Louisiana: Legislature considering 'Spectrum Alert' (autism) bill

Mar 14, 2026, Louisiana bill would create ‘Spectrum Alert’ system for missing autistic children | KTVE - myarklamiss.com

At the state capitol, up for consideration is a bill that would create the ‘Spectrum Alert’ system to alert the public when a child with autism, which has a growing population, goes missing.

The Ace Charter School is an academy for students on the autism spectrum.  Parents and teachers there are excited about the Spectrum Alert bill, which would act like an Amber Alert for a missing child or a silver alert for a missing senior.

Monroe Representative Michael Echols authored HB74 with the Academy of Collaborative Education in mind.

If you go to the school and tour the school, you can see that these are very special young people. And we wanted to make sure we had some additional tools at both our local law enforcement level and at the local government level to ensure that these these people were protected at all costs.

Rep. Michael Echols (R), Monroe, District 14

Echols says since the amber and silver alert systems are already in place–it would cost one to two thousands dollars to implement–mostly for law enforcement training on interacting with those on the spectrum.

They have a high sensory environment.  So, you have to make sure you interact with those individuals in an appropriate way… Many people that have autism are nonverbal.  They have trouble communicating.  They could have other disabilities that don’t allow them to maybe understand what’s going on around them.

Rep. Michael Echols (R), Monroe, District 14In an alert major media would be notified—all cell phones signaled—there could be highway signage as well as text message campaigns, according to Echols.

The representative says that there is a similar Spectrum Alert bill in the senate.  So, if one fails to pass but the other did, they would still accomplish the same goal.  Echols says he doesn’t care which bill ‘crosses the finish line’ as long as the system is approved to be implemented.

The bill would also limit liability for individuals assisting in the rescue of a child with autism.