Date of enactment: April 9, 2024
2023 Senate Bill 981 Date of publication*: April 10, 2024
2023 WISCONSIN ACT 272
AN ACT to renumber and amend 175.51 (1m) (a); to amend 165.785 (2m) (a) 1. and 2., 165.785 (2m) (b), 175.51
(title) and 175.51 (1m) (b); and to create 175.51 (1m) (a) 2. of the statutes; relating to: expanding alerts for missing
adults to include certain missing children.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in
senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 165.785 (2m) (a) 1. and 2. of the statutes
are amended to read:
165.785 (2m) (a) 1. The department shall provide a
form for reports of missing adults persons at risk under
s. 175.51 (1m) and missing veterans at risk under s.
175.51 (1v) that law enforcement agencies can access
through the integrated crime alert network.
2. The department shall train law enforcement offi-
cers on identifying reports of adults persons at risk that
are appropriate for dissemination under sub. (1) (b) 2.,
using the form provided under subd. 1., and accessing the
network to disseminate the report.
SECTION 2. 165.785 (2m) (b) of the statutes is
amended to read:
165.785 (2m) (b) The department shall work directly
with persons on the list maintained under par. (c) and with
government agencies, broadcasters, and public and pri-
vate organizations with missions focused on adults per-
sons or veterans at risk to develop criteria for law
enforcement officers to use to identify reports of missing
adults persons or veterans at risk that are appropriate to
disseminate under s. 175.51 (1m) or (1v), to determine
the most effective methods and guidelines for the persons
on the list maintained under par. (c) to use to broadcast or
make public reports of missing adults persons or veterans
at risk, and to receive feedback on the forms provided
under par. (a) 1. and on the list maintained under par. (c).
SECTION 3. 175.51 (title) of the statutes is amended
to read:
175.51 (title) Reports of missing adults persons
and veterans at risk and of hit−and−run incidents.
SECTION 4. 175.51 (1m) (a) of the statutes is renum-
bered 175.51 (1m) (a) (intro.) and amended to read:
175.51 (1m) (a) (intro.) In this subsection, “adult
“person at risk” means an one of the following:
1. An adult who has a developmental disability, who
suffers from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, or who
suffers from or could, without access to medication, suf-
fer from cognitive impairment if the impairment would
likely render the adult incapable of getting to a familiar
location without assistance.
SECTION 5. 175.51 (1m) (a) 2. of the statutes is cre-
ated to read:
175.51 (1m) (a) 2. A person who has not attained the
age of 18 years, whose location is unknown, and whose
situation does not qualify for another alert and the person
is believed to be incapable of returning home without
assistance due to a physical or mental condition or dis-
ability or the person has not attained the age of 10 years.
* Section 991.11, WISCONSIN STATUTES: Effective date of acts. “Every act and every portion of an act enacted by the legislature over the governor’s
partial veto which does not expressly prescribe the time when it takes effect shall take effect on the day after its date of publication.” − 2 −2023 Wisconsin Act 272 2023 Senate Bill 981
SECTION 6. 175.51 (1m) (b) of the statutes is
amended to read:
175.51 (1m) (b) If a law enforcement agency
receives a report of a missing adult person at risk, the law
enforcement agency shall use the form under s. 165.785
(2m) (a) 1. to disseminate the report using the integrated
crime alert network.