NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee lawmakers have passed a bill that would expand Tennessee’s endangered alert system to include missing or endangered young adults under 21.
State Rep. Kirk Haston (R-Lobelville) and State Sen. Delores Gresham (R-Somerville) sponsored the Holly Bobo Act in memory of the 20-year-old nursing student who was abducted from her home in Decatur County in 2011. Her remains were found three years later.
House Bill 2308/Senate Bill 2464 now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
“It’s difficult to imagine the hopelessness a family goes through when a loved one goes missing. Every moment is critical,” Haston said. “I’m grateful to members of the General Assembly for their strong support of the Holly Bobo Act. This law could make all the difference in saving a young person’s life and bringing them home.”
According to the Tennessee GOP, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s current program issues alerts for missing or endangered children under 18 and also features a senior citizen alert program. The Holly Bobo Act would make the TBI’s endangered alert system part of Tennessee Code.
However, this would not change the activation criteria for Amber Alerts, which is a federally funded program.
