Rep. Dan Swanson’s bill that adds veterans with mental or health conditions to a missing person alert system has been signed into law.
The bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously and was signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner last Friday.
Similarly to how an amber alert goes out to law enforcement and the public immediately when a child goes missing, this would send out an alert as soon as a veteran with a condition
“There’s currently on our records a Silver Alert bill which is more towards elderly people and those people with dementia and mental health at the elderly age,” said Swanson. “If they walk away from a nursing home or some type of care center.”
HB 4212 passed both the Illinois House and Senate unanimously.
Swanson, a veteran himself, was prompted to sponsor this bill by the startling fact that around 20 veterans and active military personnel commit suicide every day.
“Because instead of waiting the 24 hour period to begin the search, now if family members report them missing, that search beings immediately just as the Amber Alert does.”
According to U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs’ report on veteran suicide, males aged 18-34 are consistently the most likely to take their own life.
Generally male veterans are twice as likely to commit suicide as their female counterparts.
Swanson also recently sponsored HB 4848, which passed in April, that allows homeless veterans one free complete copy of their patient records for federal Veterans’ disability benefits.
Local Republican Representatives Norine Hammond and Randy Frese were also sponsors of this bill.
