Senate committee approves bill to create ‘Turquoise Alert’ for missing American Indian people

The Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee on Thursday advanced Senate Bill 41, which would establish a “Turquoise Alert” system to rapidly notify the public when an American Indian person goes missing.

Lawmakers and advocates described the alert as modeled on Amber and Silver alerts but targeted to address the state’s disproportionately high number of missing and murdered indigenous relatives. Sponsor Senator Charlie said the measure is intended to transcend jurisdictional boundaries that have hampered search efforts and to improve coordination between state, tribal and local authorities.

An amendment adopted in committee clarified the circumstances under which an alert may be issued — for example, when the disappearance is involuntary, unexplained or suspicious; the missing person’s safety or health may be endangered; human trafficking is suspected; or the missing person suffers from a mental or physical disability or a substance use disorder. Committee members said the amendment came after consultations with the Department of Public Safety and was intended to provide clear guardrails for law enforcement review before issuing alerts.

Supporters — including tribal officials, victim-advocacy groups and coalition organizations — urged passage at the committee hearing. Witnesses described the first hours after a disappearance as critical and said existing alert categories (Amber for abducted children, Silver for older adults) do not reliably cover many missing Native adults, who in New Mexico are disproportionately represented in disappearance statistics.

Senators and witnesses discussed implementation concerns, including whether the state would need an appropriation to upgrade alert systems and how to avoid alert fatigue among the public. Sponsor Charlie told the committee that an implementation appropriation was not in the bill text but that discussions with Finance and DPS were ongoing and that supporters expected to secure funding for necessary system upgrades.

The committee recorded a unanimous do-pass recommendation after adopting the amendment. Under the bill language as amended, the state police would operate the Turquoise Alert; tribal law enforcement could request an alert by contacting state police. Supporters said the system aims primarily to raise public awareness quickly while not impinging on tribal sovereignty.

The bill now moves to the next committee in the process for further consideration.