[House Report 110-846]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



110th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     110-846

======================================================================



 
 MISSING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE PATIENT ALERT PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION OF 
                                  2008

                                _______
                                

 September 15, 2008.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

    Mr. Conyers, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 6503]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 6503) to amend the Violent Crime Control and Law 
Enforcement Act of 1994 to reauthorize the Missing Alzheimer's 
Disease Patient Alert Program, having considered the same, 
reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that 
the bill do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Purpose and Summary..............................................     1
Background and Need for the Legislation..........................     2
Hearings.........................................................     2
Committee Consideration..........................................     2
Committee Votes..................................................     2
Committee Oversight Findings.....................................     3
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................     3
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................     3
Performance Goals and Objectives.................................     4
Constitutional Authority Statement...............................     4
Advisory on Earmarks.............................................     4
Section-by-Section Analysis......................................     5
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............     5

                          Purpose and Summary

    H.R. 6503 amends the Violent Crime Control and Law 
Enforcement Act of 1994 to reauthorize and modify the Missing 
Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program, an existing grant 
program. It authorizes the Attorney General to award 
competitive grants to nonprofit organizations for planning, 
designing, establishing, and operating locally based, proactive 
programs to protect and locate missing patients with 
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, and other missing 
elderly individuals.

                Background and Need for the Legislation

    Thousands of vulnerable older adults go missing each year 
as a result of dementia, diminished capacity, foul play, or 
other unusual circumstances. The Alzheimer's Foundation of 
America estimates that over five million Americans suffer from 
Alzheimer's disease, and that sixty percent of these are likely 
to wander from their homes. Alzheimer's disease and other 
dementia-related illnesses often leave their victims 
disoriented and confused, and unable to find their way home. 
According to the Alzheimer's Association, up to 50% of 
wanderers risk serious illness, injury, or death if not found 
within 24 hours.\1\ The problem can be exacerbated greatly by 
national disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, that can, in a 
matter of hours, increase the number of missing persons by the 
thousands.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Alzheimer's Association, ``Issue Kit: Public Policy Response to 
Wandering Behavior,'' Washington Public Policy Office, Alzheimer's 
Association, Sept. 2006.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program, 
administered by the Department of Justice, is the only Federal 
program that currently provides grant funding to locate 
vulnerable elderly individuals who go missing. Authorization 
for this program ceased in 1998, though Congress has continued 
to appropriate some monies for it through fiscal year 2008, 
when it appropriated $940,000.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ H. Rept. 107-278 (FY 2002); H. Rept. 108-10 (FY 2003); H. Rept. 
108-401 (FY 2004); H. Rept. 108-792 (FY 2005); H. Rept. 109-272 (FY 
2006); P.L. 110-5 (FY 2007); U.S. House, Committee on Appropriations, 
Joint Explanatory Statement to Accompany FY 2008 Consolidated 
Appropriations Amendment to H.R. 2764 (P.L. 110-161), Division B (FY 
2008).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                Hearings

    The Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security 
held 1 day of hearings, on July 15, 2008, on the problem of 
elders who go missing as a result of dementia and diminished 
capacity. Testimony was received from Representatives Lloyd 
Doggett (D-TX), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Sue Wilkins Myrick 
(R-NC), with additional letters submitted by the Alzheimer's 
Foundation of America and Project Lifesaver. The Committee did 
not hold any hearings specifically on H.R. 6503.

                        Committee Consideration

    On July 30, 2008, the Committee met in open session and 
ordered the bill H.R. 6503 favorably reported without 
amendment, by voice vote, a quorum being present.

                            Committee Votes

    In compliance with clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that there 
were no recorded votes during the Committee's consideration of 
H.R. 6503.

                      Committee Oversight Findings

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that the 
findings and recommendations of the Committee, based on 
oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the 
descriptive portions of this report.

               New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures

    Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is inapplicable because this legislation does 
not provide new budgetary authority or increased tax 
expenditures.

               Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee sets forth, with 
respect to the bill, H.R. 6503, the following estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                    Washington, DC, August 6, 2008.
Hon. John Conyers, Jr., Chairman,
Committee on the Judiciary,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 6503, the Missing 
Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program Reauthorization of 
2008.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark 
Grabowicz, who can be reached at 226-2860.
            Sincerely,
                                           Peter R. Orszag,
                                                  Director.

Enclosure

cc:
        Honorable Lamar S. Smith.
        Ranking Member
H.R. 6503--Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program 
        Reauthorization Act of 2008.

