| Posted By: | < > |
| Posted Date: | April 11, 2003 (6:19 PM) |
Message:
Suzanne's Law aims to protect young adults Milton-- Lyall family wins passage of federal law named for UAlbany student who vanished in 1998
By KENNETH C. CROWE II, Staff writer
First published: Friday, April 11, 2003
Suzanne's Law, named in honor of the missing Suzanne Lyall, was passed Thursday by the House of Representatives as part of a child protection bill approved by Congress, U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park, said.
The legislation, introduced by Sweeney, requires law enforcement agencies to notify the National Crime Information Center of missing children under the age of 21 instead of the current cutoff of 18 years old. A Senate version of the bill was also approved late Thursday, and the measure awaits the signature of President Bush.
Lyall, a student at the University at Albany, was 19 when she disappeared on March 2, 1998. She was last seen stepping off a bus at the university's uptown campus around 9:30 p.m. after working at Babbage's Software in Crossgates Mall.
"It is often assumed that college-aged youth, as legal adults, disappear from their own free will," Sweeney said. "Although this assumption may have some anecdotal credibility, Suzanne Lyall's case proves it is not a responsible assumption."
Suzanne's Law is part of the conference bill awaiting approval by the Senate, said Kevin Madden, a spokesman for Sweeney. The bill includes creation of a national Amber Alert missing child notification network.
Doug and Mary Lyall said passage of the bill that bears their daughter's name is a step toward increasing the safety of young adults.
"We're hopeful that it will avoid some of the delays that happen in investigating when a young person goes missing," Doug Lyall said. "With young people leaving home and out on their own for the first time, they're much more vulnerable. In a lot of cases someone that is 18, 19 will be reported missing and it's not taken seriously."
Suzanne Lyall is among an estimated 4,000 missing New Yorkers.
.............
P.S. I always think about this:
No matter what age a missing child might be, it's extremely painful for their parents and loved ones and every missing person is someone's 'child'.