Senators Coons, Isakson to Trade Rep: South Africa must drop its duties on U.S. chicken

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) — two of the Senate’s leading experts on Africa — wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman on Tuesday night to underscore their opposition to illegal anti-dumping duties imposed by South Africa on American chicken. The senators repeated their warning that if South Africa’s duties were not dropped before the Senate considers the reauthorization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) this spring, they would work to prevent South Africa from continuing to enjoy the significant trade benefits afforded by the law.

“South Africa levied antidumping duties on U.S. poultry fourteen years ago, effectively blocking our companies from accessing the market,” the senators wrote. “In 2013, the WTO ruled against China in an almost identical system of antidumping duties imposed on U.S. poultry. There is now precedent within the WTO that South Africa’s antidumping duties do not conform with international trade regulations. However, despite repeated attempts by the U.S. government and U.S. poultry industry to remove these duties, they have remained in place.”

“South Africa, and other nations who benefit from trade preferences with the United States under AGOA, must address trade barriers in their own nations that limit or block U.S. exports,” the senators continued in their letter. “If this situation is not resolved before we conclude the legislative process to reauthorize AGOA, we will need to consider strengthening AGOA to prevent South Africa from benefitting from duty preferences while continuing to discriminate against U.S. goods, specifically poultry.”

The African Growth and Opportunity Act has served as the cornerstone of the U.S. commercial relationship with Africa since its enactment in 2000, successfully expanding U.S. trade with African countries that show a commitment to good governance and democratic principles. It has improved the trade environment both for U.S. and African businesses, and has spurred significant economic growth.

Senator Coons chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs in the last Congress. Senator Isakson is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the AGOA reauthorization bill. The two co-founded the bipartisan Senate Chicken Caucus in 2013.

The letter is available here as a PDF and is pasted below:

January 27, 2015

The Honorable Michael Froman
Office of the United States Trade Representative
600 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20508

Dear Ambassador Froman,

We write to you to express our strong support for reauthorization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) this year. AGOA has served as the cornerstone of the U.S. commercial relationship with Africa since its enactment in 2000, successfully expanding U.S. trade with African countries that show a commitment to good governance and democratic principles. It has improved the trade environment both for U.S. and African businesses, and has spurred significant economic growth. However, we believe it needs to be carefully reviewed and modified to address numerous challenges and concerns.

One issue that is of great importance to both of us and our states is that of poultry trade.  The poultry industry is an incredibly important economic driver in our states and across the nation. The industry supports 1.8 million jobs and contributes nearly $470 billion to the national economy, making up roughly 3% of GDP.  Export markets, particularly for chicken, make up approximately 20% of total American production.

As you may know, South Africa levied antidumping duties on U.S. poultry fourteen years ago, effectively blocking our companies from accessing the market.  In 2013, the WTO ruled against China in an almost identical system of antidumping duties imposed on U.S. poultry.  There is now precedent within the WTO that South Africa’s antidumping duties do not conform with international trade regulations.  However, despite repeated attempts by the U.S. government and U.S. poultry industry to remove these duties, they have remained in place, and duties have actually increased in recent years.

We have been closely following discussions regarding poultry trade and are concerned that following an initial meeting between the U.S. and South African poultry industries in September of last year, no progress has been made to address the issue.  We have reached out directly to President Zuma to express our concerns with the lack of progress and are eager to find a resolution.

To that end, we write to express our intent to address this issue in the reauthorization of AGOA.  South Africa, and other nations who benefit from trade preferences with the United States under AGOA must address trade barriers in their own nations that limit or block U.S. exports.  If this situation is not resolved before we conclude the legislative process to reauthorize AGOA, we will need to consider strengthening AGOA to prevent South Africa from benefitting from duty preferences while continuing to discriminate against U.S. goods, specifically poultry.

We look forward to working with you on this important matter.

Sincerely,

Johnny Isakson
United States Senator

Christopher A. Coons
United States Senator

cc: Chairman Hatch
Ranking Member Wyden
Senate Finance Committee

Senator Coons pushes bipartisan bill to prevent veterans’ suicide

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Monday cosponsored and urged his colleagues to pass a bipartisan bill that would improve mental health care and suicide prevention resources for American service members. The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act was passed by the House of Representatives on January 12. Each day, an estimated 22 American veterans commit suicide.

