House committee passes autism missing person alert system
ATLANTA (WSAV) — House Bill 465, the Autism Missing Person Alert System Act, passed unanimously out of the House Human Relations and Aging Committee, a local legislator said Friday.
HB 465 would add autism spectrum disorder to the list of conditions to activate the Mattie's Call state-wide alert system for missing disabled adults. This activation would allow for local law enforcement to prioritize searching waterways and roadways, which is part of Mattie's Call.
It would also allow for law enforcement to disclose autism-related behaviors that could help identifying a missing person with autism spectrum disorder, bill sponsor State Representative Carl Gilliard (D-Savannah) said.
Activation of the alert system for those with autism spectrum disorder would include guidance to local law enforcement to prioritize waterways and public roadways in their search and to disclose distinctive autism-related behaviors that can identify the missing person.
'Today, I am proud to see House Bill 465, the Autism Missing Person Alert System Act, pass unanimously out of the House Human Relations and Aging Committee,' said Rep. Gilliard. 'This is a vital step forward in ensuring that individuals with autism spectrum disorder, who may be at increased risk of going missing, are given the attention and resources they deserve. I applaud the committee for their dedication to advancing this important legislation, and I look forward to seeing it continue its journey through the legislative process to better protect our most vulnerable citizens. I would also like to extend my thanks to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for their hard work and collaboration in helping to shape this legislation.'
HB 465 will now be considered by the House Rules Committee.
You can read the full bill here:
20252026-232492Download
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Grant applications roll out in response to Georgia opioid crisis
ATLANTA, Ga. (WSAV) — The Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust works to eradicate and prevent the opioid crisis. In 2022, Georgia secured $638 million from settlements with major pharmaceutical companies and an additional $13 million from McKinsey & Company to combat the opioid crisis. The funds go to support initiatives like expanding treatment options, increasing public awareness and providing life-saving naloxone, more commonly known as Narcan. Governor Brian Kemp said, 'Like every other state, the opioid crisis has hit Georgia communities and families hard and with lasting effect. These funds will help us fight the good fight against the disease of addiction, help us make our communities more secure and help us see that justice is done for the victims of these opioid manufacturers and distributors.' The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (GDBHDD) says opioid-related overdoses have killed more than 650,000 people over the last 25 years, with a 200 percent increase between 2010 and 2020. Kevin Tanner, State Commissioner for the GDBHDD, said of the settlement, '$479 million of that money will flow through the trust over the next 18 years and out of that, 60 percent will go statewide initiatives, and 40 percent for regional initiatives. We opened that first opportunity for grants last year.' Apply online for the funds through Wednesday, June 18, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pentagon diverts $1 billion from barracks improvements to send troops to border
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – The Pentagon is diverting $1 billion from army barracks upkeep and maintenance funds to send more troops to the Southern border. In their fiscal plan for the rest of 2025, the Pentagon has decided to move over a billion dollars from Facilities, Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization, a fund that is primarily used for barracks upgrades, to fund President Trump's border mission. The Pentagon has the discretion to move around some funds between accounts as long as that money has already been appropriated by Congress through a process called reprogramming. 'To kind of go back to this old mantra of the military that we have to just suffer the whole time is kind of disappointing and disheartening, especially when we saw some progress moving forward to go away from that,' John Hartman, a veteran who was stationed at Fort Stewart until 2019 and now lives in Savannah said. The Government Accountability Office released a scathing report in 2023 identifying unsafe and unsanitary conditions in barracks around the country. WSAV reported exclusively on some of the poor conditions in the barracks at our own Fort Stewart. 'The desperation and the depression that's caused by the barracks and the housing,' one soldier living in the Fort Stewart barracks at the time said. Now, the Pentagon is diverting $1 billion of the money that was meant to go toward fixing barracks issues. 'Issues with washing machines not working, mold, stuff like that, ACs going out. It's Fort Stewart, that happening in the middle of the summer is brutal, especially when you've been outside all day in the heat working,' Hartman said of the conditions during his time at the installation. Even staunch Trump administration supporter Rep. Buddy Carter (GA-01) has advocated for balance. 'I've been to visit the barracks at Hunter Army Airfield, at Fort Stewart. I will tell you they are in need of repair,' he said. 'Sending money to the southern border is not a bad thing. It's a good thing, but at the same time, we can do both.' Rep. Carter said he's a proponent of replacing the funds with a provision in the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' making its way through Congress. However, that bill has not been passed, and the funding is not guaranteed. 'It doesn't matter whether it comes back or not. There's still going to be backlog. There's still going to be expenses that pile up. At the end of the day, you're just kind of digging a deeper hole,' Hartman said. 'It's a complicated situation, but the answer is not taking such a large amount of funding away from bettering the lives of our service members to push it toward this other issue.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
County estimates nearly $700M in capital projects
CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) – Chatham County officials estimate nearly $700 million dollars in capital projects, and they are hoping a new round of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds will help cover the cost. County and city leaders are in the home stretch to make sure SPLOST VIII makes it onto the Nov. 4 ballot. WSAV spoke with commissioner Aaron Whitely about the process. 'Without a special local option sales tax, we would be depending solely on property taxes to fund this,' he said. 'So that's why you'll hear folks such as myself encouraging people to vote for SPLOST because it helps us keep our costs down.: The county has held several town halls about the funding, and he said top priorities he is hearing from the community is affordable housing, roadway repairs and drainage improvements. Several municipalities are also working together to finalize a list of projects they want to prioritize within this budget. 'So as far as some local projects, areas that are going to see that you'll see I think is Quacco Road and Little Neck Road might be somewhere, stormwater drainage, especially on the westside…' Whitely said. He continued, 'but from a county perspective, another one of our big focuses is getting our regional athletic facility done as it will serve as an economic stimulus for that area on the south side, as well as another space that is centrally located for recreation. Whitely also responded to residents who may be skeptical about voting yes in November. 'To my neighbors, you are already currently paying this one penny,' he said. 'All we're asking is to continue it so that we can continue to build our county for the growth that we are experiencing.' Commissioners will hold a workshop on June 18 at 4:30 p.m. to review the project list. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.