Requires Silver Alert System receive same broadcast alerts as Amber Alert System.

A1920

ASSEMBLY, No. 1920

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO

District 20 (Union)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblymen DeAngelo, Danielsen, Assemblywomen Murphy,
Lopez, Assemblymen McClellan and Simonsen

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires Silver Alert System receive same broadcast
alerts as Amber Alert System.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning the �Silver Alert System� and amending

P.L.2009, c.167.�
�

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

����� 1.�� Section
3 of P.L.2009, c.167 (C.52:17B-194.6) is amended to read as follows:�

����� 3.�� a.�
The Missing Persons
[
and Child
Exploitation
]
Unit in the
Division of State Police, in consultation with the Department of
Transportation, shall develop a procedure for the use of overhead permanent
changeable message signs to provide information on a missing person meeting the
criteria set forth in section 2 of P.L.2009, c.167 (C.52:17B-194.5) when
information is available that would enable motorists to assist in the recovery
of the missing person.

����� b.�� The
Missing Persons
[
and Child
Exploitation
]
Unit and the
Department of Transportation shall develop guidelines for the content, length,
and frequency of any message to be placed on the overhead permanent changeable
message sign.

����� c.�� The
procedure and guidelines required in subsections a. and b. of this section
shall provide at a minimum that:

����� (1) overhead
permanent changeable message signs may be activated only if accurate motor
vehicle information is available and it is confirmed that the person was
driving the motor vehicle at the time of the disappearance; and

����� (2) the
lead law enforcement agency, upon determining that a Silver Alert is warranted,
shall contact the
[
Watch Operations Unit in the
]
New Jersey State Police Regional Operations
Intelligence Center, which shall contact the Department of Transportation for
activation of highway signs.

����� d.�� The
participating media
[
may
]

shall

[
voluntarily agree
]
, upon notice of the issuance of a Silver Alert,
[
to
]
inform the
public of a person believed to be missing within their service regions.� The
notice shall be provided through the lead law enforcement agency.�
The alert
shall be read after a distinctive sound tone and the statement: �This is a
Missing Person Silver Alert.�� The alert shall be broadcast as often as
possible, pursuant to the guidelines established by the New Jersey Broadcasters

Association, for the first three hours.� After the
first three hours, the alert shall be rebroadcast at those intervals that the
lead law enforcement agency and participating media deem appropriate.

����� e.�� The
alerts shall terminate upon notice from the lead law enforcement agency.

����� f.��� The
alerts shall include a description of the missing person and
[
such
]

any

other information as the lead law enforcement agency may deem pertinent and
appropriate.� The lead law enforcement agency shall, in a timely manner, update
the media with new information regarding the missing person when appropriate.

����� g.�� The
alerts also shall provide information concerning how those members of the
public who have information relating to the missing person may contact the lead
law enforcement agency or the Missing Persons
[
and Child Exploitation
]
Unit in the Division of State Police.

(cf:
P.L.2009, c.167, s.3)

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the seventh month next following the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

����� T
his bill requires media outlets that
participate in the �Silver Alert System� to issue the same broadcast alerts
used when an �Amber Alert� is initiated following a child�s abduction.

���� The �Silver Alert System� is a
Statewide program for the dissemination of information regarding a missing
person believed to be suffering from dementia or other cognitive impairment.�
Under current law, the program is a cooperative effort between State and local
law enforcement agencies and print, radio, and television media outlets.

����� This bill requires
participating media outlets, when responding to a �Silver Alert,� to broadcast
a distinctive sound tone and the statement: �This is a Missing Person Silver
Alert.�� The alert is to include a description of the missing person and other information
the enforcement agency deems appropriate.� In addition, the alert is to be
broadcast as often as possible for the first three hours that a �Silver Alert�
is in progress.� After the initial three hours, the alerts are to be
rebroadcast at intervals that the lead law enforcement agency and participating
media deem appropriate.