“Our troops deserve the best mental health care our nation can provide,” Senator Coons said. “Too many of our service men and women return home and fall through the cracks after receiving either inadequate care or no care at all. It’s unacceptable, and our staggering veterans suicide rate speaks volumes about the urgency of our work. The bipartisan Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act would go a long way toward making mental health and suicide prevention programs more effective and responsive to the needs of our veterans and I’m proud to sign on as a cosponsor. We have a lot of work to do to uphold our promise to those who serve our nation, and I look forward to working hard with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure we take this important step.”

The bill has unanimously passed the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. The bill was introduced as S. 167 in the Senate by Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and currently has 35 cosponsors.

When enacted, the bill would:

• Require a third-party evaluation of existing suicide prevention programs at the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to gauge their effectiveness and make recommendations for consolidation, elimination or improvement;
• Provide for a new website that offers veterans information regarding available mental health care services;
• Create a pilot loan repayment program for VA psychiatrists;
• Improve the exchange of training, best practices, and other resources among the VA and non-profit mental health organizations to enhance collaboration in suicide prevention efforts;
• Create a community outreach pilot program to help veterans transition from active duty service; and
• Extend the ability for certain combat veterans to enroll in the Veterans Health Administration for one year.

Senator Coons calls for vote on his amendment to Keystone XL Pipeline bill

WASHINGTON – With Senate Republicans having shut down debate of amendments to S.1, which would usurp the Administration’s review process and approve construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Monday called for a vote on his own amendment to the bill. The Senate is due to vote on cloture on S.1 on Monday evening.

“The Senate ought to be having a real debate about our energy and climate future,” Senator Coons said. “If we want to debate our nation’s energy strategy and efforts to combat climate change, the Senate should be considering a broader energy package that would support clean energy innovation, create jobs, lower energy costs, make us more energy-independent, and protect the environment. Now that the Senate has acknowledged that climate change is real, we should take the next step and acknowledge that it is the fiscally responsible thing to do to prepare for the impacts of climate change on our nation’s infrastructure. My amendment and the many other important amendments that have been offered still deserve a vote.”

Senator Coons’ amendment, #115, says — now that the Senate has agreed that climate change is real in an earlier amendment vote — the federal government should take additional steps to address the impacts and costs that climate change will have on our infrastructure. The amendment acknowledges that it’s more fiscally responsible to plan for and mitigate the impacts of sea level rise, increasing temperatures, and extreme weather now than to try to repair the damage afterward, and it makes clear that the federal government does have a role to play in preparing our communities for climate change. 

Full text of the amendment is below.

It is the sense of Congress that—

(1) climate change is already impacting the safety and reliability of the critical infrastructure systems of the United States, including buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, rail, ports, airports, levees, dams, and military installations through sea level rise, rising temperatures, and more frequent and intense extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, wildfires, and heat waves;

(2) significant energy, industrial and transportation infrastructure in the United States is located near the coast, in floodplains, or in other areas vulnerable to sea level rise;

(3) the impacts to infrastructure described in paragraph (1) have caused tangible economic costs that are likely to increase over time;

(4) it is fiscally prudent to prepare for and seek to mitigate the impacts described in paragraph (1), as it is estimated that every dollar spent on mitigation saves $4 in disaster relief;

(5) the Federal Government self-insures, offers insurance programs such as crop insurance and the national flood insurance program, and, in the case of extreme weather events, also serves as the insurer of last resort for public and private infrastructure;

(6) the Federal Government has a crucial role to play as a partner in working with State, local, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions to help ensure coordinated efforts to keep communities resilient;

(7) the role of the Federal Government should include prioritizing climate resilient projects when administering Federal grants, providing technical support, and sharing of data and information in user-friendly and accessible formats, among other actions;

(8) Federal agency climate change adaptation plans that assess the risk to physical assets and missions of the Federal agencies can help create savings for taxpayers; and

 (9) Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, should quantify the economic value of the physical risks of the agencies from climate change.

Senator Coons urges citizens to be on high alert for phone scams during tax season

WASHINGTON – With tax season upon us, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined the Treasury Department’s Inspector General to urge citizens to be alert for possible phone scams during tax-filing season. Thousands of people each year report receiving phone calls from individuals claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service in an attempt to defraud them.

“Delawareans work hard for their money — too hard for some criminal to steal it from them in a phone scam,” Senator Coons said. “Americans have lost millions to this widely perpetrated phone scam that can be traced internationally. We have to talk to our neighbors and family members to make sure they know that this scam is actually happening and to urge them not to be victims.”

The U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has received reports of roughly 290,000 contacts since October 2013 and has become aware of nearly 3,000 victims who have collectively lost over $14 million as a result of the scam, in which individuals make unsolicited calls to taxpayers fraudulently claiming to be IRS officials and demanding that they send cash via prepaid debit cards.

“The increasing number of people not only receiving but accepting these unsolicited calls from individuals who fraudulently claim to represent the IRS is alarming,” Inspector General J. Russell George said.  “At all times, and particularly during the tax filing season, we want to make sure that innocent taxpayers are alert to this scam so they are not harmed by these criminals,” he said, adding, “Do not become a victim.”

Inspector General George noted that the scam has hit taxpayers in every state in the country. Callers claiming to be from the IRS tell intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The scammers threaten those who refuse to pay with immediate arrest, deportation, or loss of a business or driver’s license.

The IRS usually first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes.  And the IRS won’t ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer.  The IRS also won’t ask for a credit card number over the phone.

The callers who commit this fraud often:

• Utilize an automated robocall machine.
• Use common names and fake IRS badge numbers.
• May know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security      Number.
• Make caller ID information appear as if the IRS is calling.
• Send bogus IRS e-mails to support their scam.
• Call a second or third time claiming to be the police or department of motor vehicles, and the caller ID again supports their claim.

If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS asking for a payment, here’s what to do:

• If you owe Federal taxes, or think you might owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions.
• If you don’t owe taxes, fill out the “IRS Impersonation scam” form on TIGTA’s website, www.treasury.gov/tigta or call TIGTA at 800-366-4484.
• You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTC.gov.  Add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments in your complaint

Taxpayers should be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes winner) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS.

If you or someone you know are a victim of an IRS scam, please call Senator Coons’ constituent services representatives at 302-573-6345.

Senator Coons marks anniversary of Roe v. Wade with bill to protect women’s reproductive care

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) this week to reintroduce the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would require states to regulate abortion providers in the exact same way they do other clinics and doctors, thereby removing harmful restrictions on women’s access to abortion services. A member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Coons was one of 33 original cosponsors of the bill re-introduced on the eve of the 42nd anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision Thursday.

“A woman’s right to choose has been settled law for more than 40 years, and yet that right continues to come under attack,” Senator Coons said. “Women’s reproductive health choices should be between them and their doctors, and politicians should not be standing in the way. Congress should ensure that women and families have access to safe and affordable reproductive health care, no matter their income level or where they live. We need to remain vigilant about protecting the rights of women and their families to make their own private health care decisions, and to ensure accessible and affordable reproductive care for Delawareans and all Americans.”

“Planned Parenthood of Delaware applauds Senator Coons for once again sponsoring this critical legislation to protect the health and lives of women in Delaware and across the nation,” Planned Parenthood of Delaware President and CEO Ruth Lytle-Barnaby said. “Reproductive health care is essential health care and no physician should be singled out for providing safe and legal medical procedures.”

The Women’s Health Protection Act would protect a woman’s right and ability to determine whether and when to start a family by limiting harmful restrictions on access to abortion services. It would prohibit laws that impose burdensome requirements on access to reproductive health services, like requiring doctors to perform tests and procedures that doctors themselves have deemed unnecessary, requiring women to make several separate – and potentially costly – trips to the clinic, or preventing doctors from prescribing and dispensing medication as is medically appropriate. These restrictions are unnecessary, extreme measures that do not significantly advance women’s health or the safety of abortion services. Instead, they aim to make abortion services more difficult to access.

If passed, this legislation would affect three restrictions currently on the books in Delaware:

• Prior to giving consent, a woman must receive a state-mandated explanation of the abortion procedure and its effects that must include:  (1) a description of fetal development; (2) an explanation of the proposed procedure, its risks, and the alternative procedures; (3) the probable effects of the procedure on the woman’s future childbearing ability and on possible future pregnancies; and (4) an explanation of alternatives to abortion. 
• Delaware prohibits certain qualified health-care professionals from providing abortion services. 
• Delaware law restricts young women’s access to abortion services by mandating parental notice.

Federal government releases additional funds to help Delawareans heat their homes

WASHINGTON – As winter continues to grip Delaware and major portions of the country, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del) welcomed the news Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will release an additional $1 million to supplement Delaware’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). In October, Delaware received more than $11 million in LIHEAP funds.

“As colder weather heads into our state, it’s important that we are aware of the challenges that face some of our most vulnerable neighbors,” Senator Coons said. “Making a decision between heating your home and putting food on the table is something no one should be faced with. This additional funding from HHS will continue to assist those families and individuals and ensure they won’t be forced to make those decisions through those cold winter months.”

Non-profit organizations like Catholic Charities will administer the additional funds.

