Arizona House Bill HB2929

Arizona 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/12/25

Caption

Missing children; cellular; location disclosure

Summary

HB 2929 amends Arizona’s missing-child reporting statute to add a new law-enforcement tool for locating missing, kidnapped, or runaway children. It keeps the existing requirements for police to enter missing-child information into state and national databases quickly, update records, coordinate with child welfare and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and preserve entries until the child is found or the case is closed. The bill also adds a specific requirement to notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children when the missing child is in foster care. The central new provision authorizes a cellular telephone carrier to disclose location information to law enforcement for a missing child under 18 when there is reasonable suspicion the child has a cellular device and may be in an emergency situation posing a risk of death or serious physical injury, or when a parent or legal guardian used the device to place a 911 call for emergency assistance within the prior 24 hours. Carriers that provide the information must retain identifying details about the request and a declaration supporting the disclosure, and they are granted immunity from liability for making the disclosure.

Impact

The bill would expand section 8-901 of the Arizona Revised Statutes by creating a statutory process for law enforcement to obtain location information from wireless providers in urgent missing-child cases. It affects law enforcement agencies, cellular telephone carriers, and families of missing children, especially those in foster care, by formalizing when location data may be shared and by limiting carrier liability for compliance. The measure does not appear to change criminal penalties or broader privacy law, but it does create a targeted exception to ordinary confidentiality around mobile location data in emergency child-recovery situations.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a public-safety and child-protection bill with an emphasis on rapid response. Its structure suggests support for law enforcement access to location information in emergencies and for improved coordination with missing-child databases and child welfare systems. No opposing views are documented in the provided materials, but the bill’s privacy implications for mobile location data are the most likely area of concern.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the balance between child-safety investigations and privacy protections for wireless location data. Supporters would likely emphasize the need for fast access to cell-phone location information to locate endangered children, while critics could question the breadth of the emergency standard, the use of reasonable suspicion, and the potential for expanded law-enforcement access to sensitive data. A secondary issue is the added reporting requirement for foster-care cases, which may raise operational concerns for agencies handling missing-child reports.