Grassley Honors Jefferson Boy by Naming Bill After Him to Assist in Locating Missing Persons with Alzheimer’s, Autism
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley yesterday evening introduced legislation with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York to help families locate missing loved ones who have Alzheimer’s disease, autism or other related conditions that may cause them to wander away from their caregivers. The legislation, titled Kevin and Avonte’s Law, will reauthorize the expired Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program, and include new provisions to support people with autism.
Kevin and Avonte’s Law is named in honor of two boys with autism who died after their conditions caused them to wander. Nine-year-old Kevin Curtis Wills, jumped into the Raccoon River near a Jefferson park and tragically drowned in 2008. Avonte Oquendo, 14, wandered away from his school and drowned in New York City’s East River in 2014.
“We’ve all seen the heartbreaking stories of families frantically trying to locate a missing loved one whose condition caused him or her to wander off. We’ve also seen benefits of the Amber Alert program and other notification systems to locate missing children and bring relief to families through community assistance. Kevin and Avonte’s Law will use similar concepts and other technology to help locate people with Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia as well as children with autism spectrum disorders who may be prone to wander away from their families or caregivers. It also will make resources available to equip first responders and other community officials with the training necessary to better prevent and respond to these cases. With better information sharing, communities can play a central role in reuniting these children with their families,” Grassley said.
Iowa has the fifth highest Alzheimer’s death rate in America, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, with 1,252 deaths in 2013. About 63,000 Iowans are living with the disease. More than 8,000 Iowa children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, according to a state coalition, and its prevalence is on the rise.
The bill reauthorizes existing programs designed to assist in locating Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia patients, and it adds new support for people with autism. It allows Justice Department grants to be used by state and local law enforcement agencies and nonprofits for education and training programs with the goal of proactively preventing individuals with these conditions from wandering off. The bill also provides access to resources for state and local agencies and organizations to assist in locating these individuals who become separated from their caregivers. The grants will facilitate the development of training and emergency protocols for school personnel, supply first responders with additional information and resources, and make local tracking technology programs available for individuals who may wander from safety because of their condition. Grant funding may also be used to establish or enhance notification and communications systems for the recovery of missing children with autism.
Kevin and Avonte’s Law is also cosponsored by Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
Grassley’s statement for the Congressional Record on Kevin and Avonte’s Law is posted below. Text of the bill is available here.
Prepared Statement by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
In the Congressional Record
“Introduction of Kevin and Avonte’s Law”
March 1, 2016
Mr. President, today Senators Schumer, Tillis and I will introduce legislation to help America’s families locate missing loved ones who have Alzheimer’s disease, autism or related conditions that may cause them to wander. Our bill would extend existing programs designed to assist in locating Alzheimer’s disease and dementia patients. It also adds new support for people with autism.
We have named the legislation in honor of two boys with autism who perished because their condition caused them to wander. One of these children, nine year-old Kevin Curtis Wills, slipped into Iowa’s Raccoon River near a park and tragically drowned in 2008. The other, 14 year-old Avonte Oquendo, wandered away from his school and drowned in New York City’s East River several years ago.
Theirs are not isolated cases. We’ve all read or heard the heartbreaking stories of families frantically trying to locate a missing loved one whose condition caused him or her to wander off.
We’ve also seen benefits of notification systems to locate missing children and bring relief to families through community assistance. Our bill will use similar concepts and other technology to help locate people with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia as well as children with autism spectrum disorders who may be prone to wander away from their families or caregivers.
My home state of Iowa has the fifth highest Alzheimer’s death rate in America, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. As further noted by the Alzheimer’s Association, which we consulted on this bill’s development, as many as one in three seniors will die with a form of dementia. About 63,000 Iowans are living with Alzheimer’s disease.
In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released information on the incidence of autism in this country. The CDC identified 1 in 68 children as having autism spectrum disorder. Experts tell us that, in Iowa alone, about 8,000 individuals have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, and we worked closely with the Autism Society of Iowa on the development of this bill.
Because police often are the first people to respond when a child goes missing, the bill also will make resources available to equip first responders and other community officials with the training necessary to better prevent and respond to these cases. With better information sharing, communities can play a central role in reuniting these children with their families.
Finally, the bill will ensure that grants from the U.S. Department of Justice also can be used by state and local law enforcement agencies and nonprofits for education and training programs to proactively prevent and locate missing individuals with these conditions. The grants will facilitate the development of training and emergency protocols for school personnel, supply first responders with additional information and resources, and make local tracking technology programs available for individuals who may wander from safety because of their condition. Grant funding may also be used to establish or enhance notification and communications systems for the recovery of missing children with autism.
Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
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Grassley Introduces Bill to Aid States, Public in Tracking Sex Offenders
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley today introduced legislation to assist states in preventing future abuses by registered sex offenders. The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act Reauthorization helps to improve tracking of sex offenders through federal support of state registries and dedicated resources to target offenders who fail to comply with registration requirements.
“Preventing sex crimes, especially by known offenders, requires a team effort by law enforcement at every level. Congress has passed laws to promote a unified approach to sex offender registration and notification. This bill will help to ensure that our state and local law enforcement officials continue to have the federal resources and assistance they need to successfully track offenders with a history of crimes against children,” Grassley said.
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 established nationwide notification and registration standards for convicted sex offenders to bolster information sharing between law enforcement agencies and increase public safety through greater awareness. Grassley’s bill reauthorizes key programs in the 2006 act to help states meet the national standards and locate offenders who fail to properly register or periodically update their information as the law requires.
Specifically, Grassley’s bill reauthorizes the Sex Offender Management Assistance Program, a federal grant program that assists state and local law enforcement agencies in their efforts to improve sex offender registry systems and information sharing capabilities. The bill also authorizes resources for the U.S. Marshals Service to aid state and local law enforcement in the location and apprehension of sex offenders who fail to comply with registration requirements.
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act is named for a six-year-old Florida boy who was kidnapped and murdered in 1981. Adam’s father, John Walsh, worked closely with Congress to develop the 2006 law and the reauthorization that was introduced today. Cosponsors of Grassley’s bill include senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
Grassley’s statement for the Congressional Record regarding the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act Reauthorization is posted below. Legislative text is available HERE.
Prepared Statement by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
In the Congressional Record
“Introduction of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act Reauthorization”
March 1, 2016
Mr. President, we’ve all heard accounts of innocent children being victimized and abused by predators. Today I will introduce legislation to extend two of the key programs that Congress established under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. With today’s legislation, I hope to send a strong message to all Americans about Congress’ continued commitment to keeping our nation’s children safe.
Many of us here in the Senate worked very hard on the original version of the Adam Walsh Act, which is named for a six year-old who was tragically murdered in 1981. President George W. Bush signed that legislation on the 25th anniversary of Adam Walsh’s abduction from a Florida shopping mall. I am pleased that Senators Hatch, Schumer, and Feinstein—who cosponsored the Senate version of that legislation when it was first introduced in the 109th Congress—have joined me as original cosponsors of today’s legislation.
John Walsh, the father of Adam Walsh, worked closely with us on the development of the 2006 Adam Walsh Act, and we worked with him on the development of today’s legislation as well. Reauthorization of the Adam Walsh Act is a priority for him and has the support of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The Adam Walsh Act was enacted in response to multiple, notorious cases involving children who had been targeted by adult criminals, many of them repeat sex offenders. Its passage became a national priority after Congress discovered that criminals were taking advantage of gaps and loopholes in some states’ laws to circumvent sex offender registration requirements--with tragic results for some of the nation’s children.
Who can forget Jetseta Gage--a beautiful 10 year-old girl from Cedar Rapids, Iowa who was sexually assaulted and murdered by a registered sex offender in 2005? As a cosponsor of the Senate version of the Adam Walsh Act, I championed the inclusion in the 2006 law of language imposing mandatory minimum penalties for those who murder, kidnap, or inflict serious bodily harm to children like Jetseta.
Of course, the centerpiece of the Adam Walsh Act is the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, or SORNA. SORNA divides sex offenders into three categories, or tiers, depending on the seriousness of their crimes. It encourages states to set minimum criteria for the registration of sex offenders in each tier, with the aim of discouraging “forum shopping” by offenders who prey on children.
The Adam Walsh Act also established several programs that are key to its successful implementation. One such program, known as SOMA, or the Sex Offender Management Assistance Program, makes federal grant resources available to states to offset the costs of Walsh Act implementation. Today’s legislation would extend the authorization for that program, which expired eight years ago.
The federal government, through the U.S. Marshals Service, also supports states and localities in tracking down sex offenders who fail to register or re-register. Those fugitive apprehension activities were authorized under the 2006 Adam Walsh Act, and today’s legislation would extend the authorization for those U.S. Marshals Service activities at $60 million annually for each of the next two years.
Nothing can bring back Adam Walsh, Jetseta Gage, Dru Sjodin, Megan Kanka, or the other innocents for whom the Adam Walsh Act was passed. But it is important that we continue to not only honor their memories but also protect America’s future children from harm by extending the key programs that were authorized under the original Adam Walsh Act. The authorization for these programs expired at least seven years ago.
