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Committee holds first hearing on "Joshua Alert" bill to speed statewide notices for missing children with developmental disabilities
Summary
Representative Thomas, the bill's sponsor, told the committee that House Bill 359 — the "Joshua Alert" — would create a targeted statewide emergency alert for missing children with autism or other developmental disabilities to speed public notification.
Representative Thomas, the bill's sponsor, told the committee that House Bill 359 — the "Joshua Alert" — is intended to ensure a faster, more uniform public notification when children with autism or other developmental disabilities go missing. "This legislation is not about blame," Thomas said, describing the 11/20/2024 disappearance of 6‑year‑old Joshua Alatif Jr., a nonverbal child with autism who was found drowned hours after going missing.
The bill would add a new activation category to Ohio's statewide emergency alert program. Under the proposal, local law enforcement would be required to notify the statewide alert system when: (1) a child 17…
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