InsideGov
Congress · Laws

Missing Children Act

Public Law 97-292 · H.R. 6976 · 97th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 12, 1982 · Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor: Rep. Paul Simon (D-IL-24)

Cosponsors (139): Rep. Clay Shaw,

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateVoice vote
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.

Report a correction

Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Missing Children Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to collect and exchange information which would assist in the identification of unidentified deceased individuals and the location of missing persons, including 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.

Report a correction

Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 25 actions.

  1. Oct 12, 1982Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-292.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Oct 4, 1982PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Oct 1, 1982Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to conference report by Voice Vote.
  5. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in Senate: Senate agreed to conference report by Voice Vote.
  6. Sep 30, 1982Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conferees agreed to file conference report.
  7. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference committee actions: Conferees agreed to file conference report.
  8. Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Conference Report by Voice Vote.
  9. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in House: House Agreed to Conference Report by Voice Vote.
  10. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference Report 97-911 Filed in House.
  11. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed: Conference Report 97-911 Filed in House.
  12. Sep 29, 1982Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Request for Conference and Speaker Appointed Conferees: Edwards (CA), Kastenmeier, Schroeder, Washington, Sensenbrenner, Lungren, Shaw, Simon.
  13. Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Disagreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
  14. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate insists on its amendments, asks for a conference, appoints conferees Thurmond; Hatch; Specter; Hawkins; Biden; DeConcini; Heflin.
  15. Sep 28, 1982FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Judiciary Committee
  17. Sep 22, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
  18. Sep 20, 1982FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
  19. Sep 16, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
  20. Aug 19, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Judiciary Committee
  21. Aug 18, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Civil and Constitutional Rights Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  22. CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Civil and Constitutional Rights Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  23. Aug 16, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Civil and Constitutional Rights Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  24. Aug 11, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
  25. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes

Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.

Report a correction

Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.