,,ib ,union ,calendar ,no4 #cb #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ahj ,report ,no4 #aac-ed ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #d1 #bjac ,mr4 ,grimm 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,pascrell1 ,mr4 ,reichert1 and ,mr4 ,pierluisi7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,may #ad1 #bjac ,additional sponsors3 ,mr4 ,lo,biondo1 ,mr4 ,cooper1 ,mr4 ,andrews1 ,mr4 ,king of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,ohio1 ,mr4 ,duncan of ,tennessee1 ,mr4 ,maffei1 ,mr4 ,rangel1 ,ms4 ,gabbard1 ,mr4 ,conyers1 and ,mr4 ,poe of ,texas ,may #ad1 #bjac ,committed to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the ,union and ordered to be printed ,a ,,bill ,to encourage1 enhance1 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 duty4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,national ,blue ,alert ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,coordinator ,the term ,coordinator means the ,blue ,alert ,coordinator of the ,department of ,justice designated under section #d7;a74 7#b7 ,blue alert ,the term ,blue ,alert means information relating to the serious injury or death of a law enforcement officer in the line of duty sent through the network4 7#c7 ,blue alert plan ,the term ,blue ,alert plan means the plan of a ,state1 unit of local government1 or ,federal agency participating in the network for the dissemination of information received as a ,blue ,alert4 7#d7 ,law enforcement officer ,the term law enforcement officer shall have the same meaning as in section #abjd of the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cgif;b7#f774 7#e7 ,network ,the term network means the ,blue ,alert communications network established by the ,attorney ,general under section #c4 7#f7 ,state ,the term ,state means each of the #ej ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 ,puerto ,rico1 the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands1 ,guam1 ,american ,samoa1 and the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands4 #c4 ,blue alert communications network ,the ,attorney ,general shall establish a national ,blue ,alert communications network within the ,department of ,justice to issue ,blue ,alerts through the initiation1 facilitation1 and promotion of ,blue ,alert plans1 in coordination with ,states1 units of local government1 law enforcement agencies1 and other appropriate entities4 #d4 ,blue alert coordinator2 guidelines 7a7 ,coordination within department of justice ,the ,attorney ,general shall assign an existing officer of the ,department of ,justice to act as the national coordinator of the ,blue ,alert communications network4 7b7 ,duties of the coordinator ,the ,coordinator shall-- 7#a7 provide assistance to ,states and units of local government that are using ,blue ,alert plans2 7#b7 establish voluntary guidelines for ,states and units of local government to use in developing ,blue ,alert plans that will promote compatible and integrated ,blue ,alert plans throughout the ,united ,states1 including-- 7,a7 a list of the resources necessary to establish a ,blue ,alert plan2 7,b7 criteria for evaluating whether a situation warrants issuing a ,blue ,alert2 7,c7 guidelines to protect the privacy1 dignity1 independence1 and autonomy of any law enforcement officer who may be the subject of a ,blue ,alert and the family of the law enforcement officer2 7,d7 guidelines that a ,blue ,alert should only be issued with respect to a law enforcement officer if-- 7i7 the law enforcement agency involved-- 7,i7 confirms-- 7aa7 the death or serious injury of the law enforcement officer2 or 7bb7 the attack on the law enforcement officer and that there is an indication of the death or serious injury of the officer2 or 7,,ii7 concludes that the law enforcement officer is missing in the line of duty2 7ii7 there is an indication of serious injury to or death of the law enforcement officer2 7iii7 the suspect involved has not been apprehended2 and 7iv7 there is sufficient descriptive information of the suspect involved and any relevant vehicle and tag numbers2 7,e7 guidelines-- 7i7 that information relating to a law enforcement officer who is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty should be provided to the ,national ,crime ,information ,center database operated by the ,federal ,bureau of ,investigation under section #ecd of title #bh1 ,united ,states ,code1 and any relevant crime information repository of the ,state involved2 7ii7 that a ,blue ,alert should1 to the maximum extent practicable 7as determined by the ,coordinator in consultation with law enforcement agencies of ,states and units of local governments71 be limited to the geographic areas most likely to facilitate the apprehension of the suspect involved or which the suspect could reasonably reach1 which should not be limited to ,state lines2 7iii7 for law enforcement agencies of ,states or units of local government to develop plans to communicate information to neighboring ,states to provide for seamless communication of a ,blue ,alert2 and 7iv7 providing that a ,blue ,alert should be suspended when the suspect involved is apprehended or when the law enforcement agency involved determines that the ,blue ,alert is no longer effective2 and 7,f7 guidelines for-- 7i7 the issuance of ,blue ,alerts through the network2 and 7ii7 the extent of the dissemination of alerts issued through the network2 7#c7 develop protocols for efforts to apprehend suspects that address activities during the period beginning at the time of the initial notification of a law enforcement agency that a suspect has not been apprehended and ending at the time of apprehension of a suspect or when the law enforcement agency involved determines that the ,blue ,alert is no longer effective1 including protocols regulating-- 7,a7 the use of public safety communications2 7,b7 command center operations2 and 7,c7 incident review1 evaluation1 debriefing1 and public information procedures2 7#d7 work with ,states to ensure appropriate regional coordination of various elements of the network2 7#e7 establish an advisory group to assist ,states1 units of local government1 law enforcement agencies1 and other entities involved in the network with initiating1 facilitating1 and promoting ,blue ,alert plans1 which shall include-- 7,a7 to the maximum extent practicable1 representation from the various geographic regions of the ,united ,states2 and 7,b7 members who are-- 7i7 representatives of a law enforcement organization representing rank-and-file officers2 7ii7 representatives of other law enforcement agencies and public safety communications2 7iii7 broadcasters1 first responders1 dispatchers1 and radio station personnel2 and 7iv7 representatives of any other individuals or organizations that the ,coordinator determines are necessary to the success of the network2 7#f7 act as the nationwide point of contact for-- 7,a7 the development of the network2 and 7,b7 regional coordination of ,blue ,alerts through the network2 and 7#g7 determine-- 7,a7 what procedures and practices are in use for notifying law enforcement and the public when a law enforcement officer is killed or seriously injured in the line of duty2 and 7,b7 which of the procedures and practices are effective and that do not require the expenditure of additional resources to implement4 7c7 ,limitations 7#a7 ,voluntary participation ,the guidelines established under subsection 7b77#b71 protocols developed under subsection 7b77#c71 and other programs established under subsection 7b71 shall not be mandatory4 7#b7 ,dissemination of information ,the guidelines established under subsection 7b77#b7 shall1 to the maximum extent practicable 7as determined by the ,coordinator in consultation with law enforcement agencies of ,states and units of local government71 provide that appropriate information relating to a ,blue ,alert is disseminated to the appropriate officials of law enforcement agencies1 public health agencies1 and other agencies4 7#c7 ,privacy and civil liberties protections ,the guidelines established under subsection 7b7 shall-- 7,a7 provide mechanisms that ensure that ,blue ,alerts comply with all applicable ,federal1 ,state1 and local privacy laws and regulations2 and 7,b7 include standards that specifically provide for the protection of the civil liberties1 including the privacy1 of law enforcement officers who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty and the families of the officers4 7d7 ,cooperation with other agencies ,the ,coordinator shall cooperate with the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 the ,secretary of ,transportation1 the ,chairman of the ,federal ,communications ,commission1 and appropriate offices of the ,department of ,justice in carrying out activities under this ,act4 7e7 ,restrictions on coordinator ,the ,coordinator may not-- 7#a7 perform any official travel for the sole purpose of carrying out the duties of the ,coordinator2 7#b7 lobby any officer of a ,state regarding the funding or implementation of a ,blue ,alert plan2 or 7#c7 host a conference focused solely on the ,blue ,alert program that requires the expenditure of ,federal funds4 7f7 ,reports ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,coordinator shall submit to ,congress a report on the activities of the ,coordinator and the effectiveness and status of the ,blue ,alert plans that are in effect or being developed4 ,may #ad1 #bjac ,committed to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the ,union and ordered to be printed