In the wake of the Casey Anthony verdict (which nearly two-thirds of Americans disagree with) lawmakers across the nation are trying to prevent something like that happening in their jurisdiction. And New York is no different. Enter Staten Island Senator Andrew Lanza.
Today Lanza announced that he will introduce Caylee's Law, after Casey Anthony's late daughter, to the Senate at a future date. The gist of the law is that it would make it a class E Felony for a parent or guardian to not report a child missing within 24 hours of their disappearance.
“In wake of the Caylee Anthony case, like many New Yorkers, I was shocked to learn that it is not a felony to fail to report your child missing,” Lanza said in a statement. "It is inconceivable and dangerous that a parent or guardian would not immediately report to the authorities when their child goes missing. Not doing so should be a serious crime and this legislation would do just that in the State of New York.”
Lanza isn't even the only pol working on such a bill in New York. Democratic Assemblywoman Grace Meng is also working on a Caylee's Law. Unlike Lanza, however, Meng has yet to define how long she thinks a parent could legally wait before contacting authorities.
