2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
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2023 ASSEMBLY BILL 1066
February 2, 2024 - Introduced by Representatives STUBBS, SPIROS, BARE, CONLEY,
DITTRICH, GUNDRUM, JACOBSON, JOERS, MAXEY, MOORE OMOKUNDE, NOVAK,
O'CONNOR, ORTIZ-VELEZ, RATCLIFF, SINICKI, SUMMERFIELD, MELOTIK, EDMING,
MURSAU, SNYDER, GOEBEN, SCHRAA and S. JOHNSON, cosponsored by Senators
JAMES, L. JOHNSON, SMITH, WIRCH, LARSON, SPREITZER, AGARD and CARPENTER.
Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.
1 AN ACT to renumber and amend 175.51 (1m) (a); to amend 165.785 (2m) (a)
2 1. and 2., 165.785 (2m) (b), 175.51 (title) and 175.51 (1m) (b); and to create
3 175.51 (1m) (a) 2. of the statutes; relating to: expanding alerts for missing
4 adults to include certain missing children.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
The Department of Justice currently administers several alert systems, under
which DOJ works with law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, and others to
disseminate information regarding certain cases involving endangered children,
missing adults at risk, and veterans at risk. These alerts are commonly known
respectively as Amber Alerts, Silver Alerts, or Green Alerts.
Under current law, the Silver Alert applies to a missing person who is at least
18 if the person has a developmental disability or suffers from dementia, or who
could, without access to medication, suffer from cognitive impairment that would
likely render the adult incapable of getting to a familiar location alone. This bill
expands the Silver Alert to include children if the situation is not covered by the
Amber Alert, which requires a reasonable belief by law enforcement that the child
was abducted and is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death and that
if sufficient information is shared with the public, the alert will assist in finding the
child. Under this bill, a Silver Alert could be issued for a missing person under 18
to whom an Amber Alert does not apply if the person is believed to be incapable of
returning home without assistance due to a physical or mental condition or disability
or if the person is under 10.
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ASSEMBLY BILL 1066
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
1 SECTION 1. 165.785 (2m) (a) 1. and 2. of the statutes are amended to read:
2 165.785 (2m) (a) 1. The department shall provide a form for reports of missing
3 adults persons at risk under s. 175.51 (1m) and missing veterans at risk under s.
4 175.51 (1v) that law enforcement agencies can access through the integrated crime
5 alert network.
6 2. The department shall train law enforcement officers on identifying reports
7 of adults persons at risk that are appropriate for dissemination under sub. (1) (b) 2.,
8 using the form provided under subd. 1., and accessing the network to disseminate
9 the report.
10 SECTION 2. 165.785 (2m) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
11 165.785 (2m) (b) The department shall work directly with persons on the list
12 maintained under par. (c) and with government agencies, broadcasters, and public
13 and private organizations with missions focused on adults persons or veterans at
14 risk to develop criteria for law enforcement officers to use to identify reports of
15 missing adults persons or veterans at risk that are appropriate to disseminate under
16 s. 175.51 (1m) or (1v), to determine the most effective methods and guidelines for the
17 persons on the list maintained under par. (c) to use to broadcast or make public
18 reports of missing adults persons or veterans at risk, and to receive feedback on the
19 forms provided under par. (a) 1. and on the list maintained under par. (c).
20 SECTION 3. 175.51 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
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ASSEMBLY BILL 1066 SECTION 3
1 175.51 (title) Reports of missing adults persons and veterans at risk
2 and of hit-and-run incidents.
3 SECTION 4. 175.51 (1m) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 175.51 (1m) (a) (intro.)
4 and amended to read:
5 175.51 (1m) (a) (intro.) In this subsection, “adult “person at risk" means an one
6 of the following:
7 1. An adult who has a developmental disability, who suffers from Alzheimer's
8 disease or dementia, or who suffers from or could, without access to medication,
9 suffer from cognitive impairment if the impairment would likely render the adult
10 incapable of getting to a familiar location without assistance.
11 SECTION 5. 175.51 (1m) (a) 2. of the statutes is created to read:
12 175.51 (1m) (a) 2. A person who has not attained the age of 18 years, whose
13 location is unknown, and whose situation does not qualify for another alert and the
14 person is believed to be incapable of returning home without assistance due to a
15 physical or mental condition or disability or the person has not attained the age of
16 10 years.
17 SECTION 6. 175.51 (1m) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
18 175.51 (1m) (b) If a law enforcement agency receives a report of a missing adult
19 person at risk, the law enforcement agency shall use the form under s. 165.785 (2m)
20 (a) 1. to disseminate the report using the integrated crime alert network.
21 (END)


Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 165.785(2m)(b), 165.785, 175.51(title), 175.51, 175.51(1m)(b)