[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 178 (Thursday, November 2, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7002-S7003]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Tillis, Mr. 
        Schumer, and Mr. Durbin):
  S. 2070. A bill to amend the Violent Crime Control and Law 
Enforcement Act of 1994, to reauthorize the Missing Alzheimer's Disease 
Patient Alert Program, and to promote initiatives that will reduce the 
risk of injury and death relating to the wandering characteristics of 
some children with autism; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today Senators Klobuchar, Tillis, 
Schumer, Durbin and I will introduce legislation to help America's 
families locate missing loved ones who have Alzheimer's disease, autism 
or related conditions that may cause them to wander. Congressman Chris 
Smith will introduce a virtually identical companion bill in the House 
of Representatives today as well.
  Our bill, which was introduced for the first time in the 114th 
Congress, extends an existing program that helps locate individuals 
with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. It also adds new support for 
people with autism.
  We have named the legislation in honor of two boys with autism who 
perished because their condition caused them to wander. One of these 
children, nine-year-old Kevin Curtis Wills, slipped into Iowa's Raccoon 
River near a park and tragically drowned in 2008. The other, 14-year-
old Avonte Oquendo, wandered away from his school and drowned in New 
York City's East River a few years ago.
  Theirs are not isolated cases. Just a few months ago, a four year-old 
with autism drowned in a pool after wandering away from her caretakers. 
We've all read or heard the heartbreaking stories of families 
frantically trying to locate a missing loved one whose condition caused 
him or her to wander off.
  Our bill will give communities the tools they need to help locate 
people with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia as well as 
children with autism spectrum disorders who wander away from their 
families or caregivers and into dangerous situations.
  My home State of Iowa has the fifth highest Alzheimer's death rate in 
America and we have about 63,000 Iowans living with the disease, 
according to the Alzheimer's Association. Additionally, the CDC 
identified 1 in 68 children across the country as having autism 
spectrum disorders. In Iowa alone, about 8,000 individuals have been 
diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.
  This bill will make resources available to equip first responders, 
law enforcement officials, and other community leaders with the 
training and tools necessary to better prevent and respond to these 
cases as soon as possible. With better information sharing, communities 
can play a central role in reuniting autistic children and other 
individuals who wander with their families.
  Finally, the bill will ensure that local law enforcement agencies and 
nonprofits that educate and train people on how to proactively prevent 
and locate missing individuals who wander are eligible for grants from 
the U.S. Department of Justice. These grants will facilitate the 
development of training and emergency protocols for

[[Page S7003]]

school personnel, supply first responders with additional information 
and resources, and make local tracking technology programs available 
for individuals who may wander from safety because of their condition. 
Grant funding may also be used to establish or enhance notification and 
communications systems for the recovery of missing children with 
autism.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, which in 
the 114th Congress passed the Senate unanimously. The House companion 
bill garnered over 90 cosponsors and passed the other chamber by vote 
of 346 to 66 in the 114th Congress. Our bill has been endorsed by, 
among others, the Autism Society of Iowa, Autism Speaks, the National 
Autism Association, SafeMinds, the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children, ANCOR (American Network of Community Options), 
National Autism Society of America, the Alzheimer's Impact Movement, 
the National Down Syndrome Society, and the Color of Autism Foundation.

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