Andy Biggs: “Today is National Missing Children's Day. This day of recognition was started by President Reagan in 1983 to raise…”

“Today is National Missing Children's Day. This day of recognition was started by President Reagan in 1983 to raise awareness of the threat of child abduction, and reminds us today that we still have work to do. Following the tragic murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman in 1996, Congress authorized the AMBER Alert system to create a coordinated alert system to assist law enforcement in finding abducted children in the important first hours after an abduction. Since its inception, more than 800 children have been recovered through the use of the AMBER Alert system. However, the original legislation did not include Indian Tribes as eligible users of the program, and we saw the tragic effects of this exclusion when 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike was abducted and murdered on the Navajo Nation. For this reason, I have introduced the AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act. This act will include our 567 Federally recognized tribes as partners in the AMBER Alert Program to ensure that everyone is able to utilize this important tool. My bill is a bipartisan effort and it is endorsed by criminal justice, child safety groups, and Indian Tribes around the country. Mr. Speaker, the AMBER Alert has helped many families experience the joy of being reunited with an abducted child. It is time we extend this alert to Indian Country so that no child is outside the jurisdiction of this vital program. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation so we can continue to protect our children.…”