Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it is estimated that 60 percent of the 5.3 million individuals with Alzheimer's disease and 49 percent of children with autism are susceptible to wandering or leaving safe areas and the protection of a responsible caregiver. The results of wandering can be devastating to individuals with Alzheimer's disease and children with developmental disabilities. The legislation we are considering today is named in honor of two boys with autism who wandered away from their caregivers and tragically drowned. The special circumstances surrounding cases of wandering individuals are circumstances that people in local communities such as first responders and school personnel are often not specifically trained to handle. The cost to local communities for a search for a missing person is extremely expensive, even in instances where the local law enforcement agency is trained. That is why we are considering Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2016. It reauthorizes the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program and broadens the program to protect children with autism. This legislation authorizes DOJ to make grants to law enforcement agencies, public safety agencies, and nonprofit organizations to provide educational wandering prevention programming to families and caretakers of individuals who wander, as well as training to first responders and school personnel to facilitate rescue and recovery.…”