Published July 08, 2011
| FoxNews.com
The trial and acquittal of Casey Anthony has spawned a slew of proposed laws named after her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, as lawmakers and their constituents try to extract some measure of reform out of a case that ended -- for many onlookers -- with frustration.
The state proposals, which sprung up after an Oklahoma woman started an online petition drive Tuesday, would generally make it a felony for a parent not to report the death or disappearance of his or her child in a certain period of time.
July 7: Casey Anthony sits in court during her sentencing at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida.
Lawmakers have been drafting the bills at a furious pace since the Florida mother was found not guilty Tuesday in the death of her daughter.
In Maryland, Sen. Nancy Jacobs said she received nearly two dozen emails from constituents in the days following the verdict. She said they asked that she review Maryland law and find a way to criminalize the act of not reporting the death of one's child.
Jacobs, who is proposing a bill, said her version would make it a felony for a parent, legal guardian or caretaker not to notify law enforcement of the death of a child within a short period of time after the death is discovered.
Back in Florida, several lawmakers filed "Caylee's Law" on Thursday. Their proposal would require caregivers to promptly report a missing or dead child, and to promptly report to law enforcement the location of a child's corpse if it is known.
Other proposals are either filed or in the works in North Carolina, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other states, according to local reports.
Caylee was last seen on June 16, 2008, but her mother didn't report her missing. The child's grandmother notified authorities July 15.
The case captivated the country for three years, but Anthony was convicted this week only on counts of lying to investigators. She is expected to be released July 17.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/08/anthony-case-fuels-caylees-law-proposals-in-state-capitals/#ixzz1RemkaE6E
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