Missing And Lost Maine  Associated Children

Two laws that M.A.L.M.A.C. was instrumental in
helping to pass are the...

Missing Children Act 

Signed by President Reagan in September, 1982. This
law was not signed as a mandatory national law. Therefore every state must mandate this bill (Florida was the first in May, 1983). In 1992 our organization became aware of the fact that the state of Maine was one of only six states that did not have the Missing Children's Act. We approached Representative Maria Holt regarding this bill and she, along with Senator Pam Cahill, Representative Lorraine Chonko, and Representative Brenda Quint agreed to cosponsor this bill. The act was passed into law on July 13, 1993.This bill required that law enforcement agencies immediately respond to notification that a child is missing by informing all on-duty officers and other law enforcement agencies in the area. It also provides that the missing child report be transmitted for inclusion in the National Crime Information Computer (N.C.I.C.). This eliminates the 24-hour waiting policy previously required before a report
would be taken. M.A.L.M.A.C. worked with our State elected officials to have this law mandated in Maine.

Flagging of Records

These agencies include schools, municipalities of the
child's birth and the Record Unit of the Department of Human Services in this state. Agencies that receive information from a law enforcement agency under subsection 1 shall identify the files and record of the missing child that are in the agency's custody as pertaining to a child considered a victim or possible victim of a crime under Title 17-A, chapter 13. If a request for those files or records is made, the agency shall immediately notify the law  enforcement agency of the request and, when possible, the address of the person making the request. This law was passed in a recent Legislative session and signed by then-Governor Angus King.