DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION CONCERNING UNITED STATES PERSONNEL CLASSIFIED AS PRISONER OF WAR OR MISSING IN ACTION DURING VIETNAM CONFLICT.

SEC. 1082. DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION CONCERNING UNITED STATES PERSONNEL CLASSIFIED AS PRISONER OF WAR OR MISSING IN ACTION DURING VIETNAM CONFLICT. (a) Public Availability of Information.— (1) Except as provided in subsection (b), the Secretary of Defense shall, with respect to any information referred to in paragraph (2), place the information in a suitable library-like location within a facility within the National Capital region for public review and photocopying. 105 STAT. 1481 (2)(A) Paragraph (1) applies to any record, live-sighting report, or other information in the custody of the Department of Defense that relates to the location, treatment, or condition of any Vietnam-era POW/MIA on or after the date on which the Vietnam-era POW/ MIA passed from United States control into a status classified as a prisoner of war or missing in action, as the case may be, until that individual is returned to United States control. (B) For purposes of this section, a Vietnam-era POW/MIA is any member of the Armed Forces or civilian employee of the United States who was at any time classified as a prisoner of war or missing in action during the Vietnam era and whose person or remains have not been returned to United States control. (b) Exceptions.—(1) The Secretary of Defense may not make a record or other information available to the public pursuant to subsection (a) if— (A) the record or other information is exempt from the disclosure requirements of section 552 of title 5, United States Code, by reason of subsection (b) of that section; or (B) the record or other information is in a system of records exempt from the requirements of subsection (d) of section 552a of such title pursuant to subsection (j) or (k) of that section. (2) The Secretary of Defense may not make a record or other information available to the public pursuant to subsection (a) if the record or other information specifically mentions a person by name unless— (A) in the case of a person who is alive (and not incapacitated) and whose whereabouts are known, that person expressly consents in writing to the disclosure of the record or other information; or (B) in the case of a person who is dead or incapacitated or whose whereabouts are unknown, a family member or family members of that person determined by the Secretary of Defense to be appropriate for such purpose expressly consent in writing to the disclosure of the record or other information. (3)(A) The limitation on disclosure in paragraph (2) does not apply in the case of a person who is dead or incapacitated or whose whereabouts are unknown if the family member or members of that person determined pursuant to subparagraph (B) of that paragraph cannot be located after a reasonable effort. (B) Paragraph (2) does not apply to the access of an adult member of the family of a person to any record or information to the extent that the record or other information relates to that person. (C) The authority of a person to consent to disclosure of a record or other information for the purposes of paragraph (2) mhy be delegated to another person or an organization only by means of an express legal power of attorney granted by the person authorized by that paragraph to consent to the disclosure. (c) Deadlines.—(1) In the case of records or other information that are required by subsection (a) to be made available to the public and that are in the custody of the Department of Defense on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall make such records and other information available to the public pursuant to this section not later than three years after that date. Such records or other information shall be made available as soon as a review carried out for the purposes of subsection (b) is completed. (2) Whenever after March 1, 1992, a department or agency of the Federal Government receives any record or other information re-105 STAT. 1482ferred to in subsection (a) that is required by this section to be made available to the public, the head of that department or agency shall ensure that such record or other information is provided to the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary shall make such record or other information available in accordance with subsection (a) as soon as possible and, in any event, not later than one year after the date on which the record or information is received by the department or agency of the Federal Government. (3) If the Secretary of Defense determines that the disclosure of any record or other information referred to in subsection (a) by the date required by paragraph (1) or (2) may compromise the safety of a Vietnam-era POW/MIA who may still be alive in Southeast Asia, then the Secretary may withhold that record or other information from the disclosure otherwise required by this section. Whenever the Secretary makes a determination under the preceding sentence, the Secretary shall immediately notify the President and the Congress of that determination. (d) Definition.—For purposes of this section, the term “Vietnam era” has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.