“Catholic Charities continues to see an increased demand for heating assistance as the frigid winter weather arrives. LIHEAP funding allows households to be comfortable without having to make difficult choices between heat and rent, food, or necessary medical care,” said Richelle A. Vible, Catholic Charities Executive Director.

In early October 2014, Senator Coons and 45 of his colleagues sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell reminding her that LIHEAP is the main federal program helping low-income households and seniors with their energy bills. LIHEAP funding helps more than 19,000 at-risk Delawareans and its absence could mean a choice between medicine, groceries, or heating the home.

Senator Coons is committed to protecting funding for LIHEAP, as well as investing in other energy efficiency programs, such as weatherization, that can keep heating costs down for Delaware families.

If you or someone you know are in need of assistance to heat your home this winter, please call Sen. Coons’ constituent services representatives at 302-573-6345.

Statement of Senator Coons on President Obama’s State of the Union address

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement Tuesday night following President Obama’s State of the Union address.

“President Obama tonight made a forceful case for how we can strengthen our middle class and accelerate our nation’s economic recovery. Our nation has come a long way since the depths of the recession, and today we have the lowest unemployment rate in years and have had the longest period of sustained, private-sector job growth on record. Unfortunately, I hear from too many middle class and working families that haven’t yet experienced the benefits of the recovery, and with the gap between rich and poor still growing, much more work lies ahead of us.”

“The President laid out a bold plan to help our businesses create good jobs, give working Americans a leg up, and make our tax code more fair. Our infrastructure needs serious investment to meet our economy’s growing demands, so the President’s proposals to bring private capital off the sidelines and increase the effectiveness of public investment at all levels are important. I’ve been proud to support innovative ways to fund our infrastructure needs and I look forward to working with the President to create good jobs today and tomorrow.

“Central to our nation’s promise has always been that if Americans are willing to work hard, they’ll be able to get ahead. The President’s plan to reform our tax code includes Democratic and Republican proposals to better support working Americans and close tax loopholes that only benefit the wealthy. While it is no substitute for Congress enacting comprehensive reforms to our tax system, the President has proposed a compelling start. I was also encouraged that the President proposed that our nation provide hard-working Americans with a community college education. I look forward to working across the aisle to learn from the experience of Delaware’s SEED and Inspire Scholarships, and to crafting a solution that makes community college a reality for the next generation of Americans. If our economy is to remain competitive, Americans must have access to the education and training they need to thrive.

“There were many more proposals that should unite members of both parties – from manufacturing and expanded access to broadband internet, to middle-class tax cuts and stronger cyber security measures – but I agreed with President Obama’s main message tonight: we must do more for middle class Americans. The President’s call for fairness and opportunity is not only consistent with our values, but is pivotal to our nation’s continued prosperity. I look forward to working with his Administration and my colleagues in Congress to find common ground and move our nation forward.”

Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Appropriations, Judiciary, Foreign Relations, Ethics, and Small Business committees.

Hatch, Klobuchar, Rubio, Coons, Flake, Blumenthal introduce high-skilled immigration bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today introduced legislation, the Immigration Innovation (“I-Squared”) Act of 2015, to bring long-overdue reforms to the nation’s immigration laws for high-skilled workers.  The bill focuses on areas vital to ensuring the United States can maintain its competitiveness in the global economy: the quantity of employment-based nonimmigrant visas (H-1B visas), allowing for their growth depending on the demands of the economy while making reforms to protect workers; increased access to green cards for high-skilled workers by expanding the exemptions and eliminating the annual per country limits for employment based green cards; and reforming the fees on H-1B and green cards so those fees can be used to promote American worker retraining and education. The bill was first introduced in the 113^th Congress. 

“Our bill is a commonsense, bipartisan approach to help ensure that those who have come here to be educated in high-tech fields are able to stay with their families and contribute to the economy and our society,” Hatch said. “I’m calling on everyone — the President, members of both parties, and stakeholders in the tech community – to support this bill and help make it the first step towards real immigration reform. We must find make concrete progress to solve some of the many critical problems facing our nation. I-Squared is an obvious solution to an undeniable need, and I want to work with everyone to get it done now.”

The bipartisan legislation is the result of constant outreach with leaders in the business and high-tech industries.

“This is a commonsense, bipartisan proposal to help ensure the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs get their start in America, no matter where they are born,” Klobuchar said. “We need to move forward on immigration reform for the good of our economy and the good of our country, and I will continue to push for action.”

“America deserves an immigration system that works for our economy, drives innovation, and creates good paying jobs for our people,” said Rubio. “An immigration system for the 21st century will be judged by whether it provides the conditions for both security and economic growth. The reforms in this legislation lead the way to such a system, which I believe we can ultimately achieve after meeting the immediate challenges of securing our borders and improving internal enforcement.”

