HCS HB 1521 & 1302 -- AMBER ALERT AND LIFELINE ALERT SYSTEM

SPONSOR:  Nance

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on Senior
Citizen Advocacy by a vote of 12 to 0.

This substitutes expands the Amber Alert System to include
missing endangered adults, specifies the criteria for being
considered a missing endangered adult, and changes its name to
the Amber Alert and Lifeline Alert System.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds in FY 2011, FY 2012, and
FY 2013.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters of House Bill 1521 and House Bill 1302
say that some elderly citizens can get disoriented when they are
away from home.  The longer they are missing, the more dire the
situation can become.  These changes will allow the alert system
to also help in locating these individuals as soon as possible.

Testifying for HB 1521 were Representative Nance; Patrice
Donehue, Silver Haired Legislature; and Kerry Messer.

Testifying for HB 1302 were Representative Lampe; Patrice
Donehue, Silver Haired Legislature; and Kerry Messer.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee on
House Bill 1521 and House Bill 1302.

OTHERS:  Others testifying on House Bill 1521 say that there is a
loophole in the current Amber Alert System when a person is
missing but does not meet the criteria necessary for issuing an
Amber Alert.  Sometimes the criteria for the Endangered Person
Advisory (EPA) can be fulfilled to issue an alert.  The Emergency
Alert System is not always helpful in finding these missing
persons, and news stations respond quickly to alerts that come
from the State Highway Patrol.

Others testifying on House Bill 1302 say that the Emergency Alert
System often is not successful in finding these missing persons,
and news stations respond quickly to alerts that come from the
State Highway Patrol.

Testifying on HB 1521 were State Highway Patrol; and Missouri
Broadcasters Association.

Testifying on HB 1302 was Missouri Broadcasters Association.

Missouri House of Representatives
95th General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 14, 2010 at 3:11 pm