Corey Adams Searchlight Act

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3775 To encourage, enhance, and integrate Green Alert plans throughout the United States, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 31, 2023 Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin (for herself and Mr. MFUME) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To encourage, enhance, and integrate Green Alert plans throughout the United States, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Corey Adams Search- 4 light Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this Act: 7 (1) MISSING VETERAN.—The term ‘‘missing 8 veteran’’ means an individual who— 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jun 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3775.IH H3775 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 3775 IH (A) is reported to, or identified by, a law 1 enforcement agency as a missing person; 2 (B) is a veteran; and 3 (C) meets the requirements to be des- 4 ignated as a missing veteran, as determined by 5 the State in which the individual is reported or 6 identified as a missing person. 7 (2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 8 the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Com- 9 monwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 10 Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Common- 11 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 12 (3) GREEN ALERT.—The term ‘‘Green Alert’’ 13 means an alert issued through the Green Alert com- 14 munications network, related to a missing veteran. 15 (4) VETERAN.—The term ‘‘veteran’’ means an 16 individual who is currently serving or a former mem- 17 ber who served in the United States Armed Forces, 18 including National Guard, or a Reserve or auxiliary 19 unit from any branch of the Armed Forces. 20 SEC. 3. GREEN ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall, sub- 22 ject to the availability of appropriations, establish a na- 23 tional communications network, to be known as the Green 24 Alert communications network, within the Department of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jun 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3775.IH H3775 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 3775 IH Justice to provide assistance to regional and local search 1 efforts for missing veterans through the initiation, facilita- 2 tion, and promotion of local elements of the network (re- 3 ferred to in this Act as ‘‘Green Alert plans’’), in coordina- 4 tion with States, federally or State recognized Tribes, 5 units of local government, law enforcement agencies, the 6 Department of Veterans Affairs, and other concerned enti- 7 ties with expertise in providing services to veterans. 8 (b) COORDINATION WITH AMBER ALERT NETWORK 9 AND OTHER ALERT NETWORKS.—In establishing the 10 Green Alert communications network under subsection 11 (a), the Attorney General shall work with States to ensure, 12 when feasible, the Green Alert communications network 13 is able to operate in coordination with a State’s existing 14 AMBER Alert communications network, established under 15 subtitle A of title III of the PROTECT Act (34 U.S.C. 16 20501 et seq.), and any other State alert networks, to 17 maximize the efficiency of all such alert systems, and to 18 prevent overuse or improper activations of such networks. 19 SEC. 4. GREEN ALERT COORDINATOR. 20 (a) NATIONAL COORDINATOR WITHIN DEPARTMENT 21 OF JUSTICE.—The Attorney General shall designate an 22 individual of the Department of Justice to act as the na- 23 tional coordinator of the Green Alert communications net- 24 work. The individual so designated shall be known as the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jun 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3775.IH H3775 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 3775 IH Green Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice (re- 1 ferred to in this Act as the ‘‘Coordinator’’). 2 (b) DUTIES OF THE COORDINATOR.—In acting as the 3 national coordinator of the Green Alert communications 4 network, the Coordinator shall— 5 (1) work with States and Tribal governments to 6 encourage the development of additional Green Alert 7 plans in the network; 8 (2) assess the ability of each State to imple- 9 ment Green Alerts, including the ability and re- 10 sources available to each State to broadcast such 11 alerts; 12 (3) establish voluntary guidelines for States to 13 use in developing Green Alert plans that will pro- 14 mote compatible and integrated Green Alert plans 15 throughout the United States, including— 16 (A) a list of the resources necessary to es- 17 tablish a Green Alert plan; 18 (B) criteria for evaluating whether a situa- 19 tion warrants issuing a Green Alert, taking into 20 consideration the need to prevent overuse or de- 21 sensitization to such alerts, including criteria to 22 determine— 23 (i) whether the mental or physical ca- 24 pacity of a veteran who is missing, and the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jun 