HARRISBURG – Sports officials joined state lawmakers to mark the advancement of the Child Reunification Act. Senate Bill 460 would provide parents with free ID kits that include fingerprinting materials, DNA collection swabs, and other information that can be used to help identify the child in case of an emergency. The information would be stored securely by parents and would not be entered in any sort of state or national database in order to protect the personal information of children and families. Bill sponsor, Sen. Scott Martin of Lancaster & Berks Counties said the kits will provide vital information for law enforcement in the search for a missing child. More than 460,000 children in the United States go missing each year – one child every 40 seconds, on average. Under the bill, the kits would be distributed by school districts for all students in first grade at no cost to parents. The NFL Alumni Association and Pro Football Hall of Fame offer continued support and leadership for the program. The bill passed the Senate Education Committee and is before the full PA Senate for consideration.
SEN. SCOTT MARTIN