Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Amber Alert Expansion topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee considers 'Rowan Act' to expand AMBER Alert criteria to include custodial and special‑needs cases
Summary
The Michigan House Families and Veterans Committee heard testimony on House Bills 4517 and 4518, known as the Rowan Act, which would let the Michigan State Police activate AMBER Alerts when they believe a child is in danger even if current abduction criteria are not met, and would explicitly include custodial disputes and children with disabilities.
The Michigan House Families and Veterans Committee heard testimony on House Bills 4517 and 4518, a package nicknamed the Rowan Act that would authorize the Michigan State Police to issue AMBER Alerts when officers determine a child is in danger, even if the situation arises from a custodial dispute or does not meet the current statutory abduction criteria.
Representative Neier, who introduced the package with Representative Regas, said the bills were prompted by a local case in which lawmakers say a narrow interpretation of the AMBER Alert law delayed alerts after a court‑ordered custody exchange and contributed to the death of a 6‑year‑old named Rowan. Representative Regas described the changes as giving law enforcement flexibility to respond swiftly to complex missing‑child situations, including delayed returns in custody exchanges and special‑needs cases.
Brandy Morey Poles, Rowan's mother, told the committee about the 52 hours she spent searching and trying to alert authorities and media. "No child or anybody with a disability or a runaway should be denied an AMBER Alert," she said. "His life matters." She and other family members described trying multiple avenues to get help and said they were told the AMBER Alert criteria could not be met because the child was missing in a custodial context rather than a stranger abduction.
Other parents who lost children also testified. Victoria Jones described the October 2023 disappearance and death of her 2‑year‑old son Jermaine Jones, a nonverbal autistic child who was found in the Looking Glass River. Jones said community members had seen the child walking before he was found but received no system alert that might have mobilized a faster organized search. "There has to be a change," she said; "these children deserve nothing but the highest level of protection."
Advocates and bill authors said the legislation also modernizes how alerts are shared, explicitly authorizing law enforcement to use social media and digital platforms and proposing clearer statutory definitions for children with disabilities to be covered under the alert criteria. Representative Regas said the sponsors intend to offer an amendment to clarify the statutory definition of disability by cross‑referencing existing definitions in law.
Committee members asked about how the bill would interact with family courts and friend‑of‑the‑court processes. Sponsors said the bills would allow Michigan State Police to open an investigation and issue an alert without waiting for a separate court order in situations where officers determine that a child is at imminent risk; sponsors argued this would shorten response time compared with the current system, which can require a court order to activate resources.
No committee vote on HB 4517 or HB 4518 was recorded at the hearing. Testimony concluded and the committee adjourned for the day.
Ending note: Supporters urged passage as a way to prevent further tragedies and to modernize alert practices; the committee heard multiple personal accounts of children who went missing and were later found dead, and witnesses recommended statutory language changes to clarify coverage for special‑needs children.
