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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 496H.P. 325House of Representatives, February 11, 2025
An Act Regarding the Time Frame for Issuing a Silver Alert and to
Require Silver Alerts for All Persons Missing from Certain
Inpatient Facilities
Received by the Clerk of the House on February 6, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Criminal Justice and Public Safety pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to
Joint Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MILLIKEN of Blue Hill.
Cosponsored by Senator CURRY of Waldo and
Representatives: DODGE of Belfast, SUPICA of Bangor. Page 1 - 132LR0396(01)
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2 as amended by PL 2021, c. 62, ยง2, is further amended to
3 read:
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5 In accordance with this chapter and with the cooperation of the Department of
6 Transportation, the Maine Turnpike Authority, a statewide organization representing
7 broadcast groups in the State, the Office of the Governor and appropriate law enforcement
8 agencies, the department shall develop and implement the Silver Alert Program to be
9 activated on behalf of missing endangered persons. The program must include standards
10 of procedure for local law enforcement agencies to determine that a missing person is a
11 missing endangered person, to determine information to be released regarding the missing
12 endangered person or the circumstances of the person's disappearance and to appropriately
13 activate a Silver Alert to local or statewide law enforcement agencies and to the media, a
14 plan for providing relevant information to the public through an existing system of dynamic
15 message signs located across the State when necessary and training for all law enforcement
16 officers. The Silver Alert Program must be developed and implemented using existing
17 resources.
18 A person who is reported missing from a group home, mental hospital, psychiatric ward
19 or other facility or division of a facility providing inpatient mental health services in the
20 State is automatically considered a missing endangered person for the purposes of this
21 chapter, and a Silver Alert must be issued for that person.
22 The Silver Alert Program must require that all Silver Alerts be issued immediately to
23 all police departments statewide and to all hospitals, homeless shelters, soup kitchens and
24 public libraries in the State within 24 hours.
25 Under the Silver Alert Program, when a person who is the subject of a Silver Alert is
26 not located, the alert must be reissued after 2 weeks and every 2 weeks thereafter.
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28 This bill amends the provisions of law governing the Silver Alert Program to clarify
29 that a person reported missing from a group home, mental hospital, psychiatric ward or
30 other facility or division of a facility providing inpatient mental health services in the State
31 is automatically considered a missing endangered person and a Silver Alert must be issued
32 for that person.
33 The bill requires that Silver Alerts be issued immediately to all police departments
34 statewide and to all hospitals, homeless shelters, soup kitchens and public libraries in the
35 State within 24 hours. When a person who is the subject of a Silver Alert is not located, the
36 alert must be reissued after 2 weeks and every 2 weeks thereafter.
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