BOISE, Idaho —
This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
When Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, and Rep. Ryan Kerby, R-New Plymouth, introduced SB 1378 in the Idaho Legislature, they referenced the missing Fruitland boy who disappeared nearly eight months ago.
The House passed SB 1378 on Tuesday, which would create an all-encompassing alert called an Endangered Missing Person Alert (EMPA) to notify those in Idaho and surrounding states about a missing person.
Michael Vaughan, the missing 5-year-old who disappeared from his neighborhood on July 17, 2021, did not get an Amber Alert because he did not qualify for all of its criteria — largely due to the fact it was not known if he had been abducted.
Fruitland residents and beyond argued that this may have hindered the ability to find him.
The bill would let the Amber Alert stand-alone while consolidating all other types of alerts into one.
The Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee voted unanimously on Tuesday in favor of a funding bill to follow after SB 1378, which appropriates $1.3 million from the state general fund.
That includes funding for the Idaho State Police to develop the new alert system, and $66,500 for the Idaho Transportation Department to make changes to its existing Amber Alert system.
Rep. Scott Syme, R-Caldwell, made the successful funding motion in JFAC.
“If this program had been implemented earlier, it would have been one tool to maybe find the little boy out in Fruitland that went missing,” Syme said.
The bill passed 46-18.
SB 1378 is now headed to the governor’s desk for signature.
This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press. Read more at IdahoPress.com
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
