In a rare action the House agreed to send back to committee a proposal to raise the ceiling on the amount local governments can charge in fees.

The measure generated a number of questions and it was decided to return the bill to committee for further study.

The House then passed what is being called “Mattie’s Bill”. 

Mattie Moore was an Alzheimer patient in Atlanta who wandered from her room two years ago and unfortunately was found sometime later having perished.

What the measure adopted in her name will do is create a Statewide Mattie’s Call System similar to the Amber Alert system currently in place for missing children.

The system calls on law enforcement, broadcasters, and others to cooperate to quickly get out the word that a patient suffering from Alzheimer, dementia, or any other mental disability is missing.

Statistics show that 60 percent of all Alzheimer victims will wander and be lost and 46 percent of those will die if not found within 48 hours.

With the nation’s elderly population increasing, House Bill 728 could be an important tool in preventing future tragedies.

I’m Representative __________________ reporting from the capitol.