Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2016

Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2016

TITLE I--MISSING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE PATIENT ALERT PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION

Missing Americans Alert Program Act of 2016

(Sec. 102) This bill amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to revise and rename the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program as the Missing Americans Alert Program and to reauthorize it through FY2021.

It directs the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to award competitive grants to health care, law enforcement, or public safety agencies, and nonprofit organizations, to develop or operate locally based proactive programs to prevent wandering and locate missing individuals with dementia or children with developmental disabilities. The BJA must give preference to law enforcement or public safety agencies partnering with nonprofit organizations that use person-centered plans and are directly linked to individuals, and families of individuals, with dementia or developmental disabilities.

Additionally, it directs the BJA to award grants to health care, law enforcement, or public safety agencies to develop tracking technology programs to locate missing individuals with dementia or children with developmental disabilities.

The bill subjects grants under the Missing Americans Program to accountability provisions. DOJ's Office of Inspector General must conduct annual audits of selected grant recipients. The bill prohibits grants to nonprofit organizations that hold money in an offshore account to avoid tax liability. It also limits the use of grants under this bill for conferences that use more than $20,000 in DOJ funds.

DOJ must identify and report on duplicative grant awards. DOJ must also report annually to Congress certain information regarding the Missing Americans Alert Program.

TITLE II--EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

(Sec. 201) The bill amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to specify that, with respect to training and technical assistance provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, cases involving missing and exploited children include cases involving children with developmental disabilities such as autism.

TITLE III--PRIVACY PROTECTIONS

(Sec. 302) DOJ must establish and certain grant recipients must comply with standards and best practices related to the use of tracking technology to locate missing individuals with dementia or developmental disabilities.

The bill prohibits the use of data from tracking devices to create a federal database. It also prohibits construing this bill to require a parent or guardian to use a tracking device.

TITLE IV--MISCELLANEOUS

(Sec. 401) This provision prohibits the authorization of FY2017 funds for the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov