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By Neal Wagner The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at cutting down on child abductions throughout the state during its Jan. 26 session. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, will now move on to be considered by the Alabama Senate. If passed, the bill would allow the state’s courts to take a proactive approach toward identifying and preventing child abuse, Ward said. The bill would instruct courts to consider several child abduction indicators, like previous abductions, a history of domestic violence and several other factors. The courts can use the indicators to determine if it should impose travel restrictions, prohibit someone from removing the child from the state or turn the child’s name over to the U.S. Department of State’s Child Passport Issuance Alert Program. The bill would also outline interstate jurisdiction guidelines in the event of an abduction. “Although we already have good laws in place in regard to child abductions, the legislature needs to set some specific guidelines for the judicial system to ensure that our children are as safe and secure as possible,” Ward wrote in a press release. “This bill will do that.”
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