JEFFERSON CITY -- In an effort to make Missouri's children safer, the Missouri General Assembly approved Senate Bill 30, which will set up a statewide AMBER Alert system.

"The Legislature has made an important step forward in the fight to protect our children from those that seek to prey on them," said Sen. Chuck Gross, R-St. Charles, sponsor of SB 30. "I applaud my colleagues in the General Assembly for joining me in the passage of this important safeguard. With the passage of this bill, the legislature has fulfilled its duty to help protect the most vulnerable among us."

SB 3 establishes in law a program whereby the state is divided up into regions under the direction of the Department of Public Safety (DPS).

DPS will oversee a voluntary statewide cooperative effort by radio and television media outlets to quickly spread public information bulletins inside these designated regions in the event of abduction.

If a local area already has a child alert program, these programs are allowed to continue their operations unaffected by the new law. As for areas that do not have a child recovery program, the local law enforcement authorities can notify DPS of an abduction in their area and DPS will pass the information along to the proper media outlets for immediate broadcast, creating a seamless web of communication across the state.

"One of the primary strengths of this program is its focus on cooperation with and enhancement of current child recovery programs in Missouri and the enthusiastic support it has received by those in Missouri's broadcast industry," said Gross.

A 10-member oversight committee made up primarily of representatives of law enforcement organizations, the media and the Department of Public Safety, will administer Missouri's AMBER Alert program. This committee will have power to establish rules for the operation of the program.

"I want to thank Rep. Vicki Schneider (R-O'Fallon) who handled SB 30 in the House of Representatives, and succeeded in passing an identical House bill (HB 185)," Gross said. "Getting this legislation approved was a team effort, and I appreciate the hours of time she dedicated to this issue."