Committee passes bill creating missing‑person advisory for adults with disabilities under state police

The Arkansas Public Health Committee voted to pass House Bill 1523, which creates a missing‑person advisory system for adults with disabilities that will be administered by the state police rather than using the Silver Alert emergency broadcast system.

State Senator Bridal Davis, the bill sponsor in committee, described the proposal as an advisory system intended to help locate adults with disabilities who do not qualify for a Silver Alert. “This is just to ensure that if they're missing, they don't qualify for the silver alert that there is an advisory system in place so that we can find these adults with disabilities,” the sponsor said.

Committee members discussed prior proposals that were broader and could have triggered more frequent public alerts. Senator Peyton asked whether the bill was the same as an earlier measure; the sponsor and other members said the current version was narrowed to an advisory to avoid "alert fatigue" that would come from frequent emergency alerts.

Committee members clarified that the advisory differs from a Silver or Amber Alert: it will not automatically interrupt broadcasts as a full alert would but may be distributed as an advisory (for example, via a scrolling bulletin or other noninterrupting channels). The sponsor told the committee the program was moved under the state police and that the change was intended to avoid overuse of emergency alerts.

No one registered to speak for or against the bill during the committee hearing. The sponsor closed and asked for a “do pass” recommendation. The chair recorded the vote as “Ayes have it” and announced that House Bill 1523 passed; the transcript does not include a roll‑call tally.