California legislators plan to introduce a bill named after Florida toddler Caylee Anthony that would make it a crime to fail to promptly report a child's disappearance or death.
They are seeking the change after Casey Anthony was acquitted last week of murder in her 2-year-old daughter's death. She was convicted of four misdemeanors of lying to investigators.
Assemblyman Paul Cook, a Republican from Yucca Valley, said Wednesday that his bill would make it a felony to not report a missing child within 48 hours, or a child's death within two hours.
Similar bills are pending in at least 17 states.
Cook's co-authors include Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, a Democrat from Livingston; Republican Assemblymen Kevin Jeffries of Lake Elsinore and Assemblyman David Valadao of Hanford; and Republican Sen. Tom Berryhill of Modesto.
