[House Report 110-846]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
110th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 110-846
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MISSING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE PATIENT ALERT PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION OF
2008
_______
September 15, 2008.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Conyers, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 6503]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the bill
(H.R. 6503) to amend the Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act of 1994 to reauthorize the Missing Alzheimer's
Disease Patient Alert Program, having considered the same,
reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that
the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose and Summary.............................................. 1
Background and Need for the Legislation.......................... 2
Hearings......................................................... 2
Committee Consideration.......................................... 2
Committee Votes.................................................. 2
Committee Oversight Findings..................................... 3
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................ 3
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................ 3
Performance Goals and Objectives................................. 4
Constitutional Authority Statement............................... 4
Advisory on Earmarks............................................. 4
Section-by-Section Analysis...................................... 5
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............ 5
Purpose and Summary
H.R. 6503 amends the Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act of 1994 to reauthorize and modify the Missing
Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program, an existing grant
program. It authorizes the Attorney General to award
competitive grants to nonprofit organizations for planning,
designing, establishing, and operating locally based, proactive
programs to protect and locate missing patients with
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, and other missing
elderly individuals.
Background and Need for the Legislation
Thousands of vulnerable older adults go missing each year
as a result of dementia, diminished capacity, foul play, or
other unusual circumstances. The Alzheimer's Foundation of
America estimates that over five million Americans suffer from
Alzheimer's disease, and that sixty percent of these are likely
to wander from their homes. Alzheimer's disease and other
dementia-related illnesses often leave their victims
disoriented and confused, and unable to find their way home.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, up to 50% of
wanderers risk serious illness, injury, or death if not found
within 24 hours.\1\ The problem can be exacerbated greatly by
national disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, that can, in a
matter of hours, increase the number of missing persons by the
thousands.
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\1\ Alzheimer's Association, ``Issue Kit: Public Policy Response to
Wandering Behavior,'' Washington Public Policy Office, Alzheimer's
Association, Sept. 2006.
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The Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program,
administered by the Department of Justice, is the only Federal
program that currently provides grant funding to locate
vulnerable elderly individuals who go missing. Authorization
for this program ceased in 1998, though Congress has continued
to appropriate some monies for it through fiscal year 2008,
when it appropriated $940,000.\2\
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\2\ H. Rept. 107-278 (FY 2002); H. Rept. 108-10 (FY 2003); H. Rept.
108-401 (FY 2004); H. Rept. 108-792 (FY 2005); H. Rept. 109-272 (FY
2006); P.L. 110-5 (FY 2007); U.S. House, Committee on Appropriations,
Joint Explanatory Statement to Accompany FY 2008 Consolidated
Appropriations Amendment to H.R. 2764 (P.L. 110-161), Division B (FY
2008).
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Hearings
The Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
held 1 day of hearings, on July 15, 2008, on the problem of
elders who go missing as a result of dementia and diminished
capacity. Testimony was received from Representatives Lloyd
Doggett (D-TX), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Sue Wilkins Myrick
(R-NC), with additional letters submitted by the Alzheimer's
Foundation of America and Project Lifesaver. The Committee did
not hold any hearings specifically on H.R. 6503.
Committee Consideration
On July 30, 2008, the Committee met in open session and
ordered the bill H.R. 6503 favorably reported without
amendment, by voice vote, a quorum being present.
Committee Votes
In compliance with clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that there
were no recorded votes during the Committee's consideration of
H.R. 6503.
Committee Oversight Findings
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that the
findings and recommendations of the Committee, based on
oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the
descriptive portions of this report.
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures
Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives is inapplicable because this legislation does
not provide new budgetary authority or increased tax
expenditures.
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
In compliance with clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the Committee sets forth, with
respect to the bill, H.R. 6503, the following estimate and
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, August 6, 2008.
Hon. John Conyers, Jr., Chairman,
Committee on the Judiciary,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 6503, the Missing
Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program Reauthorization of
2008.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark
Grabowicz, who can be reached at 226-2860.
Sincerely,
Peter R. Orszag,
Director.
Enclosure
cc:
Honorable Lamar S. Smith.
Ranking Member
H.R. 6503--Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program
Reauthorization Act of 2008.
SUMMARY
H.R. 6503 would authorize the appropriation of $5 million
annually over the 2009-2015 period for the Department of
Justice to make grants to nonprofit organizations for programs
to locate missing persons with Alzheimer's disease or similar
conditions. Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts,
CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $17 million
over the 2009-2013 period, with remaining amounts spent in
subsequent years. Enacting H.R. 6503 would not affect direct
spending or revenues.