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3775.IH H3775 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 3775 IH circumstances of his or her disappearance, 1 warrant the issuance of a Green Alert, in- 2 cluding whether the veteran has a condi- 3 tion related to the veteran’s service in the 4 Armed Forces that increases the risk that 5 the veteran will harm himself or herself, or 6 another person; and 7 (ii) whether the individual who reports 8 that a veteran is missing is an appropriate 9 and credible source on which to base the 10 issuance of a Green Alert; 11 (C) a description of the appropriate uses of 12 the Green Alert name to readily identify the na- 13 ture of search efforts for missing veterans; and 14 (D) recommendations on how to protect 15 the privacy, dignity, independence, and auton- 16 omy of any missing veteran who may be the 17 subject of a Green Alert; 18 (4) develop proposed protocols for efforts to re- 19 cover missing veterans and to reduce the number of 20 veterans who are reported missing, including proto- 21 cols for procedures that are needed from the time of 22 initial notification of a law enforcement agency that 23 the veteran is missing through the time of the re- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jun 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3775.IH H3775 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 3775 IH turn of the veteran to family, guardian, or domicile, 1 as appropriate, including— 2 (A) public safety communications protocol; 3 (B) case management protocol; 4 (C) command center operations; 5 (D) reunification protocol; and 6 (E) incident review, evaluation, debriefing, 7 and public information procedures; 8 (5) work with States and Tribal governments to 9 ensure appropriate regional coordination of various 10 elements of the network; 11 (6) establish an advisory board to assist States, 12 Tribal governments, units of local government, law 13 enforcement agencies, and other entities involved in 14 the Green Alert communications network with initi- 15 ating, facilitating, and promoting Green Alert plans, 16 which shall include— 17 (A) to the maximum extent practicable, 18 representation from the various geographic re- 19 gions of the United States; and 20 (B) members who are— 21 (i) representatives of veteran advocacy 22 groups, law enforcement agencies, and 23 public safety communications; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jun 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3775.IH H3775 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •HR 3775 IH (ii) broadcasters, first responders, dis- 1 patchers, and radio station personnel; 2 (iii) representatives from the Depart- 3 ment of Veterans Affairs and representa- 4 tives of State veterans agencies or offices; 5 (iv) federally recognized tribes or 6 tribes recognized by the State; and 7 (v) representatives of any other indi- 8 viduals or organizations that the Coordi- 9 nator determines are necessary to the suc- 10 cess of the Green Alert communications 11 network; and 12 (7) act as the nationwide point of contact for— 13 (A) the development of the network; and 14 (B) regional coordination of alerts for 15 missing veterans through the network. 16 (c) COORDINATION.— 17 (1) COORDINATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES.— 18 The Coordinator shall coordinate and consult with 19 the Secretary of Transportation, the Federal Com- 20 munications Commission, the Secretary of Veterans 21 Affairs, Secretary of the Interior, and other appro- 22 priate offices of the Department of Justice in car- 23 rying out activities under this Act. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jun 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3775.IH H3775 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 8 •HR 3775 IH (2) STATE AND LOCAL COORDINATION.—The 1 Coordinator shall consult with local broadcasters and 2 State, Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies in 3 establishing minimum standards under section 5 and 4 in carrying out other activities under this Act, as ap- 5 propriate. 6 (d) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than one year 7 after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 8 thereafter, the Coordinator shall submit to Congress a re- 9 port on the activities of the Coordinator and the effective- 10 ness and status of the Green Alert plans of each State 11 that has established or is in the process of establishing 12 such a plan. Each such report shall include— 13 (1) a list of States that have established Green 14 Alert plans; 15 (2) a list of States that are in the process of 16 establishing Green Alert plans; 17 (3) for each State that has established such a 18 plan, to the extent the data is available— 19 (A) the number of Green Alerts issued; 20 (B) a summary of the efforts by the State 21 to coordinate with and engage tribal govern- 22 ments and ensure that tribal communities are 23 included in their Green Alert plans, including