Committee advances bill creating 'ebony' and 'purple' alerts and shifts missing-persons website to State Patrol
February 24, 2026 | Legislative Sessions, Washington
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On Feb. 24 the House Community Safety Committee reported engrossed second substitute Senate Bill 60-70 out of committee with a due-pass recommendation, advancing a package of changes to missing-persons alerts and statewide missing-persons infrastructure.
Staff described the bill as expanding circumstances under which devices may be used for community-caretaking functions, establishing "ebony" alerts for missing Black persons and "purple" alerts for missing people with disabilities, and transferring responsibility for maintaining the statewide missing persons website to the Washington State Patrol.
Representative Griffey asked whether the new alerts would be triggered immediately in the same way as purple or silver alerts and raised questions about surveillance tools and how alerts would be used for parents searching for missing children. Staff said amber alerts remain a federal plan led by the Washington State Patrol, while the other streamlined state alerts are part of the state's clearinghouse and "single criteria could designate somebody as missing endangered." Representative Fosse and others expressed concern about expanded surveillance and potential Fourth Amendment issues; they asked staff and the chair to convene members to address surveillance and privacy details.
The committee adopted the bill by voice vote after members signaled support and unresolved concerns remained; the chair said the committee would convene members to work on surveillance concerns.
Why it matters: The bill would create alerts targeted to populations advocates have said can be overlooked by existing systems and would centralize maintenance of the missing-persons website at the State Patrol. Supporters said the streamlined alerts could speed searches for vulnerable people; critics asked for clearer limits on surveillance and protections for people who do not wish to be found.
What comes next: The bill is reported out of committee and may be scheduled for floor consideration; members signaled intent to pursue follow-up work on surveillance rules and implementation.
Staff described the bill as expanding circumstances under which devices may be used for community-caretaking functions, establishing "ebony" alerts for missing Black persons and "purple" alerts for missing people with disabilities, and transferring responsibility for maintaining the statewide missing persons website to the Washington State Patrol.
Representative Griffey asked whether the new alerts would be triggered immediately in the same way as purple or silver alerts and raised questions about surveillance tools and how alerts would be used for parents searching for missing children. Staff said amber alerts remain a federal plan led by the Washington State Patrol, while the other streamlined state alerts are part of the state's clearinghouse and "single criteria could designate somebody as missing endangered." Representative Fosse and others expressed concern about expanded surveillance and potential Fourth Amendment issues; they asked staff and the chair to convene members to address surveillance and privacy details.
The committee adopted the bill by voice vote after members signaled support and unresolved concerns remained; the chair said the committee would convene members to work on surveillance concerns.
Why it matters: The bill would create alerts targeted to populations advocates have said can be overlooked by existing systems and would centralize maintenance of the missing-persons website at the State Patrol. Supporters said the streamlined alerts could speed searches for vulnerable people; critics asked for clearer limits on surveillance and protections for people who do not wish to be found.
What comes next: The bill is reported out of committee and may be scheduled for floor consideration; members signaled intent to pursue follow-up work on surveillance rules and implementation.
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