Assembly BillIntroduced
A 3491: Provides for a formal process for a parent or legal guardian to request the issuance of an AMBER alert.
What A 3491 does, verified January 8, 2026
The bill aims to establish a formal process for parents or legal guardians to request the issuance of an Amber Alert. A parent or guardian can make a request to the Division of State Police for review, and if approved, the alert will be issued. However, the alert will not be dispatched if the investigating police department advises that releasing the information may jeopardize the investigation or the child's safety. The bill also allows police agencies not connected to the Basic Police Communication System to transmit information to the nearest electronic entry point for prompt dispatch. The changes take effect immediately.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to children and families (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about A 3491
- What is the current status of A 3491?
- As of January 8, 2026, A 3491 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "referred to children and families".
- Did A 3491 pass?
- Not yet. A 3491 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote A 3491, and where is it now?
- A 3491 was authored by Asm. Angelo Santabarbara with 4 coauthors. Its committee of record is Assembly Children & Families.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to children and families |
| Jan. 28, 2025 | referred to children and families |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 28, 2025 · 312 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3491 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 28, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to providing for a formal process for a parent or legal guardian to request the issuance of an AMBER alert The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subparagraphs (vi) and (vii) of paragraph (b) of subdivi- 2 sion 14 of section 837-f of the executive law, as amended by chapter 381 3 of the laws of 2004, are amended to read as follows: 4 (vi) police agencies not connected with the basic police communication 5 system in use in such jurisdiction may transmit such information to the 6 nearest or most convenient electronic entry point, from which point it 7 may be promptly dispatched, in conformity with the orders, rules or 8 regulations governing the system; [and] 9 (vii) a formal process is established by which a parent or legal guar- 10 dian may request that a missing child alert be issued. Such request 11 shall be made to the division of state police for review; and 12 (viii) no dispatch or transmission of a report concerning a missing 13 child shall be required by such plan, except as provided in subparagraph 14 (vii) of this paragraph, if the investigating police department advises, 15 in its discretion, that the release of such information may jeopardize 16 the investigation or the safety of the child, or requests forbearance 17 for any reason. 18 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD06683-01-5
Text of A 3491 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions