On December 1, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved, by voice vote, the Strengthening Investigation of Sex Offenders and Missing Children Act (S. 1792) and the Finding Fugitive Sex Offenders Act (S. 671).
Sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), S. 1792 would clarify that the U. S. Marshals have the authority to assist federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in investigating fugitive matters inside and outside of the United States, as well as cases involving sex offenders and missing children.
The Finding Fugitive Sex Offenders Act, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), would authorize the U.S. Marshals Service to issue administrative subpoenas solely for the purpose of investigating unregistered sex offenders, thus granting the Marshals Service the ability to track sex offenders across state lines.
The attorney general would be required to report annually to Congress on the number of subpoenas issued by the Marshals Service, the crimes being investigated under each subpoena, and the number of unregistered sex offenders arrested by the Marshals Service following the issuance of a subpoena and the information that led to such an arrest.
