No. HB 1405
Filed under Criminal Justice.
Statewide Project for Missing Persons with Special Needs; Revives, readopts, & amends provisions relating to missing persons with special needs statewide project; provides that project is created through centers for autism & related disabilities; provides that participants for project shall be selected based on certain criteria; provides appropriations. APPROPRIATION: $1,000,000
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDThe bill revives a statewide project, renaming the administering body from a single center to multiple centers for autism and related disabilities. This expands the program's reach across the state.
Each participating center must distribute personal devices to aid search-and-rescue efforts for individuals with special needs who elope. Centers are required to fund the costs associated with monitoring these devices.
Participation is determined by criteria developed by each center, which must include the person's risk of elopement. Selection is based on a first-come, first-served basis.
The project operates only to the extent of available funding within each center's existing resources. The bill appropriates $1 million in nonrecurring funds for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to purchase these devices.
AIThe statewide project is now run through multiple centers for autism and related disabilities, rather than a single center.
AIIndividual centers determine who qualifies for the project based on their specific service area, with elopement risk as the minimum requirement.
AIThe project no longer has a built-in sunset date, allowing it to continue operating as long as funding is available.
AIFour university-based centers each receive $250,000 in nonrecurring funds specifically to buy personal devices for search-and-rescue efforts.