“The creativity, ingenuity, and determination that immigrants have brought to this county have been a large part of our economic success,” Coons said. “Our immigration system is broken, though, and while I still believe the Senate should come together again on comprehensive immigration reform, it’s important that we make progress in the areas that Democrats and Republicans do agree on, like steps to ensure that the world’s best and brightest do their work here in the United States. Inspiration is a precious resource, and if we want those ideas to be turned into job-creating innovations here in the U.S., we need to ensure those individuals can earn status here.”

“I am pleased to have the opportunity to continue to push for critical reforms to benefit high-skilled legal immigration and ensure that the U.S. economy has the talent it needs to be competitive in the global marketplace,” said Flake.

“The United States cannot afford to exclude talented immigrants who have the skills, initiative and desire to fuel innovation and economic growth in America,” said Blumenthal. “Welcoming skilled workers and making it easier for them to protect their rights at work must be key components of any comprehensive immigration solution. The I-Squared Act is true to American values and good for the American economy.”

Senator Coons re-introduces bill to reauthorize Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, has re-introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the lifesaving Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program — a competitive federal grant program that helps state and local law enforcement agencies purchase bulletproof vests for officers working in the field. Senator Coons introduced the bill with Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).

“A bullet-resistant vest is not an accessory; it is a critical part of every officer’s uniform,” Senator Coons said. “The federal Bulletproof Vest Partnership makes vests more affordable, ensuring that when officers go out to protect our communities, they can do so as safely as possible. The legislation authorizing this program has expired. We need to save this so the program can keep saving lives.”

On February 11, 2013, bulletproof vests purchased through the federal Bulletproof Vest Partnership saved the lives of two Capitol Police officers, Sergeant Michael Manley and Corporal Steve Rinehart, during a shooting at the New Castle County Courthouse in Wilmington. Both officers were struck, but survived because of their vests.

The legislation reauthorizes the program for five years, and it includes important reforms to meet the needs of today’s law enforcement officers. The bill creates incentives for agencies to provide uniquely fitted vests for female officers—a critical provision highlighted by officers like Officer Ann Carrizales of the Stafford, Texas police department, who was shot twice during a routine traffic stop in 2013. Carrizales recounted the dramatic experience at a Judiciary Committee hearing last year, telling Committee members that “I would not be sitting here today had I not been wearing a properly fitting bulletproof vest.”

In addition, the bill ensures that agencies uphold mandatory wear policies so that the vests are worn regularly. To ensure taxpayer dollars are not misused, the bill also makes clear that grantees cannot use other federal grant funds to meet the matching fund requirement the program requires. The Government Accountability Office recommended these commonsense reforms in a 2012 study about the program.

The program has issued more than one million lifesaving vests to more than 13,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the country since it was established in 1999. Congress has reauthorized the program three times, most recently in 2008. However, the program’s charter expired in September 2012 and the Senate has failed to pass reauthorization legislation despite bipartisan efforts to do so. 

According to the Government Accountability Office, the lives of approximately 3,000 law enforcement officers have been saved by body armor since 1987. In Delaware, more than $2 million in grant money has helped to supply 18,582 vests in the last fifteen years.

“Police officers work to make us safer every day,” Senator Coons said. “Congress should be working to make police officers safer, too. I thank my Republican colleagues for joining us in support of this bill and look forward to getting it passed during this Congress.”

A copy of the bill is available online. Other cosponsors include Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and John Cornyn (R-Texas).

Supporters of the bill include the Fraternal Order of Police, International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Association of Police Organizations, National Sheriffs’ Association, Major County Sheriffs’ Association, Major Cities Chiefs Association, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National Tactical Officers Association, and the Sergeants Benevolent Association.

Senator Coons praises Facebook plan to display AMBER Alerts

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, issued the following statement Tuesday on Facebook’s announcement that it would begin automatically displaying AMBER Alerts to Facebook users in the designated search area.

“Police officers will tell you that the best way to get missing children home to their families is by getting the word out quickly and widely, using every distribution channel possible,” Senator Coons said. “Utilization of the Facebook platform will expand the reach of AMBER Alerts significantly, recruiting thousands of pairs of eyes to each search effort. Facebook’s integration of localized AMBER Alerts into its News Feed is a welcome, appreciated, and substantial gesture of partnership, and it will make an enormous difference in the effort to find children who have gone missing.”

The AMBER Alert™ Program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry, to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and the safe recovery of the child.