WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08), Congressman Mark Alford (MO-04), and Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) introduced the Enhanced Alerts for Missing Loved Ones with Disabilities Act of 2026. This legislation will enhance the existing national missing-person alert systems and direct states to provide specialized first-responder training and education for cases of missing individuals with disabilities.

“There are real gaps in our national missing-person alert framework that do not account for individuals with developmental, cognitive, or intellectual disabilities, leaving communities without timely notifications and law enforcement without the training or tools to respond,” said Congressman Smith. “Missouri has already taken action with RJ’s Law, and it’s time the federal government follows suit. This legislation will strengthen our nation’s missing-person alert systems to give first responders access to the training they need to act fast and save lives.”

“Families in Missouri and across America should never have to wonder if our alert systems will find their missing loved ones with a developmental or cognitive disability,” said Congressman Alford. “The Enhanced Alerts for Missing Loved Ones with Disabilities Act closes dangerous gaps in our national missing person framework, while ensuring first responders have the training and tools they need to bring vulnerable individuals home safely. Missouri led the way with RJ’s law, and now were bringing those efforts to the federal level. This is commonsense, life-saving legislation that I’m proud to lead.”

“Strengthening our federal alert systems to better protect individuals with intellectual disabilities is commonsense,” said Senator Schmitt. “The Enhanced Alerts for Missing Loved Ones with Disabilities Act will improve existing protocols for disability-specific emergencies and will equip our law enforcement with the tools they need to respond appropriately and save lives.”

Background:

Kristen’s Act, signed into law in 2000 and named after Kristen Modafferi, an 18-year-old who disappeared in 1997, authorized the Department of Justice (DOJ) to support grant programs to help law enforcement locate missing adults. In 2018, in response to the death of Ashanti Billie, a missing 19-year-old, Congress passed the Ashanti Alert Act as an amendment to Kristen’s Act to fill a gap in the national missing person’s alert system. AMBER Alerts and Silver Alerts only cover those aged under 18 and seniors, respectively. The Ashanti Alert is meant to cover those in-between. Through the program, the DOJ provides resources and training to connect state and local missing adult alert programs, to enable cross jurisdictional cooperation. 

This year, the Missouri legislature unanimously passed “RJ’s Law,” named after a child with autism that went missing and drowned, to create a statewide “Purple Alert” that would specifically cover individuals with developmental disabilities. 

This delegation-wide effort reflects the Missouri legislature’s work on the Federal level. The Enhanced Alerts for Missing Loved Ones with Disabilities Act of 2026 would amend the Ashanti Alert Act to require these alerts to include whether the individual has a developmental disability, Alzheimer’s, or dementia. It would also require the DOJ to make available to local law enforcement training and educational programs specifically pertaining to dealing with individuals with these disabilities. 

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