WASHINGTON — A bill inspired by New Jersey resident David Goldman’s five-year battle to bring his son, Sean, home from Brazil passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.
The “Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act” is designed to bolster the government’s ability to help parents rescue abducted children taken overseas.
Menendez introduced the bill with Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the committee’s ranking Republican. A similar bill, sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., unanimously passed the House in December.
Among the Senate bill’s provisions are requirements for annual State Department reports on international child abductions and for U.S. diplomatic and consular missions to monitor abduction and access cases and assist left-behind parents with resolving their cases. The bill would authorize $5 million in 2015 and 2016 to train officials in other countries about abductions.