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SB 25-151

Measures to Prevent Youth from Running Away

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Judy Amabile and 31 co-sponsors

Strengthens prevention, early intervention, and cross-agency crisis response to keep youth from running away, prioritizing services over punishment.

Governor Signed
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 25-151

Summary — SB 25-151: Measures to Prevent Youth from Running Away

Status: Governor Signed (April 10, 2025)
Introduced: February 5, 2025
Primary sponsors: Dafna Michaelson Jenet; Meg Froelich; Lindsay Gilchrist (with many cosponsors listed)
Classification: Bill

Purpose

The bill, titled "Measures to Prevent Youth from Running Away," is intended to reduce instances of children and adolescents leaving home or placement without permission by strengthening prevention, early intervention, coordination, and supports for at‑risk youth and their families. (Full statutory text was not provided in the materials supplied; the summary below describes the bill's purpose and likely areas addressed based on the title and standard legislative practice. Consult the enacted bill text for exact provisions.)

Known legislative status and timeline

  • Introduced in the Senate: 2025-02-05 (assigned to Health & Human Services)
  • Passed Senate (with committee amendments): late Feb 2025
  • Transmitted to House: late Feb 2025; passed the House without amendments in late March 2025
  • Sent to Governor: April 7, 2025
  • Governor signed into law: April 10, 2025

Key areas likely addressed (based on bill title and legislative focus)

Because the bill text is not included here, the following lists typical provisions such a bill would contain. These indicate what readers can expect to find in the full enacted language:

  • Prevention and early‑intervention programs

    • Grants or funding for community‑based prevention programs, family stabilization, and youth outreach.
    • School‑based supports (counseling, truancy prevention, case management) to identify and assist at‑risk students.

  • Crisis response and safe shelter

    • Requirements for immediate, non‑punitive responses when youth are reported missing/runaway, including safe temporary shelter and referral pathways.
    • Protocols for law enforcement and child welfare agencies for quick reunification and risk assessment.

  • Interagency coordination and protocols

    • Mandatory coordination among child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health providers, schools, and law enforcement.
    • Development of standardized reporting, triage, and case‑planning procedures.

  • Training and workforce development

    • Training requirements for school personnel, law enforcement, shelter workers, and child welfare staff on trauma‑informed engagement and de‑escalation.

  • Data collection and evaluation

    • Requirements to collect and report data on runaways/missing youth, service use, outcomes, and program effectiveness.
    • Possible reporting deadlines to the legislature or an implementing agency.

  • Protections and noncriminalization

    • Explicit guidance to avoid criminalizing runaway behavior; emphasis on services over punitive measures.

Who would be affected

  • Youth at risk of running away (including those in families, foster care, juvenile justice system)
  • Families and caregivers who receive services or case management
  • Schools, school counselors, and district administrators
  • Child welfare agencies, law enforcement, providers of emergency shelters and youth services
  • Community‑based organizations that deliver prevention and intervention programs

Potential impact

If the bill follows the typical provisions above, impacts could include increased availability of prevention and crisis services, improved cross‑agency responses, better data to guide policy, reduced criminalization of runaways, and potentially short‑term fiscal impacts depending on grant or program funding included in the enacted language.

Next steps / Where to find the full text

  • For precise requirements, effective dates, funding amounts, and implementation details, consult the enacted bill text, the bill’s fiscal note, and administrative rules or guidance issued by the implementing state agency.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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