According to the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are about a hundred thousand people convicted of sexual violence offenses in state prisons, and hundreds of thousands more who currently reside in neighborhoods across the United States. As a father of five and the grandfather of nine, I believe we should continue to make sex offender registration and notification a priority.
Mr. President, July 27th of this year will mark the 35th anniversary of Adam Walsh’s abduction. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of this important legislation before that date elapses.
-30-Iowa community colleges named in Senate-passed resolution honoring 50 years of outstanding service
The Senate tonight passed a resolution from Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Joni Ernst “congratulating the community colleges of Iowa for 50 years of outstanding service to the State of Iowa, the United States, and the world.” Grassley made the following comment on the resolution, which lists each community college, dating from 1966.
“Iowa’s community colleges have the flexibility to adapt to the needs of local students and local employers. I’m always impressed when I learn of a unique partnership between a community college and a local business born out of a local need. This is possible only because Iowa’s community colleges are so deeply rooted in their communities. They deserve recognition on 50 years of service and many more to come.”
The text of the resolution is available here.
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Ag Committee Clears Biotechnology Labeling Bill
Senator Chuck Grassley made the following statement after the Senate Agriculture Committee cleared a bill to end the piecemeal labeling laws in individual states that have the potential to restrict commerce and discourage investment.
“I’m glad the committee took action today and passed legislation that will prevent the Vermont GMO labeling law from significantly disrupting interstate commerce for food. We cannot have a patchwork of labeling laws where every state sets unique standards and exempts certain foods from the requirements. I look forward to working with Chairman Roberts to get this bill across the Senate floor and signed into law by the President. Time is of the essence as food will soon have to be shipped that could be on shelves in Vermont by July 1.”Grassley Concerned about H-1B “Hacking” to Circumvent Laws while USCIS Enables the Practice
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is voicing concerns that new, brazen attempts to circumvent the H-1B laws seem to have the unofficial blessing of the Obama administration.
According to recent press reports, there is a growing movement by some U.S. employers and institutions to “hack” the H-1B visa program in order to open up the program to more foreign workers. The term “hack,” which these employers and others use to describe their efforts, is borrowed from the IT world, where it means to circumvent a computer’s or network’s security, usually for criminal purposes. The term, as now applied in the H-1B context, describes opening up the H-1B visa program to more foreign workers by using novel, and seemingly unlawful, interpretations of the H-1B statute. The principal goal at present of these “hacking” efforts is to secure H-1B visas for self-employed foreign nationals, despite the requirement that a foreign worker must be coming to the United States to work for a U.S. employer.
In a letter to Leon Rodriguez, the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Grassley wrote, “USCIS has turned out to be one of the biggest facilitators of these twisted interpretations of the law and, though these ventures have been publicly discussed for months, refuses to openly admonish such efforts to undermine U.S. worker protections. The law requires that an H-1B worker be coming to the U.S. to work for an employer; self-petitioning to work for one’s own company is not allowed. Nevertheless, in guidance to the public, your agency actually offers foreign nationals a roadmap for how to evade the H-1B self-employment prohibition.”
Grassley’s letter comes as the agency finalizes regulations that would greatly liberalize the interpretation of which employers are covered by the H-1B cap exemption for non-profit entities affiliated with a college or university, a development that would substantially facilitate the sorts of arrangements of questionable legality contemplated by some educational institutions, and more generally increase the number of H-1B workers entering the country outside the 85,000 cap. This is a clear slap in the face of U.S. workers.
Grassley outlined several ways that the H-1B laws are being abused through this “hacking” scheme. One way is by setting up entities that “employ” foreign nationals in some nominal fashion in H-1B status, thereby giving the worker lawful immigration status that the person can use as cover for the true purpose of his presence in the United States: establishing and working for his own business. Other instances of H-1B “hacking” designed to let self-employed business owners work in H-1B status include collusion with state universities, and others involve even city and state governments.
The text of Grassley’s letter can be found here.
Grassley Welcomes GAO Review of Labor Department’s Oversight of Central States Pension Fund
WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today said he welcomes a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of the Department of Labor’s oversight of the financially troubled Central States pension fund. The GAO agreed to conduct the review at Grassley’s request. The Finance Committee, where Grassley is a senior member and former chairman, held a hearing this morning on troubled multiemployer pension plans including Central States. A widow beneficiary from Ohio thanked Grassley for his help on the issue in her testimony before the committee.
“The Government Accountability Office conducts nonpartisan oversight at the request of Congress,” Grassley said. “It’s good news that the GAO agreed to review how the Department of Labor handled its role with the Central States fund. Plan beneficiaries deserve to have a better understanding of what led to the financial failings of Central States and ultimately put their retirement at risk. Congress needs to have a better understanding of what happened with the Department of Labor’s oversight of this pension plan so that any corrective actions, if necessary, can be taken.”