H.R. 6503 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)
and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
ESTIMATED COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 6503 is shown in the
following table. For this estimate, CBO assumes that the
amounts authorized by the bill will be appropriated near the
start of each fiscal year and that outlays will follow the
historical rates of spending for similar activities. The costs
of this legislation fall within budget function 750
(administration of justice).
By Fiscal Year, in Millions of Dollars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2006-2013
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CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
Authorization Level 5 5 5 5 5 25
Estimated Outlays 1 3 4 4 5 17
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INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR IMPACT
H.R. 6503 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in UMRA and would not affect the budgets of
state, local, or tribal governments.
ESTIMATE PREPARED BY:
Federal Costs: Mark Grabowicz (226-2860)
Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Melissa Merrell
(225-3220)
Impact on the Private Sector: MarDestinee C. Perez (226-2940)
ESTIMATE APPROVED BY:
Theresa Gullo
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis
Performance Goals and Objectives
The Committee states, pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, that H.R.
6503 will authorize the Attorney General to award competitive
grants to nonprofit organizations for planning, designing,
establishing, and operating locally based, proactive programs
to protect and locate missing patients with Alzheimer's disease
and related dementias and other missing elderly individuals.
Constitutional Authority Statement
Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the Committee finds the authority for
this legislation in article I, section 8 of the Constitution.
Advisory on Earmarks
In accordance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, H.R. 6503 does not contain any
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff
benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of rule XXI.
Section-by-Section Analysis
The following discussion describes the bill as reported by
the Committee.
Sec. 1. Short title. Section 1 sets forth the short title
of the bill as the ``Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert
Reauthorization of 2008.''
Sec. 2. Reauthorization of the Missing Alzheimer's Disease
Patient Alert Program. Section 2 amends Section 240001 of the
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (42
U.S.C. 14181). It directs the Attorney General to award
competitive grants to nonprofit organizations for planning,
designing, establishing, and operating local based, proactive
programs to protect and locate missing patients with
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and other missing
elderly individuals.
Section 2 modifies the existing program by requiring
competitive grants and by requiring the Attorney General to
periodically solicit applications for grants by publishing
application requests in the Federal Register and on the
Department of Justice website. The Act requires the Attorney
General to give preference to national nonprofit organizations
that have a direct link to patients, and families of patients,
with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The section
authorizes $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2009 through
2015.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italics, existing law in which no change
is proposed is shown in roman):
VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1994
* * * * * * *
TITLE XXIV--PROTECTIONS FOR THE ELDERLY
SEC. 240001. MISSING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE PATIENT ALERT PROGRAM.
[(a) Grant.--The Attorney General shall, subject to the
availability of appropriations, award a grant to an eligible
organization to assist the organization in paying for the costs
of planning, designing, establishing, and operating a Missing
Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program, which shall be a
locally based, proactive program to protect and locate missing
patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.]
(a) Grant.--Subject to the availability of appropriations to
carry out this section, the Attorney General, through the
Bureau of Justice Assistance and in consultation with the
Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall award competitive
grants to nonprofit organizations to assist such organizations
in paying for the costs of planning, designing, establishing,
and operating locally based, proactive programs to protect and
locate missing patients with Alzheimer's disease and related
dementias and other missing elderly individuals.
(b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a competitive
grant under subsection (a), an organization shall submit an
application to the Attorney General at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Attorney General
may require, including, at a minimum, an assurance that the
organization will obtain and use assistance from private
nonprofit organizations to support the program. The Attorney
General shall periodically solicit applications for grants
under this section by publishing a request for applications in
the Federal Register and by posting such a request on the
website of the Department of Justice.
[(c) Eligible Organization.--The Attorney General shall award
the grant described in subsection (a) to a national voluntary
organization that has a direct link to patients, and families
of patients, with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
[(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section--
[(1) $900,000 for fiscal year 1996;
[(2) $900,000 for fiscal year 1997; and
[(3) $900,000 for fiscal year 1998.]
(c) Preference.--In awarding grants under subsection (a), the
Attorney General shall give preference to national nonprofit
organizations that have a direct link to patients, and families
of patients, with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to
be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each
of the fiscal years 2009 through 2015.
* * * * * * *