The Testimony that made "Athena Alerts" law in Texas - #StickWithStucky

we have you registered as Maitland Gandy representing yourself in favor of the bill is that correct yes sir please continue Athena is my daughter of any of the titles that anyone else that has come to speak to you has but I am a mother and I think most people I would be willing to bet in this room or either a grandparent a parent or an aunt or an uncle and this bill should mean anything to anyone that has those titles this isn't my normal realm so I'm a little bit nervous and talking about my daughter also is very upsetting um my daughter was kidnapped on November 30th of 2022 by a man that we didn't know I don't even like calling him a man and I begged from the moment that I got to her father's property for an amber alert and I asked and I continue to ask and unfortunately I kept getting met with the same response that she in her case did not meet the criteria for an amber alert to be issued it wasn't until about 24 hours later that it was sent out it was at 1704. and I will never forget that time I'm asking you guys to support this bill not for Athena because we can no longer help her but I'm asking you to support this bill for your own children for your own grandchildren and your nieces and nephews and all of the children that you don't even know if an amber alert had been issued immediately or some type of regional alert like the bill proposes it could have made a difference in my child's life but unfortunately I didn't get that courtesy and it's not just the state of Texas it's the United States we need to completely change our children should be our first priority we've had multiple people come up and talk about guns and school violence children are dying in other ways my daughter was taken from her father's front yard she wasn't out on the street she wasn't in a grocery store she was playing in her own front yard children are also being taken from their homes from their bedrooms and I just really hope that you guys can support this bill again not because we can help Athena but because I don't want someone to feel how I feel I don't want a mother to have to carry home and earn with their children's ashes I don't want to watch another grandparent more in the way my dad did and I don't want another aunt or uncle to have to see their niece or nephew lay in a casket beaten and broken like my baby was so please support this bill questions members representative Holland thank you Mr chairman Miss candy thank you for your strength and courage and uh you said this wasn't your realm but you did a very good job advocating for your issue and we thank you for being here today we're very sorry for your loss but um I I really appreciate your strength today and thank you for waiting all day for us to get off the floor I know you've probably been waiting a little bit but we appreciate you being here and taking the time to do this I enjoyed learning some things Jeremy Harless I do want to Echo uh representative Holland thanking you for being here and waiting all day I know it's not an easy thing to do I think being a mom a dad or a grandparent is the most important title anybody can have and I certainly plan on supporting this Bill thank you other questions members thank you ma'am is there anyone else wishing to testify on for or against House Bill 3556 there being none chair recognizes representative Stucky to close thank you chairman again you heard from Maitland and about Athena in Wise County we have a wonderful Sheriff he was a former Texas Ranger and now is the sheriff there and if he could have made the call he would have but he couldn't we need to change the law uh make it athene alerts and allow them to have a more Regional area within 100 miles of in this case Paradise Texas so that the alert went out much quicker because they knew from talking to Maitland and to others that it was necessary that there was something definitely wrong uh with that you know I believe HB 35 56 is a reasonable expansion to allow for law enforcement to take action more quickly in this missing children cases and ask for your favorable consideration at close