2 MI lawmakers pushing for Caylee's Law

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - As a result of the trial and release of Casey Anthony, two Michigan law makers are pushing to close the loopholes in current state laws.

State Rep. Tom Hooker (R-Byron Center) and State Sen. Mark Jansen (R-Gaines Township) are advocating for Caylee's Law. The law would make both failure to report a missing child and failure to report a dead body felony offences in Michigan.

In Casey Anthony's nationally known case, she did not report her daughter Caylee missing for 31 days. As of right now, the failure to report a missing child is not considered a crime.

"Caylee's Law is a common sense response to a gap in our laws," said Hooker in a news release. "It is tragic that an innocent child had to die for us to see what is missing in our justice system, and while it's too late to protect little Casey Anthony, these laws may prevent another disaster like this. Being able to account for a child seems like something we shouldn't have to legislate, but my colleagues and I would rather make it official than let another child slip through the cracks. I am and always have been pro-life and as far as I'm concerned, that extends to kids who have already been born."

According to a news release, under the new legislation a felony charge would occur when a missing child under the age of 13 is not reported within 24 hours. The legislation would also make it a felony to conceal or fail to report a dead body immediately upon discovery.

"The goal here is to correct an oversight in our laws and make it a felony for someone to ignore that a child is missing, or to conceal a dead body once found," said Jansen. "The waste of resources in Florida while law enforcement and volunteers searched for months for Caylee Anthony is regrettable. We believe having laws on the books that make it a felony not to report a missing child or dead body in a timely fashion will protect children and resources in the future."

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House Bills 4872 and 4873 and Senate Bills 578 and 579 are in response to the recent murder trial in Florida, during which Casey Anthony was acquitted of killing her young daughter Caylee in 2008.

House Bills 4782 and 4783 were referred to the House Judiciary Committee. Senate Bills 578 and 589 are expected to be referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee in August.