State Representative Matias is joined by her colleagues in unanimously passing An Act Relative to Massachusetts Policies and Procedures for Missing and Abducted Children, also known as Lee Manuel’s Law, 154-0 Votes.
State Representative Juana Matias was joined by her house colleagues, and members of the Lawrence State Delegation in passing An Act Relative to Massachusetts Policies and Procedures for Missing and Abducted Children, through the House Budget in a 154-0 unanimous vote. The bill was filed in response to the tragic case of Lawrence’s Lee Manuel Paulino, who went missing in November of 2016.
Representative Matias in her maiden speech on the house floor thanked all of her house colleagues who supported the measure and spoke the amendments background and importance for families and children.
Representative Matias researched state laws regarding missing and abducted children, only to find that “there is no well-established, uniform policy or regulations for responding to missing and abducted children in the Commonwealth”.
Towards the end of her remarks, Representative Matias invoked the families of missing children, urging her colleagues to give families hope and reassurance that this bill would move forward in time for the 18th Annual Missing Children’s Day, a day of remembrance for families, which is slated for May 30th at the State House. Ms. Matias of Lawrence read a direct excerpt from testimony submitted by Maggie Bish, the founder of the Molly Bish Foundation and mother of Molly Anne Bish of Warren Massachusetts, who had tragically gone missing 18 years ago.
“I am so pleased that my colleagues joined me today in unanimously passing An Act Relative to Massachusetts Policies and Procedures for Missing and Abducted Children, also known as Lee Manuel’s Law,” said State Representative Juana Matias. “This legislation will establish comprehensive standards that will reassure all families and children that our local enforcement officers will have all the tools they need to carry out missing and abducted children investigations. This moment, legislation, and day belong to all the families who have experienced the heart breaking a experience of a child gone missing”.
“I am honored to cosponsor Amendment 908 with Representative Matias and the rest of my colleagues. Standardizing policies and procedures across all of our law enforcement offices will enable us to build off best practices and improve their ability to locate missing or abducted children as soon as possible. I am hopeful that this amendment can provide some semblance of relief to the child’s family and friends, with the knowledge that law enforcement is following the best policies and procedures available to ensure a safe return of their loved one,” said Minority Leader Brad Jones
“The tragedy of a missing child is unlike any other, and we as elected officials must do everything we can to ensure families never experience this. Thank you to Representative Matias for her leadership on this issue, as we work to ensure Massachusetts is leading the way in the protection of children,” said Representative Moran.
“In the City of Lawrence and across the Commonwealth, we have seen a lack of uniformity on policies and procedures pertaining to missing and abducted children investigations. Procedures have varied from department to department, without specific state guidance on appropriate practices to be implemented. With the passage of Representative Matias’ legislation, which was drafted with the critical input of local law enforcement, policies and procedures for such investigations will be created and comprehensive minimum standards will be established for law enforcement agencies throughout the Commonwealth to reference and implement accordingly in their practices and training of law enforcement officers.”
“I appreciate the work of Representative Matias and the support of her colleagues to move this important matter forward. Parents and families who have suffered the loss of a child rely on the expertise of law enforcement. Having appropriate and uniform policies and procedures in place will be a great help to our public safety officers in their investigations and communications with families,” said State Senator Anne Gobi, who represents the town of Warren.
Representative Matias in her speech cited that the bill currently has the endorsements of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs of Police Association, the Molly Bish Foundation, and that of the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children. Once the final House Budget is completed, the legislation will move to the Senate.
