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2021 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 45
BY REPRESENTATIVE BAGLEY
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the office for citizens with developmental disabilities of the Louisiana
Department of Health to conduct a study concerning the feasibility and desirability
of implementing a system for tracking the location of children with developmental
and intellectual disabilities and to report findings of the study to certain legislative
committees.
WHEREAS, the safety of the children of this state is a paramount concern of the
legislature; and
WHEREAS, along with groups that advocate for people with disabilities and their
families, the legislature works to foster a culture in our state that cherishes children with
developmental and intellectual disabilities and prioritizes the needs and well-being of these
children; and
WHEREAS, beyond special educational and health needs, children with
developmental and intellectual disabilities often have special needs in terms of their safety;
and
WHEREAS, with respect to children with developmental and intellectual disabilities,
wandering (also called elopement) refers to a child leaving a safe area or a responsible
caregiver for longer than the brief time that a typical toddler might run off from someone
who is watching over him; and
WHEREAS, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates
that wandering is an important safety issue which can affect people with disabilities, their
families, and the community; and
WHEREAS, numerous studies have concluded that children with disabilities are at
much higher risk of experiencing exploitation and violence than their peers who do not have
disabilities; and
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WHEREAS, examples of such studies include one published in 2012 in the medical
journal The Lancet which found that, overall, children with disabilities are almost four times
more likely to experience violence than children without disabilities, and that the risk of a
child with a developmental or intellectual disability experiencing sexual violence is over
four-and-a-half times greater than that of a child with no such disability; and
WHEREAS, as evidenced by its adoption of House Concurrent Resolution No. 53
of the 2020 Regular Session and House Concurrent Resolution No. 84 of the 2019 Regular
Session, both of which addressed potential means of addressing safety issues experienced
by people with autism, the legislature has recently made efforts to find policy solutions for
protecting people with special needs; and
WHEREAS, a system for tracking the physical location of children with
developmental and intellectual disabilities could be a means of ensuring the safety of such
children; however, matters such as privacy, cost, duties and responsibilities relating to the
system, and, potentially, other important considerations should be evaluated before any
policymaking body considers implementing a system of this type.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the office for citizens with developmental disabilities of the Louisiana
Department of Health to conduct a study concerning the feasibility and desirability of
implementing a system for tracking the location of children with developmental and
intellectual disabilities.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in conducting the study called for in this
Resolution, the office for citizens with developmental disabilities shall engage, collaborate
with, and obtain information and perspective from stakeholder groups that advocate for
children with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their families.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Health shall submit
findings from the study called for in this Resolution in the form of a written report to the
House Committee on Health and Welfare, the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, the
House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice, the Senate Committee on Judiciary
B, and the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library on or before February 1, 2022.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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