In his letter to the GAO, Grassley said that for more than three decades, Central States has operated under a federal court-ordered consent decree obtained by the Labor Department following its investigation that found gross mismanagement and self-dealing by fund managers. Among other things, the consent decree granted the Labor Department considerable oversight authority on the selection of independent fund managers, as well as to changes in investment strategies, among other oversight powers. Grassley wrote that he is unaware of any GAO review of the Labor Department’s role in overseeing the pension fund since 1985.
Grassley wrote, “Concerns over the solvency of these plans are heightened due to large fiscal deficits currently facing the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s (PBGC) multiemployer guarantee program. As a result, should Central States, or another large plan become insolvent, PBGC would likely not have enough funds to make full guarantee payments to plan beneficiaries who would see much of their retirement savings wiped out.” He said “the time is ripe for GAO to update Congress on DOL’s oversight of Central States.”
Grassley’s letter to the GAO is available here. The GAO’s letter confirming that it will conduct the review is available here.
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Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley made the following statement after a meeting with President Obama about the Supreme Court vacancy and other issues before the Senate, including the opioid epidemic that is devastating communities across the country, criminal justice reform and Puerto Rico.
“The American people deserve the right to be heard. It’s the fair and reasonable approach. They made their voices heard in 2014 when they signaled they wanted a departure from President Obama’s policies by revoking the Democrats’ Senate majority and expanding Republican ranks in the House of Representatives. Now, with the stakes as high as ever and the political season underway, we should hear from them again.
“There’s a growing feeling of isolation among a lot of Americans who feel left out by political elites. Executive orders and liberal courts are trampling on religious liberty and property ownership, for example, and snubbing the rule of law and endangering the right to keep and bear arms. The executive branch is actively using the judicial branch of government to get around Congress and undermine the process of representative government
“A recent Gallup poll documents this frustration that I hear expressed at the grassroots of Iowa. In the six years since Obama has appointed two justices, the American people’s disapproval of the Supreme Court jumped from 28 percent disapproval in 2009 to 50 percent disapproval in 2015.
“Whether everybody in the meeting today wanted to admit it, we all know that considering a nomination in the middle of a heated presidential campaign is bad for the nominee, bad for the court, bad for the process, and ultimately bad for the nation. It’s time for the people to voice their opinion about the role of the Supreme Court in our constitutional system of government.”
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Prepared Floor Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act
Monday, February 29, 2016
Mr. President, an historic epidemic of drug overdose deaths is gripping our country. Over 47,000 Americans died from overdoses in 2014, an all-time high. Incredibly, that’s more deaths than resulted from either car crashes or gun violence.
Addiction to opioids, primarily prescription pain killers and heroin, is driving this epidemic. It’s destroying lives, families, and communities. It’s a crisis. And it demands action.
Thankfully, the Senate can act this week, when we consider S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, or CARA.
CARA is a bipartisan bill authored by two Democrats and two Republicans -- Senators Whitehouse, Portman, Klobuchar and Ayotte.
These Senators have shown extraordinary leadership on this issue. They deserve credit for crafting a bill that addresses many of the different aspects of this epidemic, through evidence-based solutions and best practices. This is a complex crisis that requires a multifaceted solution.
Over the past few months, I’ve worked hard with the bill’s authors to refine it and move it through the Judiciary Committee. I’m proud to say that a few weeks ago it passed the committee on a voice vote, with no opposition.
CARA is only the latest bipartisan legislative accomplishment by the Judiciary Committee this Congress. We’ve had 21 bills pass the Committee this Congress, all with bipartisan support. But there are a few major bills that stand out.
Last April, the Committee passed the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act unanimously, 19-0. The bill enhances penalties for human trafficking and equips law enforcement with new tools to target predators who traffic innocent young people. The bill passed the Senate 99-0 and was signed into law by the President.
In October, the committee passed the landmark Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act with a strong 15-5 bipartisan vote. My bill would recalibrate prison sentences for certain drug offenders, target violent criminals, and grant judges greater discretion at sentencing for lower-level drug crimes. I’m working hard to build additional support for the bill so that it can be taken up by the full Senate soon.
Then in December, the Committee passed my Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act, again without opposition. The bill will ensure that at-risk youth are fairly and effectively served by juvenile justice grant programs. Again, we’re working hard to move this bill through the full Senate.
The bipartisan reforms enacted by each of these bills address real problems that affect the lives of many people across the nation and in my home state of Iowa. I’m proud of the work we’ve done so far -- but there’s a lot more to do.
