H5790 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 11, 2012 

A child goes missing in this country every 

40 seconds. Almost 800,000 children are reported missing each year and 500,000 go 

missing without ever being reported. 

In many cases of missing children, the 

AMBER Alert system is activated to help law 

enforcement and community search efforts. 

However, in order to issue an AMBER Alert 

for a missing child, law enforcement officials 

must have a description of the child, the suspect, the vehicle if there is one and how the 

abduction took place. Additionally, they must 

be able to confirm that the child has in fact 

been abducted and did not simply wander off 

on their own. 

Without evidence of an abduction, law enforcement officers cannot issue an AMBER 

Alert. This is where programs like the Child 

and Elderly Missing Alert Program step in. 

Experience shows that time is of the essence when searching for missing persons— 

particularly young children and the elderly. 

H.R. 4305 would allow funding under the 

Justice Department’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program to go 

toward rapid recovery phone call and alert 

systems that can be deployed when children 

and elderly persons are missing. 

Such programs complement the AMBER 

Alert program by quickly disseminating information about missing persons within targeted 

geographic areas even when the information 

available is minimal. 

Having a child, elderly or disabled loved one 

go missing is any family’s worst nightmare. 

H.R. 4305 provides a critical tool in the efforts 

to find missing persons. 

I again thank the gentleman from Ohio for 

his work on this issue and I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. 

WESTMORELAND). The question is on 

the motion offered by the gentleman 

from Ohio (Mr. CHABOT) that the House 

suspend the rules and pass the bill, 

H.R. 4305, as amended. 

The question was taken; and (twothirds being in the affirmative) the 

rules were suspended and the bill, as 

amended, was passed. 

A motion to reconsider was laid on 

the table. 

f 

b 1500 

MISSING ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE 

PATIENT ALERT PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2012 

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I 

move to suspend the rules and pass the 

bill (H.R. 2800) to amend the Violent 

Crime Control and Law Enforcement 

Act of 1994 to reauthorize the Missing 

Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program, as amended. 

The Clerk read the title of the bill. 

The text of the bill is as follows: 

H.R. 2800 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in 

Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program Reauthorization Act of 2012’’. 

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE MISSING ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE PATIENT ALERT 

PROGRAM. 

Section 240001 of the Violent Crime Control 

and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 

14181) is amended— 

(1) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows: 

‘‘(a) GRANT.—Subject to the availability of appropriations to carry out this section, the Attorney General, through the Bureau of Justice Assistance, shall award competitive grants to nonprofit organizations to assist such organizations 

in paying for the costs of planning, designing, 

establishing, and operating locally based, 

proactive programs to protect and locate missing 

patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related 

dementias.’’; 

(2) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘competitive’’ after ‘‘to receive a’’; 

(3) by amending subsection (c) to read as follows: 

‘‘(c) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants under 

subsection (a), the Attorney General shall give 

preference to national nonprofit organizations 

that have experience working with patients, and 

families of patients, with Alzheimer’s disease 

and related dementias.’’; and 

(4) by amending subsection (d) to read as follows: 

‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 

out this section $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal 

years 2013 through 2017.’’. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 

Texas (Mr. SMITH) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. WATERS) 

each will control 20 minutes. 

The Chair recognizes the gentleman 

from Texas. 

GENERAL LEAVE

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I 

ask that all Members have 5 legislative 

days within which to revise and extend 

and include extraneous materials on 

H.R. 2800, as amended, currently under 

consideration. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there 

objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas? 

There was no objection. 

Mr. SMITH of Texas. I yield myself 

such time as I may consume. 

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2800, the Missing 

Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program Reauthorization Act of 2012, is 

sponsored by the gentlewoman from 

California (Ms. WATERS). I thank her 

for her work on this issue. 

Alzheimer’s disease is a serious condition that is becoming more and more 

prevalent. The disease affects as many 

as 5 million people in this country, or 

one in eight older Americans, and a 

new person develops Alzheimer’s every 

69 seconds. This pace is expected to increase with time. 

It is estimated that more than half of 

the people with Alzheimer’s or other 

types of dementia will become lost 

from their families or caretakers at 

some point. Many of these people cannot remember their name, their family 

members or their address. This makes 

returning home safely difficult for law 

enforcement officers and Good Samaritans. 

As is true whenever a person goes 

missing, time is of the essence when attempting to locate a lost Alzheimer’s 

patient. One study found an almost 50 

percent mortality rate for Alzheimer’s 

patients who are not found within 24 

hours of becoming lost. 

To address the problem of missing 

Alzheimer’s patients, Congress created 

the Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program in 1996. This Justice Department program provides 

grants to locally based organizations 

to protect and locate missing patients 

with Alzheimer’s disease and related 

dementia. Congress has appropriated 

money for this every year since its creation. 

The Justice Department has provided 

grants to several programs, including 

the Alzheimer’s Association’s Safe Return program. In this program, people 

with Alzheimer’s and dementia are registered in a data base and receive a 

bracelet that indicates the individual 

is memory impaired. The bracelet also 

includes a 24-hour emergency response 

number to call if the person is found 

wandering or has a medical emergency. 

The Alzheimer’s Association reports 

a 99 percent success rate for reuniting 

enrolled missing individuals with their 

caretakers through the Safe Return 

program. 

H.R. 2800, the Missing Alzheimer’s 

Disease Patient Alert Program Reauthorization Act of 2012, reauthorizes 

this program at $1 million a year for 5 

years. This authorization level reflects 

the fiscal year 2012 appropriations 

level. H.R. 2800 helps to ensure that 

people with Alzheimer’s disease and 

other forms of dementia are returned 

safely home when they become lost. 

Again, I want to thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. WATERS) 

for her leadership on this issue, and I 

encourage my colleagues to join me in 

support of this bill. 

I reserve the balance of my time. 

Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 

myself such time as I may consume. 

I thank Chairman LAMAR SMITH for 

his support for H.R. 2800, the Missing 

Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program Reauthorization Act. This bill reauthorizes a small, but effective, program that assists local law enforcement and protects vulnerable people 

with Alzheimer’s disease. I appreciate 

the chairman’s willingness to work 

with me and move this bill forward. 

Alzheimer’s disease currently affects 

an estimated 5.3 million Americans, 

and that number will multiply in the 

coming decades as our population 

grows. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that 7.7 million Americans will 

have Alzheimer’s by the year 2030, and 

11 to 16 million Americans will have 

the disease by the year 2050. 

One great risk for Alzheimer’s patients is wandering away from home. 

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 60 percent of Alzheimer’s patients are likely to wander. 

Wanderers are vulnerable to dehydration, weather conditions, traffic hazards, and individuals who prey on vulnerable seniors. Up to 50 percent of Alzheimer’s patients who wander will become seriously injured or die if they 


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September 11, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5791 

are not found within 24 hours of their 

departure from home. Wanderers often 

cannot remember who they are or 

where they live and cannot assist law 

enforcement officials and other first 

responders who try to help them. 

The Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program is a Department of 

Justice program that provides competitive grants to nonprofit organizations 

to assist in paying for the cost of planning, designing, establishing, and operating programs to protect and locate 

missing patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. These 

grants help local communities and public safety agencies quickly identify 

persons with Alzheimer’s disease who 

wander or who are missing and reunite 

them with their families. 

The program was originally authorized in 1996, but has been operating 

under an expired authorization since 

1998. H.R. 2800 reauthorizes the program and authorizations $1 million per 

year in appropriations for fiscal years 

2013 through 2017. This authorization 

level will allow the program to operate 

at the funding year 2012 funding level 

for the next 5 years. 

This program is extremely cost effective. An annual appropriation of simply $1 million would easily result in 

millions more in savings for the Federal Government by allowing more Alzheimer’s patients to remain at home 

with their families, thereby reducing 

nursing-home utilization and saving 

Medicare and Medicaid expenses. 

H.R. 2800 is cosponsored by 18 Members of Congress, including Congressman CHRIS SMITH and Congressman ED

MARKEY, the cochairs of the Bipartisan 

Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease. The bill is also supported by both the Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. 

This program saves law enforcement 

officials valuable time and allows them 

to focus on other security concerns. It 

also reduces unintentional injuries and 

deaths among Alzheimer’s patients, 

brings peace of mind to their families, 

and thus allows more patients to remain at home with people who love 

them. 

I urge my colleagues to support this 

bill, and I yield back the balance of my 

time. 

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I 

yield back the balance of my time. 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I 

would like to thank Chairman LAMAR SMITH

and Ranking Member JOHN CONYERS for advancing this bill through the Judiciary Committee. And, I especially want to thank Congresswoman MAXINE WATERS for her commitment and hard work over the years in support 

of the Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient 

Alert Program. 

Alzheimer’s disease robs millions of individuals in the U.S. of their ability to recognize 

once familiar places and faces or even to remember their names and addresses. 

Not everyone with Alzheimer’s wanders, but 

an estimated 60% wander at some point in the 

disease, and many of those wander repeatedly. They easily become disoriented and lost, 

even in their own neighborhood. While wandering is common, it also can be extremely 

dangerous, particularly for the unprotected and 

the mentally and physically vulnerable. If not 

found within 24 hours, up to half of those who 

wander risk serious injury or death. And their 

friends and familieis are beside themselves 

with worry. 

Since its inception in FY1996 and the 

awarding of a grant to the Alzheimer’s Association, the Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program has been a literal life-line, 

helping in the safe return of many thousands 

of wanderers. 

