Ron Klein (FL) Bill to Protect Missing Children Passes House

Not sure phone calls are better than pictures. i.e., maybe have folks turn on TV to certain channel..

7-22-2009 National:

Legislation expands South Florida non-profit into national program

Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation authored by Congressman Ron Klein (FL-22) to help find children in the critical moments after they are reported missing. The bill, the A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Center Act (H.R. 1933) expands the widely-praised South Florida non-profit A Child Is Missing into a national program. The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support by a final vote of 417-5.

“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.”

When a child or senior citizen is reported missing, 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. Time is a critical factor, as 74 percent of children who are kidnapped and murdered are slain within three hours of their abduction. Klein’s legislation has the support of law enforcement agencies nationwide.

“A Child is Missing fills a critical gap in time in the most dangerous cases, and can be the difference between whether a child lives or dies,” Klein said. “There is nothing more important than protecting our children, and the founder of A Child is Missing, Sherry Friedlander, deserves our highest praise for turning her Ft. Lauderdale-based nonprofit into a blessing for parents nationwide. A Child is Missing has safely recovered kids from Ohio to Alaska, and with the passage of today’s legislation, we can serve even more communities.”

Congressman Louie Gohmert, a former Texas state judge and the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, is the lead Republican co-sponsor of the bipartisan A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Center Act. ..Source.. by Rep Ron Klein Press Release