INDIANAPOLIS – Legislation to expand Indiana's Amber Alert system passed unanimously out of committee Tuesday, marking a victory for lawmakers and family pushing for child safety reforms following the death of Fishers teen Hailey Buzbee.
The amendment to House Bill 1303 was added and passed during a Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee hearing.
The legislation would expand the definition of a missing child to include a "high-risk missing person," giving law enforcement greater discretion to act more quickly in cases involving heightened safety concerns.
House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers), State Rep. Chris Jeter (R-Fishers), State Sen. Kyle Walker (R-Lawrence) and State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers) gathered alongside Hailey's parents on Monday to announce the legislative progress.
"This is an immediate step we can take to give law enforcement greater discretion in high-risk missing child cases," Jeter said following the unanimous vote. "But this is part of a much larger effort to modernize Indiana's child welfare and endangerment laws so they reflect the realities of social media and online activity that impact young people today."
The Hamilton Southeastern High School junior was last seen on January 5 after leaving home around 10 p.m. to meet a man she had met online. Her body was found in Ohio last week, with 39-year-old Tyler Thomas of Columbus arrested in connection with her death.
"Our Fishers community is mourning the terrible loss of Hailey Buzbee, and our hearts are with her family," Huston said. "We're acting urgently to close loopholes in Indiana's alert system to give law enforcement the tools they need and to better protect kids online."
The unanimous committee passage represents momentum for the broader child safety initiatives being proposed in Hailey's honor, including "Hailey's Law," which would create a new "Pink Alert" system and mandate yearly predator and online grooming training for children and teenagers in schools.
Legislators are also considering strengthened social media protections for Hoosier children and teens, with the House Education Committee hearing an amendment to Senate Bill 199 that would restore comprehensive social media restrictions for Indiana minors.
"There's no higher priority than the safety of our children," Hailey's father Beau Buzbee said. "The changes we make together will be rooted in the love Hailey brought into the world during her time with us."
