IIB 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5075 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
AN ACT 
To encourage, enhance, and integrate Ashanti Alert plans 
throughout the United States, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ashanti Alert Act of 
2018’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) MISSING
ADULT.—The term ‘‘missing 
adult’’ means an individual who— 
(A) is older than the age for which an 
AMBER alert may be issued in the State in 
which the individual is identified as a missing 
person; 
(B) is identified by a law enforcement 
agency as a missing person; and 
(C) meets the requirements to be des-
ignated as a missing adult, as determined by 
the State in which the individual is identified as 
a missing person. 
(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 
Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Common-
wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 
(3) ASHANTI
ALERT.—The term ‘‘Ashanti 
Alert’’ means an alert issued through the Ashanti 
Alert communications network, related to a missing 
adult. 
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SEC. 3. ASHANTI ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall, sub-
ject to the availability of appropriations, establish a na-
tional communications network, to be known as the 
Ashanti Alert communications network, within the De-
partment of Justice to provide assistance to regional and 
local search efforts for missing adults through the initi-
ation, facilitation, and promotion of local elements of the 
network (referred to in this Act as ‘‘Ashanti Alert plans’’), 
in coordination with States, units of local government, law 
enforcement agencies, and other concerned entities with 
expertise in providing services to adults. 
(b) INTEGRATION WITH BLUE ALERT COMMUNICA-
TIONS NETWORK.—In establishing the Ashanti Alert com-
munications network under subsection (a), the Attorney 
General shall integrate the Ashanti Alert communications 
network into the Blue Alert communications network es-
tablished under the Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu Na-
tional Blue Alert Act of 2015 (34 U.S.C. 50501 et seq.), 
to maximize the efficiency of both networks. 
SEC. 4. ASHANTI ALERT COORDINATOR. 
(a) NATIONAL COORDINATOR WITHIN DEPARTMENT 
OF JUSTICE.—The Attorney General shall designate an 
individual of the Department of Justice to act as the na-
tional coordinator of the Ashanti Alert communications 
network. The individual so designated shall be known as 
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the Ashanti Alert Coordinator of the Department of Jus-
tice (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Coordinator’’). 
(b) DUTIES OF THE COORDINATOR.—In acting as the 
national coordinator of the Ashanti Alert communications 
network, the Coordinator shall— 
(1) work with States to encourage the develop-
ment of additional Ashanti Alert plans in the net-
work; 
(2) establish voluntary guidelines for States to 
use in developing Ashanti Alert plans that will pro-
mote compatible and integrated Ashanti Alert plans 
throughout the United States, including— 
(A) a list of the resources necessary to es-
tablish an Ashanti Alert plan; 
(B) criteria for evaluating whether a situa-
tion warrants issuing an Ashanti Alert, taking 
into consideration the need for the use of such 
Alerts to be limited in scope because the effec-
tiveness of the Ashanti Alert communications 
network may be affected by overuse, including 
criteria to determine— 
(i) whether the mental capacity of an 
adult who is missing, and the cir-
cumstances of his or her disappearance, 
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warrant the issuance of an Ashanti Alert; 
and 
(ii) whether the individual who reports 
that an adult is missing is an appropriate 
and credible source on which to base the 
issuance of an Ashanti Alert; 
(C) a description of the appropriate uses of 
the Ashanti Alert name to readily identify the 
nature of search efforts for missing adults; and 
(D) recommendations on how to protect 
the privacy, dignity, independence, and auton-
omy of any missing adult who may be the sub-
ject of an Ashanti Alert; 
(3) develop proposed protocols for efforts to re-
cover missing adults and to reduce the number of 
adults who are reported missing, including protocols 
for procedures that are needed from the time of ini-
tial notification of a law enforcement agency that 
the adult is missing through the time of the return 
of the adult to family, guardian, or domicile, as ap-
propriate, including— 
(A) public safety communications protocol; 
(B) case management protocol; 
(C) command center operations; 
(D) reunification protocol; and 
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(E) incident review, evaluation, debriefing, 
and public information procedures; 
(4) work with States to ensure appropriate re-
gional coordination of various elements of the net-
work; 
(5) establish an advisory group to assist States, 
units of local government, law enforcement agencies, 
and other entities involved in the Ashanti Alert com-
munications network with initiating, facilitating, and 
promoting Ashanti Alert plans, which shall include— 
(A) to the maximum extent practicable, 
representation from the various geographic re-
gions of the United States; and 
(B) members who are— 
(i) representatives of adult citizen ad-
vocacy groups, law enforcement agencies, 
and public safety communications; 
(ii) broadcasters, first responders, dis-
patchers, and radio station personnel; and 
(iii) representatives of any other indi-
viduals or organizations that the Coordi-
nator determines are necessary to the suc-
cess of the Ashanti Alert communications 
network; and 
(6) act as the nationwide point of contact for— 
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(A) the development of the network; and 
(B) regional coordination of alerts for 
missing adults through the network. 
(c) COORDINATION.— 
(1) COORDINATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES.— 
The Coordinator shall coordinate and consult with 
the Secretary of Transportation, the Federal Com-
munications Commission, the Assistant Secretary for 
Aging of the Department of Health and Human 
Services, and other appropriate offices of the De-
partment of Justice in carrying out activities under 
this Act. 
