Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) has cosponsored H. R. 680, the Rilya Wilson Act.

Rilya Wilson was a four year old girl that went missing in 2001 while her foster mother continued to collect payments from the state. It took 15 months for the Florida Department of Children and Families to discover the disappearance, and a full week for it to be reported to local authorities.

This bill amends title IV of the Social Security Act to add a requirement for states to meet in order to continue receiving federal funding for foster care and adoption assistance. Under the bill, states are required to submit reports, outlining their procedures that require foster care or adoption agencies to promptly report missing or abducted children to law enforcement authorities. These reports will then be entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system. This bill also amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require that law enforcement agencies include a recent photograph of the child in their NCIC report and notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

This bill will improve reporting of missing and abducted children, and work to prevent any similar tragic outcomes like that of Rilya.

To read more about H.R. 680, click here.