Rep. Yakym Introduces HAILEY Act in Honor of Indiana Teenager to Strengthen Missing Child Alerts

Resources / Press Share on Rep. Yakym Introduces HAILEY Act in Honor of Indiana Teenager to Strengthen Missing Child Alerts Jun 11, 2026 Press Legislation would empower law enforcement to issue AMBER Alerts for minors believed to be high-risk missing persons. WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, Congressman Rudy Yakym (R-IN-02) introduced the HAILEY Act —named in honor of 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee from Fishers, Indiana. The High-risk Alert Improvement for Locating Endangered Youth (HAILEY) Act would empower law enforcement to issue AMBER Alerts for individuals under the age of 18 believed to be high-risk missing persons—even when an abduction cannot be immediately confirmed. “As a father of three kids, I cannot imagine the pain this family has endured. Hailey Buzbee deserved better, and so do the countless other children who fall through the cracks of an alert system that wasn’t built for the threats they face today,” Rep. Yakym said. “This family is turning unimaginable tragedy into action to make sure no other child suffers the same fate, and I am honored to fight alongside them in Congress to make it happen.” “We are deeply grateful to Congressman Rudy Yakym for introducing the HAILEY Act, legislation focused on saving children’s lives and strengthening our nation’s fight and response against this relentless evil seeking to cause grave harm to our most precious gifts from God, our beautiful children,” the Buzbee Family said . “Real change for families like ours — who just want to keep our children safe — is now one step closer. We strongly encourage the U.S. House of Representatives to pass this commonsense legislation that could protect the next child before it’s too late.” Background: Hailey Buzbee had her whole life ahead of her. In January 2026, the 17-year-old was lured away by an adult she had met online—and never came home. Because her disappearance was initially classified as a runaway, no AMBER Alert was ever issued. Under current law, alerts only go out when law enforcement can confirm an abduction and determine a child is in immediate danger—a standard that left Hailey without the warning that could have saved her life, and one that continues to leave children vulnerable to online predators across the country. The HAILEY Act amends Section 302(a) of the PROTECT Act (34 U.S.C. 20502(a)) to add AMBER Alert issuance standards for individuals under 18 whom law enforcement reasonably believes to be a high-risk missing person. ### Share on