And that brings me back to the heroin and prescription drug epidemic. It isn’t as bad in Iowa as it is in many areas of the country, but the eastern part of my state has been hit hard recently.
The human cost of what’s happening across so many of these communities is incalculable. Every life that is lost or changed forever by this epidemic is precious. Especially for many young people who fall victim to addiction early in their lives, there is so much human potential at stake.
Many Iowans have heard the story of Kim Brown, a nurse from Davenport, and her son Andy. Andy was prescribed pain pills when he had surgery at age 14. Whether it was connected to abuse of those pain pills or not, he developed a drug problem as a teenager that he couldn’t shake. He overdosed on heroin a few times, but survived. And finally, at age 33, he died of an overdose, tragically leaving behind two young sons. Ms. Brown now speaks out around the state about the heroin epidemic.
Her story reflects a larger pattern. Over the last 20 years or so, doctors have increasingly prescribed opioids to help their patients manage pain. For many, these medicines have been the answer to their prayers. But for others, they have led to a nightmare of addiction.
According to numerous studies, prescription opioid addiction is a strong risk factor for heroin addiction. In some cases, those addicted to painkillers turn to heroin to get a similar high, because recently, it’s become cheaper and more easily available.
And as Ms. Brown’s story reflects, this epidemic is a matter of life and death. In fact, nationally, heroin overdose deaths more than tripled from 2010 to 2014.
But Iowans are fighting back. Last year, with the assistance of a new federal grant, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Cedar Rapids Police Department formed the Eastern Iowa Heroin Initiative.
This partnership is focused on stemming the tide of heroin abuse through enforcement, prevention and treatment. I’ve been invited to participate in a town hall with them to discuss the epidemic, and I plan to do so soon.
When I do, I want to tell them that the Senate has acted on this crisis by passing CARA. CARA supports so many of the efforts to help stem the tide of addiction that are underway in Iowa and across the country.
As its name reflects, the bill addresses the epidemic comprehensively, supporting prevention, education, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement.
CARA starts with prevention and education. It authorizes awareness and education campaigns, so that the public understands the dangers of becoming addicted to prescription pain killers.
It creates a national task force to develop best prescribing practices, so that doctors don’t expose their patients to unnecessary risks of addiction.
The bill encourages the use of prescription drug monitoring programs like Iowa’s, which helps detect and deter “doctor shopping” behavior by addicts.
And the bill authorizes an expansion of the federal initiative that allows patients to safely dispose of old or unused medications, so that these drugs don’t fall into the hands of young people, potentially leading to addiction.
In fact, along with a few other Committee members, I helped start this “take back” program in 2010 through the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act. It’s been a highly successful effort. Since 2010, over 2,700 tons of drugs have been collected from medicine cabinets and disposed of safely. Iowa also has a similar “take back” program that’s expanding rapidly.
CARA also focuses on treatment and recovery. The bill authorizes programs to provide first responders with training to use Naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and directly save lives. Naloxone was used hundreds of times by first responders in Iowa in 2014.
Importantly, the bill provides that a set portion of Naloxone funding go to rural areas, like much of Iowa that is being affected most acutely. This is critical when someone overdoses and isn’t near a hospital.
The bill also authorizes an expansion of Drug Free Communities Act grants to those areas that are most dramatically affected by the opioid epidemic. And it also authorizes funds for programs that encourage the use of medication assisted treatment, provide community-based support for those in recovery, and address the unique needs of pregnant and post-partum women who are addicted to opioids.
Finally, the bill also bolsters law enforcement efforts as well. Amazingly, in 2007, only 8 percent of state and local law enforcement officials across the country identified heroin as the greatest drug threat in their area. But by 2015, that number rose to 38 percent, more than any other drug.
So the bill reauthorizes federal funding for state task forces that specifically address heroin trafficking.
I’m also pleased that I was able to include in the bill a reauthorization of the funding for the methamphetamine law enforcement task forces as well.
I held a Judiciary Committee field hearing in Des Moines last fall about the ongoing meth problem across Iowa. And one thing the hearing made clear is that our friends in state law enforcement need all the help we can give them on that front too.
All in all, the bill authorizes about $78 million per year to address this crisis.
It’s no wonder that the bill is supported by a diverse range of stakeholders, including the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, the National District Attorneys Association, the Major County Sheriffs’ Association, the National Association of Attorneys General, and so many organizations in the treatment and recovery communities.
I urge my colleagues to support it this week, when the Senate has the opportunity to act to address this epidemic. We owe it to those, like Kim Brown, who have lost sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, co-workers and friends, to act now.
I yield the floor.