in 24 the issuance of Green Alerts; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jun 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3775.IH H3775 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 9 •HR 3775 IH (C) the number of individuals located suc- 1 cessfully; 2 (D) the average period of time between the 3 issuance of a Green Alert and the location of 4 the individual for whom such Alert was issued; 5 (E) the State, local, or Tribal agencies or 6 authorities issuing Green Alerts, and the proc- 7 ess by which Green Alerts are disseminated; 8 (F) the cost of establishing and operating 9 such a plan; 10 (G) the criteria used by the State to deter- 11 mine whether to issue a Green Alert; and 12 (H) the extent to which missing individuals 13 for whom Green Alerts were issued crossed 14 State lines; 15 (4) actions States have taken to protect the pri- 16 vacy and dignity of the individuals for whom Green 17 Alerts are issued; 18 (5) ways that States have facilitated and im- 19 proved communication about missing individuals be- 20 tween families, caregivers, law enforcement officials, 21 and other authorities; and 22 (6) any other information the Coordinator de- 23 termines to be appropriate. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jun 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3775.IH H3775 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 10 •HR 3775 IH SEC. 5. MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR ISSUANCE AND DIS- 1 SEMINATION OF ALERTS THROUGH GREEN 2 ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF MINIMUM STANDARDS.— 4 Subject to subsection (b), the Coordinator, in consultation 5 with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Advisory 6 Committee, shall establish minimum standards for— 7 (1) the issuance of alerts through the Green 8 Alert communications network; and 9 (2) the extent of the dissemination of alerts 10 issued through the network. 11 (b) LIMITATIONS.— 12 (1) VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION.—The min- 13 imum standards established under subsection (a) of 14 this section, and any other guidelines and programs 15 established under section 4, shall be adoptable on a 16 voluntary basis only. 17 (2) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—The 18 minimum standards shall, to the maximum extent 19 practicable (as determined by the Coordinator in 20 consultation with State, Tribal government, and 21 local law enforcement agencies), provide that appro- 22 priate information relating to the special needs of a 23 missing veteran (including health care needs) are 24 disseminated to the appropriate law enforcement, 25 public health, and other public officials. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jun 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3775.IH H3775 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 11 •HR 3775 IH (3) GEOGRAPHIC AREAS.—The minimum stand- 1 ards shall, to the maximum extent practicable (as 2 determined by the Coordinator in consultation with 3 State and local law enforcement agencies), provide 4 that the dissemination of an alert through the Green 5 Alert communications network be limited to the geo- 6 graphic areas which the missing veteran could rea- 7 sonably reach, considering the missing veteran’s cir- 8 cumstances and physical ability, the modes of trans- 9 portation available to the missing veteran, and the 10 circumstances of the disappearance. 11 (4) PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES PROTEC- 12 TIONS.—The minimum standards shall— 13 (A) ensure that alerts issued through the 14 Green Alert communications network comply 15 with all applicable Federal, State, and local pri- 16 vacy laws and regulations; and 17 (B) include standards that specifically pro- 18 vide for the protection of the privacy and sen- 19 sitive medical information of missing veterans. 20 (5) STATE AND LOCAL VOLUNTARY COORDINA- 21 TION.—In carrying out the activities under sub- 22 section (a), the Coordinator may not interfere with 23 the current system of voluntary coordination be- 24 tween local broadcasters and State and local law en- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Jun 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3775.IH H3775 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 12 •HR 3775 IH forcement agencies for purposes of the Green Alert 1 communications network. 2 SEC. 6. TRAINING AND OTHER RESOURCES. 3 The Coordinator shall make available to States, Trib- 4 al governments, units of local government, law enforce- 5 ment agencies, and other concerned entities that are in- 6 volved in initiating, facilitating, or promoting Green 7 Alerts, including broadcasters, first responders, dis- 8 patchers, public safety communications personnel, and 9 radio station personnel— 10 (1) training and educational programs related 11 to the Green Alert communications network and the 12 capabilities, limitations, and anticipated behavior [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]