1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to public safety; specifying conditions in which a missing person may be
1.3 considered to be endangered; requiring the commissioner of public safety to
1.4 establish policies and protocols for issuing alerts to the public regarding missing
1.5 and endangered persons; establishing the Public and Local Alert Advisory Board;
1.6 amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 299C.52, subdivision 1; 299C.53, by
1.7 adding a subdivision; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter
1.8 299C.
1.9BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.10 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 299C.52, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.11 Subdivision 1.Definitions.As used in sections 299C.52 to 299C.565, the following
1.12terms have the meanings given them:
1.13 (a) "Child" means any person under the age of 18 years or any person certified or known
1.14to be mentally incompetent.
1.15 (b) "DNA" means deoxyribonucleic acid from a human biological specimen.
1.16 (c) "Endangered" means that a law enforcement official has received sufficient evidence
1.17that the missing person is at risk of physical injury or death. The following circumstances
1.18indicate that a missing person is at risk of physical injury or death:
1.19 (1) the person is missing as a result of a confirmed abduction or under circumstances
1.20that indicate that the person's disappearance was not voluntary;
1.21 (2) the person is missing under known dangerous circumstances;
1.22 (3) the person is missing more than 30 days;
1Section 1.
REVISOR KLL/NS 25-0491703/17/25
State of Minnesota
This Document can be made available
in alternative formats upon request
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H. F. No. 2625
NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
Authored by Rehrauer03/20/2025
The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Public Safety Finance and Policy 2.1 (4) the person is under the age of 21 and at least one other factor in this paragraph is
2.2applicable;
2.3 (5) there is evidence the person is in need of medical attention or prescription medication
2.4such that it will have a serious adverse effect on the person's health if the person does not
2.5receive the needed care or medication;
2.6 (6) the person does not have a pattern of running away or disappearing;
2.7 (7) the person is mentally impaired;
2.8 (8) the person has been diagnosed with dementia, a traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's
2.9disease, or other cognitive impairment;
2.10 (9) the person has been diagnosed with autism;
2.11 (8) (10) there is evidence that the person may have been abducted by a noncustodial
2.12parent;
2.13 (9) (11) the person has been the subject of past threats or acts of violence;
2.14 (10) (12) there is evidence the person is lost in the wilderness, backcountry, or outdoors
2.15where survival is precarious and immediate and effective investigation and search and rescue
2.16efforts are critical; or
2.17 (11) (13) any other factor that the law enforcement agency deems to indicate that the
2.18person may be at risk of physical injury or death, including a determination by another law
2.19enforcement agency that the person is missing and endangered.
2.20 (d) "Missing" means the status of a person after a law enforcement agency that has
2.21received a report of a missing person has conducted a preliminary investigation and
2.22determined that the person cannot be located.
2.23 (e) "NCIC" means National Crime Information Center.
2.24 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 299C.53, is amended by adding a subdivision to
2.25read:
2.26 Subd. 5.Public and local alerts.The commissioner, in consultation with the Public and
2.27Local Alert Advisory Board, must establish policies and procedures regarding alerts to the
2.28general public about missing and endangered persons. The policies and procedures must,
2.29at a minimum, identify what criteria should be considered when deciding whether to issue
2.30a public alert, the type of information that should be shared with the public, the form in
2Sec. 2.
REVISOR KLL/NS 25-0491703/17/25 3.1which information should be transmitted, the way in which the alerts should interact with
3.2local alert networks, and the recommended geographic scope for alerts.
3.3 Sec. 3. [299C.533] PUBLIC AND LOCAL ALERT ADVISORY BOARD.
3.4 Subdivision 1.Advisory board.The Public and Local Alert Advisory Board is
3.5established to provide advice and guidance to the commissioner of public safety related to
3.6notifying the general public about missing and endangered persons.
3.7 Subd. 2.Membership; officers.(a) The advisory board consists of the following
3.8individuals:
3.9 (1) the commissioner of health or a designee;
3.10 (2) the commissioner of human services or a designee;
3.11 (3) the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension or a designee;
3.12 (4) the Minnesota AMBER Alert coordinator;
3.13 (5) the chair of the Minnesota Board on Aging or a designee;
3.14 (6) a chief of police, selected by the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association;
3.15 (7) a sheriff, selected by the Minnesota Sheriffs' Association;
3.16 (8) the chair of the Minnesota Broadcasters Association or a designee;
3.17 (9) the chair of the Minnesota-North Dakota chapter of the Alzheimer's Association or
3.18a designee;
3.19 (10) the chief executive officer of The Arc Minnesota or a designee;
3.20 (11) the executive director of the Autism Society of Minnesota or a designee;
3.21 (12) the chair of the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance or a designee; and
3.22 (13) the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota or a
3.23designee.
3.24 (b) Section 15.059, subdivisions 3 and 4, govern compensation and removal of members.
3.25 (c) At the first meeting, the members of the advisory board shall elect a chair and may
3.26elect other officers as the members deem necessary. The advisory board may adopt
3.27procedures to govern its conduct.
3Sec. 3.
REVISOR KLL/NS 25-0491703/17/25 4.1 Subd. 3.Duties.The advisory board shall offer advice to the commissioner on the
4.2development of policies and procedures regarding when the general public should receive
4.3alerts about missing and endangered persons. At a minimum, the advisory board must:
4.4 (1) identify the types of cases in which the public should receive alerts;
4.5 (2) identify existing methods of providing public alerts;
4.6 (3) recommend the types of information that should be included in an alert;
4.7 (4) recommend how the alert system should interact with existing local alert systems;
4.8 (5) recommend appropriate geographic limitations for certain alerts; and
4.9 (6) identify appropriate community partners to facilitate effective alerts.
4.10 Subd. 4.Advisory board is permanent.Notwithstanding section 15.059, this section
4.11does not expire.
4.12 Subd. 5.Funding.The commissioner may accept lawful grants and in-kind contributions
4.13from any federal, state, or local source; legal business; or individual not funded by this
4.14section for general operation support, including personnel costs. These grants or in-kind
4.15contributions are not to be directed toward the case of a particular victim. The advisory
4.16board's fiscal agent shall handle all funds approved by the commissioner, including in-kind
4.17contributions.
4Sec. 3.
REVISOR KLL/NS 25-0491703/17/25