(2) STATE
AND
LOCAL
COORDINATION.—The 
Coordinator shall consult with local broadcasters and 
State and local law enforcement agencies in estab-
lishing minimum standards under section 5 and in 
carrying out other activities under this Act, as ap-
propriate. 
(d) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than one year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 
thereafter, the Coordinator shall submit to Congress a re-
port on the activities of the Coordinator and the effective-
ness and status of the Ashanti Alert plans of each State 
that has established or is in the process of establishing 
such a plan. Each such report shall include— 
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(1) a list of States that have established 
Ashanti Alert plans; 
(2) a list of States that are in the process of 
establishing Ashanti Alert plans; 
(3) for each State that has established such a 
plan, to the extent the data is available— 
(A) the number of Ashanti Alerts issued; 
(B) the number of individuals located suc-
cessfully; 
(C) the average period of time between the 
issuance of an Ashanti Alert and the location of 
the individual for whom such Alert was issued; 
(D) the State agency or authority issuing 
Ashanti Alerts, and the process by which 
Ashanti Alerts are disseminated; 
(E) the cost of establishing and operating 
such a plan; 
(F) the criteria used by the State to deter-
mine whether to issue an Ashanti Alert; and 
(G) the extent to which missing individuals 
for whom Ashanti Alerts were issued crossed 
State lines; 
(4) actions States have taken to protect the pri-
vacy and dignity of the individuals for whom Ashanti 
Alerts are issued; 
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(5) ways that States have facilitated and im-
proved communication about missing individuals be-
tween families, caregivers, law enforcement officials, 
and other authorities; and 
(6) any other information the Coordinator de-
termines to be appropriate. 
SEC. 5. MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR ISSUANCE AND DIS-
SEMINATION OF ALERTS THROUGH ASHANTI 
ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF MINIMUM STANDARDS.— 
Subject to subsection (b), the Coordinator shall establish 
minimum standards for— 
(1) the issuance of alerts through the Ashanti 
Alert communications network; and 
(2) the extent of the dissemination of alerts 
issued through the network. 
(b) LIMITATIONS.— 
(1) VOLUNTARY
PARTICIPATION.—The min-
imum standards established under subsection (a) of 
this section, and any other guidelines and programs 
established under section 4, shall be adoptable on a 
voluntary basis only. 
(2) DISSEMINATION
OF
INFORMATION.—The 
minimum standards shall, to the maximum extent 
practicable (as determined by the Coordinator in 
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consultation with State and local law enforcement 
agencies), provide that appropriate information re-
lating to the special needs of a missing adult (in-
cluding health care needs) are disseminated to the 
appropriate law enforcement, public health, and 
other public officials. 
(3) GEOGRAPHIC AREAS.—The minimum stand-
ards shall, to the maximum extent practicable (as 
determined by the Coordinator in consultation with 
State and local law enforcement agencies), provide 
that the dissemination of an alert through the 
Ashanti Alert communications network be limited to 
the geographic areas which the missing adult could 
reasonably reach, considering the missing adult’s cir-
cumstances and physical and mental condition, the 
modes of transportation available to the missing 
adult, and the circumstances of the disappearance. 
(4) OTHER
REQUIREMENTS.—The minimum 
standards shall include requirements that the miss-
ing person— 
(A) suffers from a proven mental or phys-
ical disability, as documented by a source deter-
mined credible to an appropriate law enforce-
ment entity; or 
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(B) is missing under circumstances that 
indicate, as determined by an appropriate law 
enforcement entity— 
(i) that the person’s physical safety 
may be endangered; or 
(ii) that the person’s disappearance 
may not have been voluntary, including an 
abduction or kidnapping. 
(5) PRIVACY
AND
CIVIL
LIBERTIES
PROTEC-
TIONS.—The minimum standards shall— 
(A) ensure that alerts issued through the 
Ashanti Alert communications network comply 
with all applicable Federal, State, and local pri-
vacy laws and regulations; and 
(B) include standards that specifically pro-
vide for the protection of the civil liberties and 
sensitive medical information of missing adults. 
(6) STATE AND LOCAL VOLUNTARY COORDINA-
TION.—In carrying out the activities under sub-
section (a), the Coordinator may not interfere with 
the current system of voluntary coordination be-
tween local broadcasters and State and local law en-
forcement agencies for purposes of the Ashanti Alert 
communications network. 
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SEC. 6. TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. 
The Coordinator shall make available to States, units 
of local government, law enforcement agencies, and other 
concerned entities that are involved in initiating, facili-
tating, or promoting Ashanti Alert plans, including broad-
casters, first responders, dispatchers, public safety com-
munications personnel, and radio station personnel— 
(1) training and educational programs related 
to the Ashanti Alert communications network and 
the capabilities, limitations, and anticipated behav-
iors of missing adults, which shall be updated regu-
larly to encourage the use of new tools, technologies, 
and resources in Ashanti Alert plans; and 
(2) informational materials, including bro-
chures, videos, posters, and web sites to support and 
supplement such training and educational programs. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Attor-
ney General $3,000,000 to carry out the Ashanti Alert 
communications network as authorized under this Act for 
each of fiscal years 2019 through 2022. 
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SEC. 8. EMERGENCY FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSIST-
ANCE. 
Section 609Y(a) of the Justice Assistance Act of 
1984 (34 U.S.C. 50112(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘Sep-
tember 30, 2021’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2022’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 
2018. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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