Washington, D.C.– Congressmen Erik Paulsen (MN-03) and Joe Courtney (CT-02) have introduced bipartisan legislation, the Recovering Missing Children Act, that will provide law enforcement with additional tools in their search for abducted children. This legislation will add the case of a missing child to the current list of circumstances under which the IRS may release tax information to investigating authorities.

More than 200,000 children are abducted every year by parents or other relatives. There is evidence that in a significant number of these cases, taxes were later filed using either the suspected perpetrator’s or the missing child’s social security number. According to one government report, a new address of residence is listed as often as 46% of the time – potentially a case-breaking discovery. Despite this evidence being critical to an investigation, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is prohibited from providing the information to law enforcement. The Recovering Missing Children Act would address this problem by allowing the IRS to release tax information related to the case of a missing child if a federal court order is obtained.

“This commonsense legislation is about reuniting missing children with their families,” said Congressman Paulsen. “We know that information exists to solve thousands of these cases if law enforcement was simply able to access it. We should give police and prosecutors this tool and bring these kids home.”

“I am pleased to join my colleague, Rep.  Erik Paulsen, to reintroduce the Recovering Missing Children Act,” said Congressman Courtney. “Missing children cases are incredibly complex and challenging to solve, and providing law enforcement officials with access to information that can bring children home safely would be a small but important step for families going through the devastating experience of child abduction. I look forward to working with my colleagues to expand law enforcement resources to information that could help bring missing children home as quickly as possible.”

The Recovering Missing Children Act has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, the Major County Sheriff’s Association (MCSA), the National Association of Police Officers (NAPO), and the Sergeants Benevolent Association.

“The National Association of Police Organizations is proud to support this vital legislation which promises to help save and rescue the most vulnerable victims among us,” said Bill Johnson, Executive Director of NAPO. “NAPO thanks Representative Paulsen and Representative Courtney for both their leadership and their compassion.”

"There is nothing more traumatic or important to a community than when a child goes missing,” said Sheriff Michael Bouchard, Oakland County, Michigan and MCSA VP of Government Affairs. “We thank you for working to give us every tool to find a missing child."

“The ‘Recovering Missing Children Act’ recognizes that when it comes to the recovery of missing and exploited children, the only thing more important than the speed of law enforcement’s response is our ability to access to all pertinent information about the abductor and the missing child,” said President Ed Mullins of the Sergeants Benevolent Association of the NYPD. “Rep. Paulsen and Rep. Courtney are to be commended for their leadership on this issue and for working to ensure that there are no obstacles to finding missing children and reuniting them with their loved ones.”

“While we respect the privacy rights of citizens, some circumstances such as those of missing children, information held by the IRS can be critical to a successful recovery,” said Chuck Canterbury, National President, National Fraternal Order of Police.

Congressman Paulsen, a champion of small business and advocate of free enterprise, entrepreneurship, and innovation, serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, the bicameral Joint Economic Committee, and is co-chair of both the Congressional Medical Technology Caucus and House Wellness Caucus.

For more information on Congressman Paulsen’s work in Congress visit paulsen.house.gov. 

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