I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5945 

To encourage, enhance, and integrate Green Alert plans throughout the 

United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 23, 2018 

Ms. MOORE (for herself, Mr. KIND, Ms. NORTON, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mrs. 

DINGELL, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. POCAN, Mr. 

KILDEE, and Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas) 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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Corey Adams Search5 light Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) MISSING VETERAN.—The term ‘‘missing 

9 veteran’’ means an individual who— 


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1 (A) is reported to, or identified by, a law 

2 enforcement agency as a missing person; 

3 (B) is a veteran; and 

4 (C) meets the requirements to be des5 ignated as a missing veteran, as determined by 

6 the State in which the individual is reported or 

7 identified as a missing person. 

8 (2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

9 the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Com10 monwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 

11 Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Common12 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

13 (3) GREEN ALERT.—The term ‘‘Green Alert’’ 

14 means an alert issued through the Green Alert com15 munications network, related to a missing veteran. 

16 (4) VETERAN.—The term ‘‘veteran’’ means a 

17 person who served in the Armed Forces. 

18 SEC. 3. GREEN ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall, sub20 ject to the availability of appropriations, establish a na21 tional communications network, to be known as the Green 

22 Alert communications network, within the Department of 

23 Justice to provide assistance to regional and local search 

24 efforts for missing veterans through the initiation, facilita25 tion, and promotion of local elements of the network (reVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:39 Jun 04, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5945.IH H5945

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1 ferred to in this Act as ‘‘Green Alert plans’’), in coordina2 tion with States, units of local government, law enforce3 ment agencies, and other concerned entities with expertise 

4 in providing services to veterans. 

5 (b) COORDINATION WITH AMBER ALERT NET6 WORK.—In establishing the Green Alert communications 

7 network under subsection (a), the Attorney General shall 

8 ensure that, when feasible, the Green Alert communica9 tions network is able to operate in coordination with the 

10 AMBER Alert communications network, established under 

11 subtitle A of title III of the PROTECT Act (34 U.S.C. 

12 20501 et seq.), to maximize the efficiency of both net13 works. 

14 SEC. 4. GREEN ALERT COORDINATOR. 

15 (a) NATIONAL COORDINATOR WITHIN DEPARTMENT

16 OF JUSTICE.—The Attorney General shall designate an 

17 individual of the Department of Justice to act as the na18 tional coordinator of the Green Alert communications net19 work. The individual so designated shall be known as the 

20 Green Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice (re21 ferred to in this Act as the ‘‘Coordinator’’). 

22 (b) DUTIES OF THE COORDINATOR.—In acting as the 

23 national coordinator of the Green Alert communications 

24 network, the Coordinator shall— 


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1 (1) work with States to encourage the develop2 ment of additional Green Alert plans in the network; 

3 (2) establish voluntary guidelines for States to 

4 use in developing Green Alert plans that will pro5 mote compatible and integrated Green Alert plans 

6 throughout the United States, including— 

7 (A) a list of the resources necessary to es8 tablish a Green Alert plan; 

9 (B) criteria for evaluating whether a situa10 tion warrants issuing a Green Alert, taking into 

11 consideration the need for the use of such 

12 Alerts to be limited in scope because the effec13 tiveness of the Green Alert communications net14 work may be affected by overuse, including cri15 teria to determine— 

16 (i) whether the mental or physical ca17 pacity of a veteran who is missing, and the 

18 circumstances of his or her disappearance, 

19 warrant the issuance of a Green Alert, in20 cluding whether the veteran has a condi21 tion related to the veteran’s service in the 

22 Armed Forces that increases the risk that 

23 the veteran will harm himself or herself, or 

24 another person; and 


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1 (ii) whether the individual who reports 

2 that a veteran is missing is an appropriate 

3 and credible source on which to base the 

4 issuance of a Green Alert; 

5 (C) a description of the appropriate uses of 

6 the Green Alert name to readily identify the na7 ture of search efforts for missing veterans; and 

8 (D) recommendations on how to protect 

9 the privacy, dignity, independence, and auton10 omy of any missing veteran who may be the 

11 subject of a Green Alert; 

12 (3) develop proposed protocols for efforts to re13 cover missing veterans and to reduce the number of 

14 veterans who are reported missing, including proto15 cols for procedures that are needed from the time of 

16 initial notification of a law enforcement agency that 

17 the veteran is missing through the time of the re18 turn of the veteran to family, guardian, or domicile, 

19 as appropriate, including— 

20 (A) public safety communications protocol; 

21 (B) case management protocol; 

22 (C) command center operations; 

23 (D) reunification protocol; and 

24 (E) incident review, evaluation, debriefing, 

25 and public information procedures; 


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1 (4) work with States to ensure appropriate re2 gional coordination of various elements of the net3 work; 

4 (5) establish an advisory group to assist States, 

5 units of local government, law enforcement agencies, 

6 and other entities involved in the Green Alert com7 munications network with initiating, facilitating, and 

8 promoting Green Alert plans, which shall include— 

9 (A) to the maximum extent practicable, 

10 representation from the various geographic re11 gions of the United States; and 

12 (B) members who are— 

13 (i) representatives of veteran advocacy 

14 groups, law enforcement agencies, and 

15 public safety communications; 

16 (ii) broadcasters, first responders, dis17 patchers, and radio station personnel; and 

18 (iii) representatives of any other indi19 viduals or organizations that the Coordi20 nator determines are necessary to the suc21 cess of the Green Alert communications 

22 network; and 

23 (6) act as the nationwide point of contact for— 

24 (A) the development of the network; and 


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1 (B) regional coordination of alerts for 

2 missing veterans through the network. 

