AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER)-Mainers are calling for harsher penalties for people who fail to report missing children. State representative Anna Blodgett says she heard from dozens of Mainers about the need for a new law.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children more than 2000 children go missing every day in the United States.
Representative Blodgett is sponsoring bill LD-1634 which would make it a felony for a person to knowingly fail to report a child as missing within 48 hours from the time the child disappeared. "Aother part of the bill is that if you know that this child is deceased and you do not report that within two hours you have committed a class c crime and I think that is very important" said Blodgett.
If approved by the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee the bill will go on to the house and then the state senate for a vote. A public hearing is set for January 19th, with a committee work session on the 26th.
NEWS CENTER