if:
• the state or local agency is part of a team with the federal agency in the investigation, and
• the information is disclosed only to officers and employees who are personally and directly engaged in the investigation.
The state or local agency may only use the disclosed information in locating the missing child, in a grand jury proceeding, or in any preparation for, or investigation which may result in, a judicial or administrative proceeding.
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
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 3016Related bill
Recovering Missing Children Act
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. 19 actions.
- Jun 30, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-184.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jun 23, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jun 16, 2016FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Finance discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- May 11, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- May 10, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3209.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Paulsen moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 418.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Ways and Means. H. Rept. 114-542.
- Apr 28, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jul 27, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H5520)
- Jul 23, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
- 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.