While appearing at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center on Wednesday, Alaska's Governor Parnell signed House Bill 59 dubbed the Silver Alert.

House Bill 59 is legislation sponsored by Representative Max Gruenberg that requires the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Department of Public Safety to develop and implement notification plans to more quickly locate missing vulnerable adults.

With the signing of this legislation, Alaska, who it is estimated had 100,000 residents 60 or over, joins 29 other states that have in place a Silver Alert or a similar program for locating missing vulnerable adults.

“This bill will place in statute and more fully implement a valuable public notification system to help ensure the search for Alaska’s missing vulnerable adults happens quickly and efficiently,” Governor Parnell said. “We treasure our seniors in Alaska and we want to keep them safe. The Silver Alert system will help us do that.”

By the year 2024, it is estimated that Alaska will have at least 155,000 adults over the age of 60.