Today, the House passed the Child and Elderly Missing Alert Program Act of 2012, legislation co-introduced by Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) to bolster the ability of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to find missing children and elderly persons in the critical first hours they go missing.  H.R. 4305 makes nonprofits, including the Fort Lauderdale-based A Child is Missing, eligible for federal grants and cooperative agreements with law enforcement agencies nationwide. The legislation will help more law enforcement departments across the country employ the satellite imaging and direct contact technology pioneered by A Child is Missing, which earlier this year reported its 1000th successfully assisted recovery.

“Studies have shown that when it comes to safely locating a child or senior citizen who has gone missing, there is no time to spare,” said Congressman Deutch. “The system developed by A Child is Missing can dispatch tens of thousands of alerts by phone in just minutes and mobilize communities when it matters most.  By passing this bill today, we are one step closer to equipping police departments, rapid response teams, and other law enforcement agencies with technology proven to help return missing children and elderly individuals to their families.” 

Watch Rep. Deutch argue for passage of H.R. 4305:

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