[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 91 (Thursday, May 25, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S3204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN'S DAY

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to 
remind my colleagues that today is National Missing Children's Day.
  President Reagan highlighted the importance of making child safety a 
priority when he established May 25 as National Missing Children's Day 
for the first time in 1983. On this day, we pause to remember those 
children who have gone missing and honor those who are dedicated to 
their rescue.
  According to the FBI, hundreds of thousands of children are reported 
missing each year. Most of these cases are closed within hours, thanks 
to the quick actions of families, communities, and law enforcement 
personnel, but there also are children, like Lyric Cook and Elizabeth 
Collins, who never make it home safely.
  Ten-year-old Lyric and 8-year-old Elizabeth disappeared in 2012 while 
taking a bike ride near their grandmother's house in Evansdale, IA. 
Their bodies were found in the woods nearby later that year. Almost 5 
years have passed since their lives were cut short, but the perpetrator 
has yet to be identified.
  My heart goes out to their grieving families and the families of all 
the other children who have lost their lives in similar tragedies. 
These child abduction and murder cases are a reminder of the need to 
promptly pass legislation to extend the key programs authorized by the 
Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. The Senate passed such a 
bill by a vote of 89 to 0 in the 114th Congress. Another measure that 
would make a difference in the lives of missing children is Kevin and 
Avonte's Law. Last year, the Senate unanimously passed this 
legislation, which is named in honor of two boys with autism who died 
after wandering from safety. This bill, which I cosponsored, promotes 
the use of technology to help locate children with autism and related 
conditions who may be susceptible to wandering away from safety. It 
also supports training for first responders and other community 
officials to help prevent and respond to these cases.
  A related bill passed the other Chamber by a wide margin late last 
year. I am currently working with the sponsor of that companion bill, 
Congressman Chris Smith, to resolve the differences between our two 
bills. Congressman Smith and I intend to reintroduce an updated version 
of Kevin and Avonte's Law in each Chamber in the coming weeks.
  Finally, I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that 
I will soon introduce legislation, known as the Trafficking Victims 
Protection Act of 2017. The bill I am developing includes several 
provisions to help in the fight against child exploitation. First, it 
promotes training of school resource officers, to ensure that they can 
better detect and respond to child trafficking cases. Second, it 
updates the authorization for the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children. Third, it extends and updates some of the key 
programs that were established under the Trafficking Victims Protection 
Act.
  In closing, the feeling of dread and helplessness that families must 
feel when a child goes missing is unimaginable. To help prevent similar 
tragedies in the future, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
these important pieces of legislation.

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