National Missing Children’ Day, established by President Reagan in 1983 and marked every May 25
th since, encourages the nation to remember children who have gone missing and work to help parents, guardians, caregivers an organizations dedicated to the well-being of children.
To that end, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) today announced that they will be reintroducing legislation designed to protect children with developmental disabilities, such as autism, who are prone to wander and go missing from safety.
“Each and every one of us empathizes with a parent who learns that their child is missing, especially when that child has autism or another developmental disability,” said Smith, who co-Chairs the Congressional Autism Caucus. “When a child with a disability wanders, we must use any and all tools available to ensure their quick and safe return. That is why this Congress I will reintroduce the bipartisan, bicameral Kevin and Avonte’s Law, giving law enforcement the resources they need to help kids who wander get home safely.”
Last year, Smith shepherded similar legislation through the House winning an overwhelming vote of 346-66 in December, but the bill was not acted upon before the Senate adjourned. The new bill will also seek to reauthorize and expand the Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program, to include, for the first time, children with a developmental disability. The new program will be named the “Missing Americans Alert Program.”
Under the new proposal, grants could be made to law enforcement agencies, public safety agencies and nonprofit organizations to support proactive educational programing to prevent wandering for families, educators and caretakers of individuals who wander, as well as training to first responders and school personnel in order to recognize and respond to endangered missing individuals and facilitate their rescue and recovery.
Additionally, this funding could be used for voluntary, non-invasive technologies including bracelets that help facilitate the rescue and recovery of children who’ve wandered.
“National Missing Children’s day is a time to remember those young ones who have been separated from their families, and to consider how we can better help communities prevent and respond to cases of missing children going forward,” said Grassley. “Stories of loved ones who wander away from safety because of a medical condition are all too common. Congressman Smith and I, along with a bipartisan group of colleagues across Congress, are working on legislation to honor the lives lost after wandering away from safety by helping communities better assist in the location of missing children. Our bill is an important step in preventing future tragedies.”
“Project Lifesaver, and other nongovernmental, nonprofit programs like it, have saved hundreds of lives, with an average rescue time of under 30 minutes,” said Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden who is responsible for bringing the Project Lifesaver program to Monmouth County and credited the technologies with helping to find missing children more quickly.
“With the implementation of a nationwide, federally driven program, such as a system to be created by Smith’s legislation, countless more could be saved,” he said.
“Wandering is one of the most concerning challenging behaviors for individuals with ASD,” said Suzanne Buchanan, Executive Director of Autism New Jersey. “This behavior presents safety risks including drowning, getting struck by traffic, falling from a high place, dehydration or worse. In recent years, accidental drowning after wandering accounted for 91 percent of total U.S. deaths reported in children with ASD ages 14 and younger.”
“Wandering is extremely frightening for many parents of children with autism,” said Angela Geiger, President and CEO of Autism Speaks. “Kevin and Avonte’s Law will make children with autism safer. We thank Representative Smith for championing legislation to protect our children.”
“As a tribute to families that have experienced the feeling of fear and helplessness when a loved one turns up missing, we are proud to support this critical wandering prevention legislation designed to keep individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities safe,” said Scott Badesch, President/Chief Executive Officer at Autism Society. “Kevin and Avonte’s Law creates a vehicle for law enforcement and community entities to partner together to ultimately eliminate incidents of wandering from home or other community spaces.”
“This is an issue that really hits home for me,” said Smith. “Last year, a 4 year old boy from my state of New Jersey wandered from supervision and tragically drowned near his home in Salem County. This legislation will fill a great and urgent need. Since 2011, more than 100 individuals with autism died after wandering from a safe environment.”
Kevin and Avonte’s Law builds on Smith’s proven record of ensuring children are returned to their parents. In 2014, Smith’s bill, the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act (The Goldman Act, P.L. 113-150), was signed into law. The Goldman Act enacted a major shift in Congress’ and the State Department’s understanding of the pain and suffering caused by international child abduction and gave the State Department tools, such as withdrawal of U.S. security assistance or implementation sanctions, to successfully resolve overseas abduction and access cases involving American children.
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