[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6235 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6235

 To encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert plans throughout the 
     United States in order to disseminate information when a law 
enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 28, 2010

  Mr. McMahon (for himself, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Hall of New 
    York, Mr. Patrick J. Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Maloney, Ms. 
   Bordallo, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. Faleomavaega, and Mr. Pierluisi) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert plans throughout the 
     United States in order to disseminate information when a law 
enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Blue Alert Act of 2010''.

SEC. 2. BLUE ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK.

    The Attorney General shall, subject to the availability of 
appropriations pursuant to section 6, establish a national Blue Alert 
communications network within the Department of Justice to disseminate 
information when a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or 
killed in the line of duty through the initiation, facilitation, and 
promotion of local elements of the network (known as Blue Alert plans) 
in coordination with States, units of local government, law enforcement 
agencies, and other appropriate entities.

SEC. 3. BLUE ALERT COORDINATOR; GUIDELINES.

    (a) Coordination Within Department of Justice.--The Attorney 
General shall assign an officer of the Department of Justice to act as 
the national coordinator of the Blue Alert communications network. The 
officer so designated shall be known as the Blue Alert Coordinator of 
the Department of Justice (referred to in this Act as the 
``Coordinator'').
    (b) Duties of the Coordinator.--In acting as the national 
coordinator of the Blue Alert communications network, the Coordinator 
shall--
            (1) work with States to encourage the development of 
        additional Blue Alert plans in the network;
            (2) establish voluntary guidelines for States to use in 
        developing Blue Alert plans that will promote compatible and 
        integrated Blue Alert plans throughout the United States, 
        including--
                    (A) a list of the resources necessary to establish 
                a Blue Alert plan;
                    (B) criteria for evaluating whether a situation 
                warrants issuing a Blue Alert;
                    (C) guidelines to protect the privacy, dignity, 
                independence, and autonomy of any law enforcement 
                officer who may be the subject of a Blue Alert or 
                family of such law enforcement officer;
                    (D) guidelines that, before a Blue Alert is issued 
                and with respect to a law enforcement officer who is 
                seriously injured or killed in the line of duty--
                            (i) the law enforcement agency involved 
                        confirms the death, injury, or attack on of the 
                        law enforcement officer;
                            (ii) there is an indication of serious 
                        injury to or death of the law enforcement 
                        officer;
                            (iii) the suspect involved has not been 
                        apprehended; and
                            (iv) there is sufficient descriptive 
                        information of the suspect involved and any 
                        relevant vehicle and tag numbers;
                    (E) guidelines--
                            (i) that information related to a law 
                        enforcement officer who is seriously injured or 
                        killed in the line of duty would be provided to 
                        the National Crime Information Center database 
                        operated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation 
                        pursuant to section 534 of title 28, United 
                        States Code, and any relevant crime information 
                        repository of the State involved;
                            (ii) that a Blue Alert would be, to the 
                        maximum extent practicable (as determined by 
                        the Coordinator in consultation with State and 
                        local law enforcement agencies) limited to the 
                        geographic areas most likely to facilitate the 
                        apprehension of the suspect involved or which 
                        such suspect could reasonably reach, but not 
                        limited to State lines;
                            (iii) for State law enforcement agencies to 
                        develop plans to communicate information to 
                        neighboring States to provide for seamless 
                        communication of Blue Alert; and
                            (iv) providing that a Blue Alert will be 
                        suspended when the suspect involved is 
                        apprehended or when the law enforcement agency 
                        involved determines that the Blue Alert is no 
                        longer effective; and
                    (F) guidelines for--
                            (i) the issuance of alerts through the Blue 
                        Alert communications network; and
                            (ii) the extent of the dissemination of 
                        alerts issued through the network;
            (3) develop proposed protocols for efforts to apprehend 
        suspects, including protocols that are needed from the time of 
        the initial notification of a law enforcement agency that a 
        suspect has not been apprehended through the time of 
        apprehension of a suspect or when the law enforcement agency 
        involved determines that the Blue Alert is no longer effective, 
        including--
                    (A) public safety communications;
                    (B) command center operations; and
                    (C) incident review, evaluation, debriefing, and 
                public information procedures;
            (4) work with States to ensure appropriate regional 
        coordination of various elements of the network;
            (5) establish an advisory group to assist States, units of 
        local government, law enforcement agencies, and other entities 
        involved in the Blue Alert communications network with 
        initiating, facilitating, and promoting Blue Alert plans, which 
        shall include--
                    (A) to the maximum extent practicable, 
                representation from the various geographic regions of 
                the United States; and
                    (B) members who are--
                            (i) representatives of law enforcement 
                        organizations, law enforcement agencies, and 
                        public safety communications,
                            (ii) broadcasters, first responders, 
                        dispatchers, and radio station personnel; and
                            (iii) representatives of any other 
                        individuals or organizations that the 
                        Coordinator determines are necessary to the 
                        success of the Blue Alert communications 
                        network; and
            (6) act as the nationwide point of contact for--
                    (A) the development of the network; and
                    (B) regional coordination of alerts through the 
                network for law enforcement officers who are seriously 
                injured or killed in the line of duty.
    (c) Limitations Applicable to Guidelines and Other Duties.--In 
establishing the guidelines and carrying out other duties under 
subsection (b), the following shall apply:
            (1) Voluntary participation.--The guidelines established 
        under paragraph (2) of such subsection, protocols developed 
        under paragraph (3) of such subsection, and other programs 
        established under such subsection, shall be adoptable by a 
        State on a voluntary basis only.
            (2) Dissemination of information.--The guidelines shall, to 
        the maximum extent practicable (as determined by the 
        Coordinator in consultation with State and local law 
        enforcement agencies), provide that appropriate information 
        relating to a wounding assault or fatal injury on a law 
        enforcement officer is disseminated to the appropriate law 
        enforcement, public health, and other public officials.
            (3) Privacy and civil liberties protections.--The 
        guidelines shall--
                    (A) ensure that alerts issued through the Blue 
                Alert communications network comply with all applicable 
                Federal, State, and local privacy laws and regulations; 
                and
                    (B) include standards that specifically provide for 
                the protection of the civil liberties, including the 
                privacy, of law enforcement officers who are seriously 
                injured or killed in the line of duty and the families 
                of such officers.
    (d) Cooperation With Other Agencies.--The Coordinator shall 
cooperate with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of 
Transportation, the Federal Communications Commission, and appropriate 
offices of the Department of Justice in carrying out activities under 
this Act.
    (e) Reports.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Coordinator shall 
submit to Congress a report on the activities of the Coordinator and 
the effectiveness and status of the Blue Alert plans of each State that 
has established or is in the process of establishing such a plan.

SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM FOR SUPPORT OF BLUE ALERT PLANS.

    (a) Grant Program.--Subject to the availability of appropriations 
to carry out this section, the Attorney General shall carry out a 
program to provide grants to States for the development or enhancement 
of programs and activities for the support of Blue Alert plans and the 
Blue Alert communications network.
    (b) Activities.--Activities funded by grants under the program 
under subsection (a) may include--
            (1) the development and implementation of education and 
        training programs, and associated materials, relating to Blue 
        Alert plans;
            (2) the development and implementation of law enforcement 
        programs, and associated equipment, relating to Blue Alert 
        plans;
            (3) the development and implementation of new technologies 
        to improve Blue Alert communications; and
            (4) such other activities as the Attorney General considers 
        appropriate for supporting the Blue Alert communications 
        network.
    (c) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of any activities 
funded by a grant under the program under subsection (a) may not exceed 
50 percent.
    (d) Distribution of Grant Amounts on Geographic Basis.--The 
Attorney General shall, to the maximum extent practicable, ensure the 
distribution of grants under the program under subsection (a) on an 
equitable basis throughout the various regions of the United States.
    (e) Administration.--The Attorney General shall prescribe 
requirements, including application requirements, for grants under the 
program under subsection (a).

SEC. 5. DEFINITION.

    For purposes of this Act, the term ``State'' means each of the 50 
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of 
the Northern Mariana Islands, and any federally recognized Indian 
tribe.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated such sums 
as may be necessary to carry out this Act (other than for purposes 
described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection (b)(1)).
    (b) Grant Funding.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated for 
        fiscal year 2011--
                    (A) $5,000,000 for grants under section 4; and
                    (B) an additional $5,000,000 for such grants to 
                carry out activities described in section 4(b)(3).
            (2) Availability of funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant 
        to paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended.
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