'Oakley Carlson Act' proposed in Washington Legislature
Folks gathering to honor missing Oakville girl Oakley Carlson this weekend were likely pleased by the recently proposed legislation inspired by her story.
The "Oakley Carlson Act" — House Bill 1397 — was written by Rep. Jim Walsh of the 19th District and has been filed in the Washington state 68th legislative session. The bill is aimed to maintain the safety of children who have been removed from a parent based on abuse, neglect or abandonment.
Oakley Carlson was last seen in February 2021, detectives say, when she was 5 years old. Detectives have said Oakley's parents have not been cooperative with investigators. The child's foster parents became concerned after returning her to her biological parents in 2019, according to detectives.
"The tragic disappearance of six-year-old Oakley Carlson has captured the attention of people from all corners of Washington state, the United States, and the world," Walsh wrote in the bill. "The fact that this vibrant little girl vanished after being removed from loving foster parents and returned to troubled birth parents raises serious questions about the effectiveness of our state's child welfare policies and bureaucracies."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/oakley-carlson-act-proposed-in-washington-legislature/ar-AA16ATci
