I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6064 
To encourage, enhance, and integrate Silver Alert plans throughout the 
United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 15, 2008 
Mr. DOGGETT (for himself, Mr. BECERRA, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, 
Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. FILNER, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. GENE GREEN 
of Texas, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. HINOJOSA, Ms. JACKSON-LEE 
of Texas, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. LARSON of Con-
necticut, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. 
MILLER of North Carolina, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. POMEROY, Mr. 
PRICE of North Carolina, Ms. LINDA T. SA´NCHEZ of California, Ms. 
SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. STARK, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. VAN 
HOLLEN, Ms. SCHWARTZ, Mr. STUPAK, Ms. CLARKE, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. 
CARSON, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, and Mr. GONZALEZ) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To encourage, enhance, and integrate Silver Alert plans 
throughout the United States. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Silver Alert 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. SILVER ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 
The Attorney General shall, subject to the availability 
of appropriations under section 8, establish a national Sil-
ver Alert communications network within the Department 
of Justice to provide assistance to regional and local 
search efforts for missing seniors through the initiation, 
facilitation, and promotion of local elements of the net-
work (known as Silver Alert plans) in coordination with 
States, units of local government, law enforcement agen-
cies, and other concerned entities with expertise in pro-
viding services to seniors. 
SEC. 3. SILVER ALERT COORDINATOR. 
(a) COORDINATION WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF JUS-
TICE.—The Attorney General shall assign an officer of the 
Department of Justice to act as the national coordinator 
of the Silver Alert communications network. The officer 
so designated shall be known as the Silver Alert Coordi-
nator of the Department of Justice (referred to in this 
Act as the ‘‘Coordinator’’). 
(b) DUTIES OF THE COORDINATOR.—In acting as the 
national coordinator of the Silver Alert communications 
network, the Coordinator shall— 
(1) work with States to encourage the develop-
ment of additional Silver Alert plans in the network; 
(2) establish voluntary guidelines for States to 
use in developing Silver Alert plans that will pro-
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mote compatible and integrated Silver Alert plans 
throughout the United States, including— 
(A) a list of the resources necessary to es-
tablish a Silver Alert plan; 
(B) criteria for evaluating whether a situa-
tion warrants issuing a Silver Alert, taking into 
consideration the need for the use of such 
Alerts to be limited in scope because the effec-
tiveness of the Silver Alert communications net-
work may be affected by overuse, including cri-
teria to determine— 
(i) whether a senior who is missing 
has been adjudicated by a court to be in-
capable of managing his or her own per-
sonal affairs (such as through a guardian-
ship proceeding), or has a documented di-
agnosis of a mental illness, injury, or con-
dition that causes the senior to be incapa-
ble of making personal care decisions; and 
(ii) whether the individual who reports 
that a senior is missing is an appropriate 
and credible source on which to base the 
issuance of a Silver Alert; 
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(C) guidelines with respect to the use of 
the Silver Alert name to readily identify the na-
ture of search efforts for missing seniors; and 
(D) guidelines to protect the privacy, dig-
nity, independence, and autonomy of any miss-
ing senior who may be the subject of a Silver 
Alert; 
(3) develop proposed protocols for efforts to re-
cover missing seniors and to reduce the number of 
seniors 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 senior is missing through the time of the return 
of the senior 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 
(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; 
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(5) establish an advisory group to assist States, 
units of local government, law enforcement agencies, 
and other entities involved in the Silver Alert com-
munications network with initiating, facilitating, and 
promoting Silver 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 senior 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 Silver Alert communications 
network; and 
(6) act as the nationwide point of contact for— 
(A) the development of the network; and 
(B) regional coordination of alerts for 
missing seniors through the network. 
(c) COOPERATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES.—The 
Coordinator shall cooperate with the Secretary of Trans-
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portation, the Federal Communications Commission, the 
Assistant Secretary for Aging of the Department of 
Health and Human Services, and other appropriate offices 
of the Department of Justice in carrying out activities 
under this Act. 
(d) REPORTS.—Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
Coordinator shall submit to Congress a report on the ac-
tivities of the Coordinator and the effectiveness and status 
of the Silver Alert plans of each State that has established 
or is in the process of establishing such a plan. 
SEC. 4. MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR ISSUANCE AND DIS-
SEMINATION OF ALERTS THROUGH SILVER 
ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF MINIMUM STANDARDS.— 
Subject to subsection (b) of this section, the Coordinator 
shall establish minimum standards for— 
(1) the issuance of alerts through the Silver 
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 
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senior for purposes of the Silver Alert communica-
tion network. Age requirements for determinations 
of whether an individual is a missing senior shall be 
determined by each State, and may vary from State 
to State. 
