[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 207 (Tuesday, December 19, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S8145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         KEVIN AND AVONTE'S LAW

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, in the 114th Congress, we came very 
close to passing Kevin and Avonte's Law, a bill named in honor of two 
boys with autism who wandered away from their caregivers and drowned.
  I reintroduced this legislation last month with Senators Klobuchar, 
Tillis, Schumer, and others to equip communities with important tools 
to help locate individuals who wander away from their families or 
caregivers due to dementia or a developmental disability. The bill we 
crafted adds new protections for children with developmental 
disabilities, like autism, which are linked to wandering.
  The original version of this bill, which I authored with Senator 
Schumer, passed both Chambers of Congress late last year. It passed 
this Chamber by voice vote over a year ago, while a similar House 
companion garnered over 90 cosponsors before passing the other Chamber, 
346-66, last December. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to resolve the 
differences between the two Chamber's versions before the 114th 
Congress adjourned.
  This year, the Judiciary Committee approved Kevin and Avonte's Law by 
voice vote, and, before reporting the bill to the full Senate last 
month, we reached bipartisan consensus on an offset. Our offset 
consists of the Federal Register Printing Savings Act, which Senator 
Portman introduced earlier this year. Senator Portman's office agreed 
to work with us and incorporate S. 1195 into Kevin and Avonte's Law. We 
currently are seeking unanimous consent to pass both bills in one 
legislative package.
  Meanwhile, the House has passed its own version of the Federal 
Register Printing Savings Act, introduced by Congressman Russell of 
Oklahoma. The House-passed version of that bill won the approval of the 
Homeland Security Committee earlier this year, and that panel is 
seeking unanimous consent to pass it. I support this legislation, which 
is virtually identical to Senator Portman's bill, but I placed a 
temporary hold on the House companion yesterday, so that we can find a 
way to pass that legislation and Kevin and Avonte's Law simultaneously.
  By ensuring that both measures pass as one package, we can make 
additional 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 missing person 
cases. By doing so, we also can make grants available to educate and 
train caregivers as well as other members of the community on how to 
prevent wandering by those with dementia or developmental disabilities.

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