Test Drive Our New Site! We have some improvements in the works that we're excited for you to experience. Click here to try our new, faster, mobile friendly beta site. We will be maintaining our current version of the site thru the end of 2024, so you can switch back as our improvements continue.
Legislation Quick Search
Advanced Search
Pennsylvania State Senate
04/19/2024 02:05 AM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20190&cosponId=28068
Share:
Home / Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

Subscribe to PaLegis Notifications
NEW!

Subscribe to receive notifications of new Co-Sponsorship Memos circulated

By Member | By Date | Keyword Search


Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: January 29, 2019 12:44 PM
From: Senator Wayne D. Fontana
To: All Senate members
Subject: “Green Alert” for Veterans
 

I will once again be introducing legislation that would implement a “Green Alert” system in Pennsylvania which is designed to warn the public if an at-risk veteran is missing. My bill would be very similar to an Amber Alert for missing children or a Silver Alert for missing seniors.

The measure was inspired by a Milwaukee Air Force veteran Corey Adams, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after serving in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Afghanistan. Although Corey’s parents alerted police and filed a missing person report within hours of Corey’s disappearance on March 20, 3017, because he didn’t meet the criteria as “critically missing,” it took eight days before he was determined to meet this designation by police. Eighteen days after Corey Adam’s disappearance, his body was found in a pond one mile from his mother’s home where he was last seen.

Members of the military that are exposed to war and/or combat are at high risk for developing PTSD. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 20 veterans a day take their own lives. By enacting the Green Alert system, family members of Pennsylvania veterans will be given one more tool to better be able to enlist the aid of the public and the law enforcement community in locating a missing veteran. This also improves the chances of the individual’s safe return and ensures that the veteran receives the support they need.

In March 2018, Wisconsin became the first state establishing a Green Alert and my hopes are that the Pennsylvania General Assembly will make it a priority as well.

This legislation was introduced as SB 1062 during the 2017-18 session and had the following co-sponsors: Sabatina, Leach, Costa, White, Brewster, Blake, Hughes, Stefano, Ward and Yudichak.

Introduced as SB734