Provides relative to alerts for missing persons. (gov sig) (OR NO IMPACT See Note)

Senate Bill 34 enacts Louisiana Revised Statute 40:2522 to establish a statutory framework governing the issuance of missing person alerts by state police and local law enforcement. The legislation creates three tiers of alert mechanisms: AMBER Alerts for abduction cases involving children seventeen years of age or under where the child faces danger of serious bodily harm or death and sufficient descriptive information exists about the child, abductor, or vehicle; Level II Endangered Missing Child Advisories for missing children cases that do not meet AMBER Alert criteria; and Silver Alerts, which remain governed by existing law for missing senior citizens and persons with developmental disabilities. The statute imposes a duty on local law enforcement to make reasonable efforts to determine the appropriate alert classification, but grants state police the authority to make the final determination regarding which alert type should be activated in any given situation.

The legislation directly affects local law enforcement agencies, state police, broadcasters, and cable television operators. Local police departments must now assess missing person reports and attempt to categorize them appropriately, though they operate under state police oversight regarding the ultimate classification decision. State police gain responsibility for making final determinations on alert type and must provide training to local agencies upon request covering responses to reports of missing children, individuals with developmental disabilities, and senior citizens, along with instruction on the various alert systems available. Broadcasters and cable television operators benefit from extended liability protections, as they cannot face civil or criminal liability for transmitting, displaying, or failing to transmit or display information related to Level II Endangered Missing Child Advisories.

This legislation operates within the existing legal framework governing missing person alerts in Louisiana, which previously established Silver Alert protocols in statute. The bill extends and formalizes the alert system by codifying AMBER Alert criteria and creating the new Level II advisory category. The immunity provisions expand protections already granted under existing law for AMBER Alert and Silver Alert dissemination to include the newly created Level II Endangered Missing Child Advisory. The statute designates the measure as Bryan's Call, which reflects a commemorative naming convention used in Louisiana law. The effective date provision follows standard constitutional procedures, making the statute effective upon gubernatorial signature or upon expiration of the signature period without action.