S 6865 NY

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Bill No.: Summary Actions Committee&nbspVotes Floor&nbspVotes Memo Text LFIN Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript S06865 Summary: BILL NO S06865A &nbsp SAME AS SAME AS A08386-A

&nbsp SPONSOR WEBB &nbsp COSPNSR COMRIE, FERNANDEZ, GONZALEZ, LIU, RAMOS &nbsp MLTSPNSR &nbsp Add §837-f-3, Exec L &nbsp Provides for the creation of an ebony alert system to be activated on behalf of Black youth who are reported missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances, at risk, developmentally disabled, or cognitively impaired, or who have been abducted.

Go to top S06865 Text:

STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________

6865--A

2025-2026 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

March 25, 2025 ___________

Introduced by Sens. WEBB, COMRIE, FERNANDEZ, GONZALEZ, LIU, RAMOS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes -- recommitted to the Committee on Codes in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit- tee

AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to the creation of a "ebony alert system" for missing Black youth

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows:

1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 2 837-f-3 to read as follows: 3 § 837-f-3. Ebony alert system. 1. The division of criminal justice 4 services, through the missing children clearinghouse and in consultation 5 with the division of state police, shall establish and maintain an ebony 6 alert system on behalf of Black youth, to provide prompt dissemination 7 of information to the public regarding missing persons who meet the 8 criteria established pursuant to this section. 9 2. A law enforcement agency investigating a missing person case may 10 request activation of an ebony alert through the missing children clear- 11 inghouse. Upon receipt of such request, the division, through the miss- 12 ing children clearinghouse and in coordination with the division of 13 state police, shall evaluate the request and determine whether acti- 14 vation criteria have been met. 15 3. An ebony alert may be activated when the division determines that: 16 (a) the missing person is twelve to twenty-five years of age, inclu- 17 sive; 18 (b) the disappearance of such person is unexplained or suspicious; 19 (c) the missing person suffers from a mental or physical disability; 20 (d) the missing person may be at risk of harm, including but not 21 limited to trafficking, exploitation, or other criminal activity;

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD09408-03-6

S. 6865--A 2

1 (e) the individual is believed to be in danger or otherwise in peril; 2 and 3 (f) sufficient descriptive information is available that dissemination 4 to the public could assist in the safe recovery of such person. 5 4. Upon activation of an ebony alert, the division may disseminate 6 information regarding the missing person through appropriate communi- 7 cations systems, including but not limited to: 8 (a) law enforcement communications networks; 9 (b) broadcast and digital media outlets; 10 (c) wireless emergency alerts or other public alert notification 11 systems; 12 (d) internet or social media platforms utilized by the division or 13 participating agencies; and 14 (e) other public notification systems utilized by the missing children 15 clearinghouse. 16 5. In implementing the ebony alert system, the division shall coordi- 17 nate with the division of state police, the division of homeland securi- 18 ty and emergency services, the department of transportation, local law 19 enforcement agencies, and other appropriate entities involved in missing 20 persons investigations. 21 6. The department of transportation may assist in disseminating ebony 22 alert information through dynamic message signs or other highway commu- 23 nication systems, provided that such use complies with applicable feder- 24 al laws and regulations governing highway signage. 25 7. When the division determines that a missing person subject to an 26 ebony alert may have crossed jurisdictional boundaries, the division may 27 coordinate with law enforcement agencies in other states or jurisdic- 28 tions to disseminate alert information and facilitate recovery. 29 8. In administering the ebony alert system, the division shall ensure 30 that dissemination of information is conducted in a manner consistent 31 with applicable state and federal privacy laws and regulations and that 32 information released to the public is limited to that necessary to 33 assist in the recovery of the missing person. 34 9. The commissioner, in consultation with the division of state police 35 and the missing children clearinghouse, shall promulgate rules and regu- 36 lations necessary to implement the provisions of this section. 37 10. The ebony alert system established pursuant to this section shall 38 operate in coordination with other statewide missing persons alert 39 systems administered by the division. The division shall determine 40 whether activation of an ebony alert is appropriate when the circum- 41 stances of the disappearance do not meet the criteria for activation of 42 another missing persons alert system administered by the division. Noth- 43 ing in this section shall be construed to permit the simultaneous acti- 44 vation of multiple statewide alert systems for the same missing person. 45 § 2. The commissioner of the division of criminal justice services 46 shall submit an annual report to the governor and legislature regarding 47 the activities of the ebony alert system, including statistical informa- 48 tion involving reported cases of missing individuals that meet the 49 criteria established under section 837-f-3 of the executive law and a 50 summary of the division's efforts with respect to the activities author- 51 ized under this act. 52 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 53 have become a law.

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