Bill Reauthorizes 2018 Law that Helps Communities Locate Disabled Individuals Who Wander
Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) recently introduced bipartisan legislation to extend Kevin and Avonte’s Law, which passed in 2018 as a legislative addition to the FY18 omnibus appropriations bill. The law safeguards individuals with autism or other developmental disabilities who wander away from home or other secure areas. Kevin and Avonte’s Law also promotes programs and initiatives that reduce the risk of injury or death related to wandering behaviors. Additionally, the legislation supports training for caregivers to prevent and respond to instances of wandering.
Kevin and Avonte’s Law is named in honor of two boys with autism who perished after wandering. In 2008, nine-year-old Kevin Curtis Wills wandered away from his home and drowned in Iowa’s Raccoon River. Six years later, fourteen-year-old Avonte Oquendo wandered away from his school and drowned in New York City’s East River.
Senator Grassley aims to extend this law. He states, “Kevin and Avonte’s Law has been instrumental in helping to reunite families with loved ones living with forms of autism and Alzheimer’s Disease who’ve wandered from safety. Sen. Klobuchar and I worked to pass the original law in 2018, and this reauthorization will further empower communities to lend a hand in preventing and responding to instances of wandering. Extending this bipartisan law will improve outcomes for these families and continue to honor those we’ve lost, like Kevin Curtis Wills of Jefferson, Iowa.”
Senator Klobuchar is also eager to reauthorize the law. She adds, “We must do everything we can to support people who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, autism, and other developmental disabilities. Our bipartisan legislation will ensure that caregivers and law enforcement have the tools and training they need to act when these Americans go missing. Reauthorizing this bill will help families locate their loved ones, prevent tragedies and save lives.”
SafeMinds is happy to announce that just four days after the legislation was introduced, Kevin and Avonte’s Law unanimously passed the Senate. We are thrilled to see the momentum behind the reauthorization effort of Kevin and Avonte’s Law and appreciate Senators Grassley and Klobuchar’s past and current actions to get this critical law passed and hopefully extended.
In 2016, SafeMinds started a campaign that advocated for this bill to become law. We appreciate those who participated in our previous campaign by contacting their federal representatives, which ultimately got Kevin and Avonte’s Law passed.
SafeMinds Shares will update any additional progress on the reauthorization of this much-needed law.
