In October 2009, the Michigan House of Representatives unanimously passed House Bill 5190 which will create the Mozelle Senior Medical Alert Act.  Introduced by State Representative Mark Meadows (D-East Lansing), this legislation establishes a public notification system for missing seniors, similar to the Amber Alert for missing children.  The bill was named in honor of Estelle Mozelle Pierce, a southwest Detroit native who died after wandering from her home. 

The bill, now in the Senate Senior Citizens Committee where it is awaiting a hearing date, establishes standards for law-enforcement notification, investigation, report preparation and distribution, and media publication.  The legislation needs to receive a hearing in  committee and be voted out of the  senate before it can travel to the  governor’s desk to be signed into law. 

Estelle Mozelle Pierce’s daughter, Dionne Pierce, knows the pain that such an unnecessary loss can bring.  “I have been working with the  state  legislature to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen to another family,” Pierce exclaimed.  “This legislation allows for a quick response from law enforcement and the media to find a missing vulnerable adult.  This gives law enforcement the green light to disregard the rules that enforce a waiting period when searching for an adult.  I look forward to the legislation’s passage this year and ask everyone to call the committee chairman and ask for this legislation to receive a hearing in the senate in memory of my mother, Estelle Mozelle,” added Pierce. 
 
The Michigan House of Representatives has taken up numerous pieces of legislation this session designed to strengthen elder abuse laws and prevent financial exploitation.
 
Anyone interested in seeing this legislation receive a hearing in the senate committee, please contact the chairman, Senator Jason Allen (R-Traverse City) at 517-373-2413 and ask that he take up House Bill 5190 in committee on behalf of individuals with Alzheimer’s and their families. 

Lisa Ewald can be reached by email at Lisa.Ewald@alz.org.