House OKs High-Tech Missing Child Bill
The House late Tuesday passed legislation 417-5 that would help find children or senior citizens in the critical moments after they are reported missing by expanding a widely praised Florida non-profit into a national program. A Child Is Missing utilizes the latest technology to place 1,000 emergency telephone calls every 60 seconds to residents and businesses in the area where the person was last seen. The program works in concert with the AMBER Alert, but is activated more quickly, according to a press release from Rep. Ron Klein, D-Fla., who sponsored the bill. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., has introduced a Senate companion measure.
The House bill would authorize the Justice Department to dole out $5 million a year through 2015 to broaden the initiative's reach. "This legislation is essential to every family around the county," Klein said. "Every parent's worst nightmare is to find that their child is missing, and today's legislation can put their minds at ease by utilizing the latest technology to quickly find missing children and avoid potential tragedy." Time is a critical factor as 74 percent of children who are kidnapped and murdered are slain within three hours of their abduction, he said. A Child is Missing was founded by Sherry Friedlander and is based in Ft. Lauderdale. The program has safely recovered kids from Ohio to Alaska.
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