[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 190 (Thursday, October 28, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S7509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 4033. Ms. BALDWIN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize appropriations for fiscal
year 2022 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for
military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of
Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year,
and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:
At the appropriate place in title X, insert the following:
SEC. ___. COREY ADAMS GREEN ALERT SYSTEMS TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Green alert.--The term ``Green Alert'' means an alert
issued through the Green Alert communications network,
relating to a missing veteran.
(2) Missing veteran.--The term ``missing veteran'' means an
individual who--
(A) is reported to, or identified by, a law enforcement
agency as a missing person;
(B) is a veteran; and
(C) meets the requirements to be designated as a missing
veteran, as determined by the State in which the individual
is reported or identified as a missing person.
(3) State.--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, and
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(4) Veteran.--The term ``veteran'' means an individual who
is a current or former member of the Armed Forces, including
an individual who is currently serving or formerly served in
a reserve component (including the National Guard).
(b) Financial and Technical Assistance.--The Secretary of
Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, shall provide financial and technical assistance to
a State that has established or has under consideration
legislation to establish a Green Alert or other system
specifically dedicated to locating missing veterans, to help
ensure the effective use of those systems to successfully
find and recover missing veterans.
(c) Content of Assistance.--Such assistance shall include--
(1) helping the State develop, revise, or update criteria
for issuing such alerts, including on when to issue such
alerts, training to provide to law enforcement on interacting
with veterans and provide recommendations on how best to
protect the privacy, dignity, and independence of veterans
who are the subject of such alerts;
(2) providing assistance to the State on protecting the
privacy of veterans, including sensitive medical information,
as such alerts are issued;
(3) designating officials to serve or participate on any
advisory committees established by the State or local
governments to provide oversight of Green Alert systems
dedicated to finding missing veterans;
(4) for those veterans recovered by such systems, helping
ensure such veterans are connected to any services provided
by the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of
Defense to which they are entitled as a result of their
service in the Armed Forces, including housing and health
care;
(5) providing public education on these systems to military
or veteran communities in such States, including on
facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the
Department of Defense located in such States;
(6) supporting efforts to train State and local law
enforcement who issue such alerts and search for missing
veterans on the unique needs of veterans; and
(7) ensuring officials of the Department of Veterans
Affairs or the Department of Defense in such States are aware
of Green Alerts, understand how they work, and integrate them
with any plan for locating missing veterans at a base or
facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the
Department of Defense.
(d) Use of Existing Mechanisms.--To the maximum extent
possible, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall use existing mechanisms, including
advisory committees and programs, to meet the requirements of
this section.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2022 to carry
out this section.
(f) Offset.--The amount authorized to be appropriated for
fiscal year 2022 by section 301 for operation and maintenance
is hereby decreased by $2,000,000, with the amount of the
decrease to be taken from the availability of amounts for the
Office of Secretary of Defense.
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