3 (c) COORDINATION.— 

4 (1) COORDINATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES.— 

5 The Coordinator shall coordinate and consult with 

6 the Secretary of Transportation, the Federal Com7 munications Commission, the Secretary of Veterans 

8 Affairs, and other appropriate offices of the Depart9 ment of Justice in carrying out activities under this 

10 Act. 

11 (2) STATE AND LOCAL COORDINATION.—The 

12 Coordinator shall consult with local broadcasters and 

13 State and local law enforcement agencies in estab14 lishing minimum standards under section 5 and in 

15 carrying out other activities under this Act, as ap16 propriate. 

17 (d) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than one year 

18 after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

19 thereafter, the Coordinator shall submit to Congress a re20 port on the activities of the Coordinator and the effective21 ness and status of the Green Alert plans of each State 

22 that has established or is in the process of establishing 

23 such a plan. Each such report shall include— 

24 (1) a list of States that have established Green 

25 Alert plans; 


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1 (2) a list of States that are in the process of 

2 establishing Green Alert plans; 

3 (3) for each State that has established such a 

4 plan, to the extent the data is available— 

5 (A) the number of Green Alerts issued; 

6 (B) the number of individuals located suc7 cessfully; 

8 (C) the average period of time between the 

9 issuance of a Green Alert and the location of 

10 the individual for whom such Alert was issued; 

11 (D) the State agency or authority issuing 

12 Green Alerts, and the process by which Green 

13 Alerts are disseminated; 

14 (E) the cost of establishing and operating 

15 such a plan; 

16 (F) the criteria used by the State to deter17 mine whether to issue a Green Alert; and 

18 (G) the extent to which missing individuals 

19 for whom Green Alerts were issued crossed 

20 State lines; 

21 (4) actions States have taken to protect the pri22 vacy and dignity of the individuals for whom Green 

23 Alerts are issued; 

24 (5) ways that States have facilitated and im25 proved communication about missing individuals beVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:20 Jun 05, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5945.IH H5945

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1 tween families, caregivers, law enforcement officials, 

2 and other authorities; and 

3 (6) any other information the Coordinator de4 termines to be appropriate. 

5 SEC. 5. MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR ISSUANCE AND DIS6 SEMINATION OF ALERTS THROUGH GREEN 

7 ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF MINIMUM STANDARDS.— 

9 Subject to subsection (b), the Coordinator shall establish 

10 minimum standards for— 

11 (1) the issuance of alerts through the Green 

12 Alert communications network; and 

13 (2) the extent of the dissemination of alerts 

14 issued through the network. 

15 (b) LIMITATIONS.— 

16 (1) VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION.—The min17 imum standards established under subsection (a) of 

18 this section, and any other guidelines and programs 

19 established under section 4, shall be adoptable on a 

20 voluntary basis only. 

21 (2) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—The 

22 minimum standards shall, to the maximum extent 

23 practicable (as determined by the Coordinator in 

24 consultation with State and local law enforcement 

25 agencies), provide that appropriate information reVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:39 Jun 04, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5945.IH H5945

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1 lating to the special needs of a missing veteran (in2 cluding health care needs) are disseminated to the 

3 appropriate law enforcement, public health, and 

4 other public officials. 

5 (3) GEOGRAPHIC AREAS.—The minimum stand6 ards shall, to the maximum extent practicable (as 

7 determined by the Coordinator in consultation with 

8 State and local law enforcement agencies), provide 

9 that the dissemination of an alert through the Green 

10 Alert communications network be limited to the geo11 graphic areas which the missing veteran could rea12 sonably reach, considering the missing veteran’s cir13 cumstances and physical and mental condition, the 

14 modes of transportation available to the missing vet15 eran, and the circumstances of the disappearance. 

16 (4) PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES PROTEC17 TIONS.—The minimum standards shall— 

18 (A) ensure that alerts issued through the 

19 Green Alert communications network comply 

20 with all applicable Federal, State, and local pri21 vacy laws and regulations; and 

22 (B) include standards that specifically pro23 vide for the protection of the civil liberties and 

24 sensitive medical information of missing vet25 erans. 


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1 (5) STATE AND LOCAL VOLUNTARY COORDINA2 TION.—In carrying out the activities under sub3 section (a), the Coordinator may not interfere with 

4 the current system of voluntary coordination be5 tween local broadcasters and State and local law en6 forcement agencies for purposes of the Green Alert 

7 communications network. 

8 SEC. 6. TRAINING AND OTHER RESOURCES. 

9 (a) TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.—The 

10 Coordinator shall make available to States, units of local 

11 government, law enforcement agencies, and other con12 cerned entities that are involved in initiating, facilitating, 

13 or promoting Green Alert plans, including broadcasters, 

14 first responders, dispatchers, public safety communica15 tions personnel, and radio station personnel— 

16 (1) training and educational programs related 

17 to the Green Alert communications network and the 

18 capabilities, limitations, and anticipated behaviors of 

19 missing veterans, which shall be updated regularly to 

20 encourage the use of new tools, technologies, and re21 sources in Green Alert plans; and 

22 (2) informational materials, including bro23 chures, videos, posters, and web sites to support and 

24 supplement such training and educational programs. 


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1 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE 

2 GREEN ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 

3 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Attor4 ney General $500,000 to carry out the Green Alert com5 munications network as authorized under this Act. 

Æ 


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