Bill
SJR 25-005
Designates February 4 as Missing Persons Day in Colorado to raise awareness, support families, and promote existing alert programs without new funding or duties.
Status: Adopted by the 75th General Assembly (House Third Reading Passed — No Amendments). Signed/Filed February 4, 2025.
Sponsors: Senate primaries — Senators Jessie Danielson and Marc Catlin. House primaries — Representatives Monica Duran and Rose Pugliese. Large bipartisan list of cosponsors in both chambers.
Purpose
- To formally designate February 4 of each year as “Missing Persons Day” in Colorado and to raise public, media, and law‑enforcement awareness about missing persons and their families.
Key provisions and findings
- Declares the nationwide and state scope of missing‑person cases, citing statistics (e.g., every ~40 seconds someone goes missing in the U.S.; FBI reported 93,741 active missing persons cases nationwide as of Jan. 1, 2025, including 1,196 from Colorado).
- Recognizes causes for disappearances (runaways, wandering, non‑voluntary disappearances, suspicious circumstances) and the disproportionate number of juveniles among active cases.
- Commends existing alert systems and programs:
- AMBER Alert program in Colorado (established by HB 02‑1083) — cites historic recoveries.
- Missing Indigenous Person Alert (MIPA) established by SB 22‑150 (2022) — noted as highly utilized.
- Calls attention to misconceptions (e.g., dangerous belief that someone must be missing 24 hours before reporting) and urges prompt investigations when evidence of violence or unusual absence exists.
- Encourages continued use and expansion of new technologies and public support to locate missing persons.
- Designates February 4 each year as Missing Persons Day in Colorado and supports activities and events to connect families to resources and to raise awareness.
- Expresses solidarity with families and lists (by name) numerous Coloradans who are currently missing (list truncated in official posting).
Who is affected
- Primarily symbolic: families and friends of missing persons, victim‑advocacy groups, local and state law enforcement, media, and the general public.
- The resolution does not appropriate funds or create new statutory duties; rather it provides official recognition and encourages ongoing public and institutional efforts.
Procedural/timeline notes
- Introduced in the Senate on January 31, 2025. Passed the Senate (with amendments) and the House (final reading Feb. 4, 2025). Signed by the presiding officers on February 4, 2025, making the designation official as a joint resolution of the General Assembly.
Practical impact
- This joint resolution is largely ceremonial/expressive law: it establishes an annual day of recognition intended to increase awareness, encourage community engagement, and support existing alert systems and search efforts, but it does not impose new requirements or funding on state agencies.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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