SENIOR ASSEMBLY FEDERAL PROPOSAL NO. 14

INTRODUCED BY SENIOR ASSEMBLY MEMBER SONNEFELD

(COAUTHOR: SENIOR SENATOR MURPHY)

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AFP 14: THE ALZHEIMER SILVER ALERT PROGRAM.

EXISTING FEDERAL LAW, THE PROTECT ACT OF 2003, REQUIRES THE NATIONAL COORDINATION OF AN AMBER ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK REGARDING ABDUCTED CHILDREN, WHICH INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR THE ISSUANCE AND DISSEMINATION OF ALERTS THROUGH THE NETWORK THAT ARE ADOPTABLE BY STATES ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS ONLY.

EXISTING STATE LAW ESTABLISHES THE STATE PROCEDURE FOR ACTIVATION OF THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM REGARDING THE ABDUCTION OF CHILDREN AND PERSONS WITH MENTAL OR PHYSICAL DISABILITIES. UNDER SPECIFIED CIRCUMSTANCES, EXISTING LAW REQUIRES LAW ENFORCEMENT TO REQUEST THE ACTIVATION OF THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. EXISTING LAW PROVIDES FOR THE USE OF RADIO, TELEVISION, THE INTERNET, HIGHWAY INFORMATION SIGNS, AND CELL PHONE NETWORKS FOR THOSE PURPOSES.

THIS MEASURE WOULD MEMORIALIZE THE CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT TO ENACT LEGISLATION THAT WOULD ESTABLISH A FEDERALLY COORDINATED PROGRAM IN ALL 50 STATES TO LOCATE MISSING PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA, TO BE KNOWN AS THE ALZHEIMER SILVER ALERT PROGRAM, SIMILAR TO THE AMBER ALERT PROGRAM, AND THAT A FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAM BE ESTABLISHED TO FUND THE STATES’ DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM.

VOTE: MAJORITY.

AFP 14: RELATING TO THE ALZHEIMER SILVER ALERT PROGRAM

WHEREAS, AT LEAST 5.2 MILLION AMERICANS SUFFER FROM ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE, AND RESEARCH SHOWS THAT 60 PERCENT OF THOSE PERSONS WILL WANDER AWAY FROM HOME AND ONLY 4 PERCENT WILL BE ABLE TO FIND THEIR WAY HOME UNASSISTED; AND

WHEREAS, ANNUALLY, OF THE SENIORS AND OTHERS WITH DEMENTIA WHO WANDER AWAY ON FOOT OR BY DRIVING, IF NOT FOUND WITHIN 24 HOURS, UP TO 1/2 SUFFER SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH; AND

WHEREAS, THE SENIOR POPULATION HAS BEEN STEADILY GROWING, AND THE AGING OF THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION WILL LIKELY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PERSONS SUFFERING FROM DEMENTIA, THEREBY INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PERSONS INJURED OR KILLED WHILE WANDERING; AND

WHEREAS, A NEW TYPE OF MISSING PERSONS PROGRAM HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AND ADOPTED BY SEVERAL STATES, KNOWN AS SILVER ALERT, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN THE SAFE RETURN OF A MAJORITY OF THE PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA REPORTED MISSING THROUGH THE PROGRAM; AND

WHEREAS, LEGISLATORS FROM OTHER STATES ARE DISCUSSING SIMILAR PROPOSALS FOR INTRODUCTION NEXT YEAR; AND

WHEREAS, A NATIONALLY COORDINATED PROGRAM COULD PROMOTE BEST PRACTICES, BASED ON THE IDEAS AND EXPERIENCES OF EXISTING STATES SILVER ALERT PROGRAMS, AND SPREAD THOSE BEST PRACTICES TO OTHER STATES, RESULTING IN A NATIONAL PROGRAM INCORPORATING THE COOPERATION OF THE MEDIA AND LAW ENFORCEMENT, SIMILAR TO THE EXISTING AMBER ALERT PROGRAM; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT

RESOLVED, BY THE SENIOR ASSEMBLY AND THE SENIOR SENATE, JOINTLY, THAT THE SENIOR LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AT ITS 2011 REGULAR SESSION, A MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS VOTING THEREFOR, HEREBY PROPOSES THAT THE ALZHEIMER SILVER ALERT PROGRAM BE ESTABLISHED AS A FEDERALLY COORDINATED PROGRAM IN ALL 50 STATES TO HELP LOCATE MISSING PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA AND THAT A FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAM BE ESTABLISHED TO FUND THE STATES’ DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM; AND BE IT FURTHER

RESOLVED, THAT THE SENIOR LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA RESPECTFULLY MEMORIALIZES THE PRESIDENT AND THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO ENACT APPROPRIATE LEGISLATION THAT WOULD ADDRESS THE CONCERNS SET FORTH IN THIS MEASURE; AND BE IT FURTHER

RESOLVED, THAT A COPY OF THIS MEASURE BE TRANSMITTED TO THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT, THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE SENATE, THE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEES ON AGING, AND TO EACH SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE FROM CALIFORNIA IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.

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RN 11 17625