HBA-SEB H.B. 667 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 667 By: Wise Public Safety 4/19/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Department of Public Safety operates a missing children and missing persons information clearinghouse (clearinghouse) which is a central repository of information on missing children and missing persons. The clearinghouse collects and exchanges information with the national crime information center on missing children and missing persons, provides a toll-free telephone line for the reporting of missing children and missing persons, and dispenses information explaining the prevention of child abduction to legal custodians, law enforcement agencies, and the Texas Education Agency. H.B. 667 expands the duties of the clearinghouse to require the clearinghouse to distribute fliers about missing children, to compile statistics on the number of missing children cases handled and resolved by the clearinghouse each year, and to provide information on unidentified dead bodies. H.B. 667 also requires the clearinghouse to coordinate activities with nonprofit agencies, to develop a uniform protocol for missing children and missing persons investigations, and to train law enforcement and other professionals on issues relating to missing children, missing persons, unidentified persons, and unidentified dead bodies. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Article 62.003(b), Code of Criminal Procedure as added by Chapter 1427, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997, as follows: (b) Makes the execution of the enumerated duties of the central repository of information on missing children and missing persons (clearinghouse), as added by this Act, conditional upon the application of money for those purposes. Requires the clearinghouse to include information on unidentified dead bodies in its intrastate communication system. Requires the clearinghouse to keep complete information regarding methods of locating and recovering missing children and missing persons. Provides that the statewide toll-free telephone line which receives missing persons reports and other information also be used to report sightings of missing children and missing persons. Requires the clearinghouse to accommodate nonprofit agencies in locating and recovering missing children and missing persons and in identifying unidentified persons and dead bodies and to publish a directory of missing children and missing persons for regular distribution to the nonprofit agencies. Requires the clearinghouse to develop uniform reporting and investigating protocol relating to missing children and missing persons for law enforcement agencies to use throughout the state. Requires the clearinghouse to compile statistics on the number of missing children cases handled and resolved by the clearinghouse each year, including summaries of each case. Requires the clearinghouse to assist in creating and circulating fliers and other information concerning missing children, missing persons, and the individuals believed to be their abductors. Requires the clearinghouse to assist in training law enforcement and other professionals on issues relating to missing children, missing persons, unidentified persons, and unidentified dead bodies. Requires the clearinghouse to operate a resource center on information regarding the prevention of the abduction and sexual exploitation of missing, exploited, and abused children. Makes conforming changes. SECTION 2. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.