Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a law on August 2, 2013, that allows prosecutors to introduce a defendant's past similar convictions as evidence in child abduction cases. For most crimes, past convictions were not admissible during a trial. Supporters say it will allow jurors to consider whether the defendant has a propensity to target children. The law was spurred by a Chicago Tribune investigation that found child predators were rarely caught or received light sentences after repeated convictions.

New Mexico lawmakers have approved a bill that will allow AMBER Alerts to be issued for children abducted by a parent or family members. The state's current law only allows AMBER Alerts for children taken by strangers. On January 28, 2013, the House passed the bill 61–2, and it has gone to the Senate for consideration.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law five bills stemming from the murders of Amber Dubois and Chelsea King. Registered sex offender John Albert Gardner raped and killed the two teenage girls last spring. The laws do the following:

  • Require a life sentence without the possibility of parole for forcible sex acts against minors, tightens parole guidelines and requires lifelong tracking of certain sex offenders.
  • Give parents the right to seal autopsy reports and photographs of their murdered children.
  • Require the state to report an abduction to a national tracking system within 2 hours, instead of the current 4 hours.
  • Require improved law enforcement coordination for abductions.
  • Create a position of director of missing children operations.

Arizona legislators are proposing a law that would make it illegal to obscure your license plate. Lawmakers say a law is needed because people have been putting reflective plastic film over their license plates to avoid photo radar, but the covers could also interfere with finding a child after an AMBER Alert.