(5) PRIVACY
AND
CIVIL
LIBERTIES
PROTEC-
TIONS.—The minimum standards shall— 
(A) ensure that alerts issued through the 
Silver 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 sen-
iors. 
(c) COOPERATION.— 
(1) COOPERATION WITH AGENCIES.—The Coor-
dinator shall cooperate with the Secretary of Trans-
portation, the Federal Communications Commission, 
the Assistant Secretary for Aging of the Department 
of Health and Human Service, and the head of the 
Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program 
in carrying out the activities under this section. 
(2) STATE AND LOCAL COOPERATION.—The Co-
ordinator shall also cooperate with local broadcasters 
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and State and local law enforcement agencies in es-
tablishing minimum standards under this section, 
except that 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 Silver Alert 
communications network. 
SEC. 5. TRAINING AND OTHER RESOURCES. 
(a) TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.—The 
Coordinator shall make available to States, units of local 
government, law enforcement agencies, and other con-
cerned entities that are involved in initiating, facilitating, 
or promoting Silver Alert plans, including broadcasters, 
first responders, dispatchers, public safety communica-
tions personnel, and radio station personnel— 
(1) training and educational programs related 
to the Silver Alert communication network and the 
capabilities, limitations, and anticipated behaviors of 
missing seniors, which shall be updated regularly to 
encourage the use of new tools, technologies, and re-
sources in Silver Alert plans; and 
(2) informational materials, including bro-
chures, videos, posters, and web sites to support and 
supplement such training and educational programs. 
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(b) COORDINATION.—The Coordinator shall coordi-
nate— 
(1) with the Assistant Secretary for Aging of 
the Department of Health and Human Services in 
developing the training and educational programs 
and materials under subsection (a); and 
(2) with the head of the Missing Alzheimer’s 
Disease Patient Alert Program within the Depart-
ment of Justice, to determine if any existing mate-
rial with respect to training programs or educational 
materials developed or used as part of such Patient 
Alert Program are appropriate and may be used for 
the programs under subsection (a). 
SEC. 6. GRANT PROGRAM FOR SUPPORT OF SILVER ALERT 
PLANS. 
(a) GRANT PROGRAM.—Subject to the availability of 
appropriations to carry out this section, the Attorney Gen-
eral shall carry out a program to provide grants to States 
for the development or enhancement of programs and ac-
tivities for the support of Silver Alert plans and the Silver 
Alert communications network. 
(b) ACTIVITIES.—Activities funded by grants under 
the program under subsection (a) may include— 
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(1) the development and implementation of edu-
cation and training programs, and associated mate-
rials, relating to Silver Alert plans; 
(2) the development and implementation of law 
enforcement programs, and associated equipment, 
relating to Silver Alert plans; 
(3) the development and implementation of new 
technologies to improve Silver Alert communications; 
and 
(4) such other activities as the Attorney Gen-
eral considers appropriate for supporting the Silver 
Alert communications network. 
(c) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the cost 
of any activities funded by a grant under the program 
under subsection (a) may not exceed 50 percent. 
(d) DISTRIBUTION OF GRANT AMOUNTS ON GEO-
GRAPHIC BASIS.—The Attorney General shall, to the max-
imum extent practicable, ensure the distribution of grants 
under the program under subsection (a) on an equitable 
basis throughout the various regions of the United States. 
(e) ADMINISTRATION.—The Attorney General shall 
prescribe requirements, including application require-
ments, for grants under the program under subsection (a). 
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
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(1) There is authorized to be appropriated for 
the Department of Justice $5,000,000 for fiscal year 
2009 to carry out this section and, in addition, 
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 to carry out sub-
section (b)(3). 
(2) Amounts appropriated pursuant to the au-
thorization of appropriations in paragraph (1) shall 
remain available until expended. 
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act: 
(1) 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. 
(2) MISSING SENIOR.—The term ‘‘missing sen-
ior’’ refers to any individual who— 
(A) is reported to, or identified by, a law 
enforcement agency as a missing person; and 
(B) meets the requirements to be des-
ignated as a missing senior, as determined by 
the State in which the individual is reported or 
identified as a missing person. 
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SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the De-
partment of Justice such sums as may be necessary to 
carry out the Silver Alert communications network. 
Æ 
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