H.R. 515: International Megan's Law to Prevent Child Exploitation and Other Sexual Crimes Through Advanced Notification of Traveling Sex Offenders

114th Congress · introduced 2015-01-22 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Became Public Law No: 114-119.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2015-01-22 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Became Public Law No: 114-119. (final step reached)
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

International Megan's Law to Prevent Child Exploitation and Other Sexual Crimes Through Advanced Notification of Traveling Sex Offenders

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on December 17, 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.) International Megan's Law to Prevent Child Exploitation and Other Sexual Crimes Through Advanced Notification of Traveling Sex Offenders (Sec. 4) This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish the Angel Watch Center within the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The center must identify outbound sex offender travelers who failed to provide advanced notice of international travel and provide a list of such individuals to the Marshals Service (USMS) to investigate. The center may receive notifications of inbound sex offender travel. It must share information with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other government agencies. The center may also transmit advance notice of sex offender travel to a destination country. It must comply with certain procedures, collect specified data, and establish a process to receive, review, and respond to individual complaints of erroneous notifications. (Sec. 5) The USMS may receive and transmit notification of international travel by sex offenders. It may also share information about sex offender travel with other government agencies. This bill requires the USMS to ensure consistent advance notification to destination countries of international travel by registered sex offenders. The USMS must share certain information with the center, including a list of individuals who provided advanced notice of international travel, a determination of compliance with sex offender registration requirements, and sex offender travel information. It must also establish a process to receive, review, and respond to individual complaints of erroneous notifications. DOJ must collect specified data related to transmitted notifications. (Sec. 6) The bill amends the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) to require a registered sex offender to also report information on intended international travel for inclusion in the sex offender registry. It amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime for a sex offender to knowingly fail to provide such information. A violation is subject to a fine, up to 10 years in prison, or both. (Sec. 7) It expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of State should negotiate reciprocal international agreements to further the purposes of this Act and SORNA. (Sec. 8) This bill amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to prohibit the State Department from issuing a passport to a sex offender, unless the passport contains a unique identifier. A "unique identifier" is any visual sex offender designation that is conspicuously affixed to a passport. (Sec. 9) DHS, DOJ, and the State Department must develop and report jointly to Congress on a process to implement the unique identifier requirement on sex offender passports. (Sec. 10) The State Department may provide technical assistance to foreign authorities to facilitate effective participation in the notification program established by this Act. (Sec. 11) The bill authorizes appropriations for FY2017-FY2018. (Sec. 12) It prohibits construing this Act to limit international information sharing or law enforcement cooperation pursuant to any authority of DOJ, DHS, or any other department or agency.

Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

International Megan's Law to Prevent Child Exploitation and Other Sexual Crimes Through Advanced Notification of Traveling Sex Offenders

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · 15 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Ann Wagner (R-MO), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] reported raising $797,217 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114hr515.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/hr>

Record fed-us-cong114-hr515 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114