The U.S. House of Representatives Monday passed a bill to expand Amber Alerts on tribal lands. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports, many reservations lack the infrastructure to send emergency notifications in cases of missing or abducted children.
The bill opens up Department of Justice grants and other programs in order to establish Amber Alert systems on often-remote reservations. It would also integrate tribes with state and county notifications.
The bill was named for 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike, who was abducted and murdered near Shiprock, N.M., on the Navajo Nation in 2016. Nearly a day passed after she disappeared before an alert was issued. The tribe installed its own notification system last month.
The U.S. Senate in November passed its own version of the Amber Alert legislation sponsored by Senator John McCain. The House’s bill now goes back to the Senate for consideration.
