It is with much disappointment that we ended the 2016 Legislative Year without Congress’ full support for H.R. 4919; best known to you and I as Kevin and Avonte’s Law. The bill was named “Kevin and Avonte’s Law” after two autistic boys who died after wandering off. Kevin Curtis Wills who was just 9 years old when he jumped into the Raccoon River in Iowa and drowned in 2008. And Avonte Oquendo a nonverbal, New York City 14 year old autistic teenager who drowned in the East River after slipping out of his school in October 2013.
In January 2014, the Department of Justice announced it would begin providing funding to avoid similar tragedies. The funds would come from an existing program that funds grants for locating devices for people with Alzheimer’s, known as the Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program. The following year the Bill was introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer of (D-NY) and co-sponsored by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IO). When passed, Kevin and Avonte’s Law will provide $2 million a year for wandering prevention programs, training, and locating technology to families and caregivers as well as first responders and school personnel by reauthorizing the Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program, and include new provisions for people with autism spectrum disorders.
Despite its lifesaving ability, Kevin and Avonte’s Law was not passed completely through Congress during its last 2016 session. Now is not the time to be discouraged though; we did see some great movement of the Bill this year throughout D.C! Back in July, the Senate voted to pass the Bill into law. Subsequently, Kevin and Avonte’s Law was moved to the House of Representatives for voting; where it was also passed after edits were made to the language of the Bill to clarify privacy issues. With the additional edits, the Senate must vote upon the Bill once more; unfortunately they were unable to conduct the vote before the last session of 2016 ended. This still leaves us hopeful for the passing of Kevin and Avonte’s Law this year, though!
Through Kevin and Avonte’s Law, public safety and law enforcement agencies and non-profit groups would be eligible for a combined $2 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Justice to provide educational wandering-prevention programming to families and caregivers as well as training to first responders and school personnel. This legislation will assist communities in receiving valuable education on how to prevent individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and children with autism from wandering, and to respond quickly and appropriately when they do. Another component of Kevin and Avonte’s Law, if passed, would provide non-invasive locating technology for a non-cognitive individual on a voluntary basis at the request of the caregiver. This technology would not be used to track the movement of these individuals, but rather used to locate them when they wander from safety.
Project Lifesaver will continue to support Kevin and Avonte’s Law until programs like ours are readily accessible to all those in need; we will continue to show our support until we put a stop to all of the preventable deaths and senseless tragedies. We hope you will too! Contact your state representatives NOW – let’s get this Bill passed during 2017!!!
