PSI Sci
New here? Follow the money and the votes · Not sure of your district? Find your U.S. House member · Find your state legislators

H.R. 4221: Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2017

Before you vote › Federal bills

H.R. 4221: Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-11-02 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (E1621-1622)

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2017-11-02 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (E1621-1622) Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2017

Plain summary

Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2017 Missing Americans Alert Program Act of 2017 This bill amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to revise, rename, and reauthorize through FY2022 the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program. It directs the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Bureau of Justice Assistance to award grants: to develop or operate programs to prevent wandering and locate missing individuals with dementia or children with developmental disabilities, and to develop tracking technology programs to locate missing individuals with dementia or children with developmental disabilities. The bill amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to specify that, with respect to training and technical assistance provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, cases involving missing and exploited children include cases involving children with developmental disabilities such as autism. DOJ must establish and certain grant recipients must comply with standards and best practices related to the use of tracking technology to locate missing individuals with dementia or developmental disabilities. The bill prohibits the use of data from tracking devices to create a federal database. It also prohibits construing this bill to require a parent or guardian to use a tracking device.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · 36 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Maxine Waters (D-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Steve Cohen (D-TN), John Garamendi (D-CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), John B. Larson (D-CT), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), André Carson (D-IN), Brian J. Mast (R-FL), Don Bacon (R-NE), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Tom Cole (R-OK), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Adam Smith (D-WA), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA), Judy Chu (D-CA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] reported raising $797,217 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong115-hr4221 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115