A bill was passed in the Pennsylvania Senate that would allow schools to give out identification kits to kids so local police would be able to get their information in case they go missing. 

The bill would allow PA schools to offer the kits to first grade students - which take the child's fingerprints and DNA. Families would complete them at home and then hold on to them. Then if their child ever goes missing they would turn the kit over to their local police department. The hope is that if the police have this information it would help them find the child and bring them home. 

The police departments would not be able to use the fingerprints or DNA for anything other than finding a missing child. 

“The finger prints the DNA will not be downloaded into any database either for the state of Pennsylvania or any national database,” Matt Mangino, 21 News Legal Analyst said. 

According to the FBI, more than 500,000 children in the United States go missing each year, that is one child every 40 seconds.

The bill was passed in the PA senate and has now been sent to the house to consider. If passed, the kits would be free to any first grade student in PA schools and would be given out every year. 

Parents that are married have to decide between themselves if they will use the identification kit. If parents of a child are separated - the parent with legal custody of the child would be the one to make the decision if they use the kit.

“I’m sure there's going to be issues like that and those kinks are going to have to be worked out,” Mangino said. 

States like South Carolina, Texas and Utah have given out similar child identification kits.