                                SUMMARY

    H.R. 6503 would authorize the appropriation of $5 million 
annually over the 2009-2015 period for the Department of 
Justice to make grants to nonprofit organizations for programs 
to locate missing persons with Alzheimer's disease or similar 
conditions. Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, 
CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $17 million 
over the 2009-2013 period, with remaining amounts spent in 
subsequent years. Enacting H.R. 6503 would not affect direct 
spending or revenues.
    H.R. 6503 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 
and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.

                ESTIMATED COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

    The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 6503 is shown in the 
following table. For this estimate, CBO assumes that the 
amounts authorized by the bill will be appropriated near the 
start of each fiscal year and that outlays will follow the 
historical rates of spending for similar activities. The costs 
of this legislation fall within budget function 750 
(administration of justice).

                                     By Fiscal Year, in Millions of Dollars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           2009     2010     2011     2012     2013    2006-2013
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Authorization Level                                            5        5        5        5        5          25

Estimated Outlays                                              1        3        4        4        5          17
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

              INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR IMPACT

    H.R. 6503 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in UMRA and would not affect the budgets of 
state, local, or tribal governments.

                         ESTIMATE PREPARED BY:

Federal Costs: Mark Grabowicz (226-2860)
Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Melissa Merrell 
    (225-3220)
Impact on the Private Sector: MarDestinee C. Perez (226-2940)

                         ESTIMATE APPROVED BY:

Theresa Gullo
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis

                    Performance Goals and Objectives

    The Committee states, pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, that H.R. 
6503 will authorize the Attorney General to award competitive 
grants to nonprofit organizations for planning, designing, 
establishing, and operating locally based, proactive programs 
to protect and locate missing patients with Alzheimer's disease 
and related dementias and other missing elderly individuals.

                   Constitutional Authority Statement

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee finds the authority for 
this legislation in article I, section 8 of the Constitution.

                          Advisory on Earmarks

    In accordance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, H.R. 6503 does not contain any 
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of rule XXI.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis

    The following discussion describes the bill as reported by 
the Committee.
    Sec. 1. Short title. Section 1 sets forth the short title 
of the bill as the ``Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert 
Reauthorization of 2008.''
    Sec. 2. Reauthorization of the Missing Alzheimer's Disease 
Patient Alert Program. Section 2 amends Section 240001 of the 
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (42 
U.S.C. 14181). It directs the Attorney General to award 
competitive grants to nonprofit organizations for planning, 
designing, establishing, and operating local based, proactive 
programs to protect and locate missing patients with 
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and other missing 
elderly individuals.
    Section 2 modifies the existing program by requiring 
competitive grants and by requiring the Attorney General to 
periodically solicit applications for grants by publishing 
application requests in the Federal Register and on the 
Department of Justice website. The Act requires the Attorney 
General to give preference to national nonprofit organizations 
that have a direct link to patients, and families of patients, 
with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The section 
authorizes $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 
2015.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
matter is printed in italics, existing law in which no change 
is proposed is shown in roman):

VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1994

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                TITLE XXIV--PROTECTIONS FOR THE ELDERLY

SEC. 240001. MISSING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE PATIENT ALERT PROGRAM.

  [(a) Grant.--The Attorney General shall, subject to the 
availability of appropriations, award a grant to an eligible 
organization to assist the organization in paying for the costs 
of planning, designing, establishing, and operating a Missing 
Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program, which shall be a 
locally based, proactive program to protect and locate missing 
patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.]
  (a) Grant.--Subject to the availability of appropriations to 
carry out this section, the Attorney General, through the 
Bureau of Justice Assistance and in consultation with the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall award competitive 
grants to nonprofit organizations to assist such organizations 
in paying for the costs of planning, designing, establishing, 
and operating locally based, proactive programs to protect and 
locate missing patients with Alzheimer's disease and related 
dementias and other missing elderly individuals.
  (b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a competitive 
grant under subsection (a), an organization shall submit an 
application to the Attorney General at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Attorney General 
may require, including, at a minimum, an assurance that the 
organization will obtain and use assistance from private 
nonprofit organizations to support the program. The Attorney 
General shall periodically solicit applications for grants 
under this section by publishing a request for applications in 
the Federal Register and by posting such a request on the 
website of the Department of Justice.
  [(c) Eligible Organization.--The Attorney General shall award 
the grant described in subsection (a) to a national voluntary 
organization that has a direct link to patients, and families 
of patients, with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
  [(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out this section--
          [(1) $900,000 for fiscal year 1996;
          [(2) $900,000 for fiscal year 1997; and
          [(3) $900,000 for fiscal year 1998.]
  (c) Preference.--In awarding grants under subsection (a), the 
Attorney General shall give preference to national nonprofit 
organizations that have a direct link to patients, and families 
of patients, with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
  (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each 
of the fiscal years 2009 through 2015.

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