The program has been funded every year 

since 1996 and funding has been used to establish a nationwide emergency response 

service for individuals with Alzheimer’s or another dementia who wander or have a medical 

emergency, including an identification and enrollment system. 

H.R. 2800 reauthorizes for five years this 

Department of Justice Program that provides 

grants to nonprofit organizations to operate 

programs designed to help local communities 

and law enforcement officials quickly identify 

wandering dementia patients and reunite them 

with their families. 

The program has a 98% success rate for 

safely returning program enrollees who were 

reported missing. The program also assists individuals with dementia who are not enrolled, 

with an 88% success rate. I encourage all of 

my colleagues to vote for this important legislation. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

question is on the motion offered by 

the gentleman from Texas (Mr. SMITH) 

that the House suspend the rules and 

pass the bill, H.R. 2800, as amended. 

The question was taken; and (twothirds being in the affirmative) the 

rules were suspended and the bill, as 

amended, was passed. 

A motion to reconsider was laid on 

the table. 

f 

LOCAL COURTHOUSE SAFETY ACT 

OF 2012 

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I 

move to suspend the rules and pass the 

bill (H.R. 6185) to improve security at 

State and local courthouses, as amended. 

The Clerk read the title of the bill. 

The text of the bill is as follows: 

H.R. 6185 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in 

Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Local Courthouse Safety Act of 2012’’. 

SEC. 2. SECURITY TRAINING. 

Part D of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 

3741 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

the following: 

‘‘SEC. 403. PREVENTING VIOLENCE AGAINST LAW 

ENFORCEMENT AND ENSURING OFFICER RESILIENCE AND SURVIVABILITY. 

‘‘The Director may carry out a training 

and technical assistance program designed to 

teach employees of State, local, and tribal 

law enforcement agencies how to anticipate, 

survive, and respond to violent encounters 

during the course of their duties, including 

duties relating to security at State, county, 

and tribal courthouses. If the Director offers 

a training program specifically designed to 

train participants on courthouse security 

issues, preference for admission into such 

program shall be given to employees of jurisdictions that have magnetometers available 

for use at their courthouses.’’. 

SEC. 3. STATE JUSTICE INSTITUTE. 

The State Justice Institute Act of 1984 is 

amended— 

(1) in section 203(b)(1) (42 U.S.C. 10702(b)(1)), 

in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 

inserting ‘‘, safe,’’ after ‘‘a fair’’; and 

(2) in section 206 (42 U.S.C. 10705)— 

(A) in subsection (c)— 

(i) in paragraph (14)— 

(I) by inserting ‘‘to’’ before ‘‘conduct’’; and 

(II) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

(ii) by redesignating paragraph (15) as 

paragraph (16); and 

(iii) by inserting after paragraph (14) the 

following: 

‘‘(15) to improve the safety and security of 

State and local courts; and’’; and 

(B) by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(g) MAGNETOMETERS.—In the case of a 

grant awarded under this section to be used 

as described in subsection (c)(15), if the State 

or local court applying for the grant does not 

have magnetometers available for use, not 

less than $300 nor more than $1,000 of the 

matching fund required under subsection (d) 

of the State or local court shall be used to 

acquire a magnetometer.’’. 

SEC. 4. SECURITY EQUIPMENT. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter III of chapter 

5 of title 40, United States Code, is amended 

by adding after section 559 the following: 

‘‘§ 560. Surplus security equipment for State 

and local courts 

‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

‘‘(1) the term ‘surplus security equipment’ 

means surplus property that is used to detect weapons, including metal detectors, 

wands, and baggage screening devices; and 

‘‘(2) the term ‘qualifying State or local 

courthouse’ means a courthouse of a State or 

local government that has less security 

equipment than the security needs of the 

courthouse require. 

‘‘(b) DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS SECURITY EQUIPMENT.— 

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 

other provision of this subchapter, the Administrator of General Services shall ensure 

that a qualifying State or local courthouse 

has an opportunity to request to receive surplus security equipment for use at the qualifying State or local courthouse before the 

surplus security equipment is made available 

to any other individual or entity under this 

subchapter. 

‘‘(2) DISPOSAL.— 

‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subparagraph 

(B), upon request by a qualifying State or 

local courthouse for surplus security equipment for use at the qualifying State or local 

courthouse, the surplus security equipment 

shall be made available to the qualifying 

State or local courthouse without cost, except for any costs of shipping, handling, and 

maintenance. 

‘‘(B) MULTIPLE REQUESTS.—If more than 1 

qualifying State or local courthouse requests 

a particular piece of surplus security equipment, the surplus security equipment shall 

be distributed based on need, as determined 

by the Administrator of General Services, 

with priority given to a qualifying State or 

local courthouse that has no security equipment.’’. 

(b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sections for chapter 5 of 

title 40, United States Code, is amended by 

inserting after the item relating to section 

559 the following: 


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