Senate unanimously approves new 'Purple Alert' and updates for missing and endangered persons
Loading...
Summary
Second Substitute SB 6,070, which creates a Purple Alert for certain missing persons and updates definitions for vulnerable adults and endangered individuals, passed the Senate unanimously after sponsors described committee support and examples of recoveries aided by color alerts.
The Senate gave final passage to Second Substitute Senate Bill 6,070, legislation to expand Washington’s missing‑person alert system by adding a Purple Alert and refining the definition of vulnerable and endangered individuals.
Senator Dhingra, who carried the bill on the floor, said the bill responds to recommendations from the MMIWP task force and other stakeholders and would improve recovery rates for disproportionately affected populations. She described three main components: adopting a Purple Alert to improve recoveries of missing Black individuals, clarifying definitions of vulnerable and endangered adults (including those with severe mental illness or developmental disabilities), and codifying the Purple Alert name to increase public attention.
The sponsor cited a recent, tragic case of three abducted children to underscore the law’s urgency and said the bill had unanimous committee support. Senator Holy also urged a yes vote, describing the bill as enhancing the state’s missing‑children and endangered‑person systems. The roll call announced a constitutional majority with 49 yeas and 0 nays on final passage.
What’s next: With Senate passage, the bill will proceed according to legislative process and, if enacted, the state’s emergency‑alert and law‑enforcement clearinghouse systems will implement the Purple Alert protocols.
