Eula’s Law – HB 1209

In August of 2016, Southern Maryland lost a beloved citizen, Mary Eula (Proctor) Butler, affectionately known as Eula. She left her home at a senior citizen apartment community in Ft. Washington by car and wasn’t seen again for nearly three weeks. She apparently became disoriented and just drove until her car ran out of gas. She was ultimately found deceased in a remote area in Pennsylvania. Eula was my dear friend and cousin. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence for our senior citizens. State and county law enforcement officials were diligent in their search for Eula and they activated Maryland’s “Silver Alert Program,” a system that provides for rapid dissemination of information to assist in locating a missing person who suffers from a disability such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. In Eula’s honor, I have introduced legislation that will assist both the families whose loved ones have gone missing and law enforcement agencies conducting a search. When passed, this legislation will establish and maintain a publicly accessible online system that reflects, on a continuously updated basis the status of each active Silver Alert Case.