Ashanti Alert One Step Closer to Becoming
Federal Law
The legislation is unofficially named after Ashanti Billie
By Erica Jones
Edited by Sam Williams II
Published at 6:16 AM EDT on Sep 26, 2018 | Updated at 1:05 PM EDT on Sep 26, 2018
A Virginia program that creates alerts for adults who are too old for Amber alerts but not old enough for Silver alerts is one step closer to becoming a federal law.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the federal version of the Ashanti Alert Tuesday night, WAVY-TV reports. The bill will now go to the U.S. Senate. If passed, it will go to President Donald Trump's desk, where it could be signed into law.
The Virginia Critically Missing Adult Alert Program went into effect in Virginia in July.
The program is unofficially named after Ashanti Billie.
Despite her disappearance, Billie did not meet the requirements for either alert systems reserved for critically missing persons. Amber alerts are reserved for children under the age of 17 while Silver alerts are for missing seniors.
Since it went into effect, the Virginia Critically Missing Adult Alert Program has been used in several cases across the state.
To qualify for the alert, investigators have to believe the missing adult was abducted and their disappearance is a credible threat.
Original Article on NBCUniversal
Original Article on NBCUniversal
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