Bill Overview
Title: Help Find the Missing Act
Description: This bill provides statutory authority for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to maintain the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) consistent with its existing purpose and structure. NamUs is a national information clearinghouse and resource center for cases involving missing persons and unidentified or unclaimed remains. NamUs is administered by the National Institute of Justice within DOJ. The bill also establishes new requirements. First, it requires a law enforcement agency that submits a missing child report to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to also submit the missing child report to NamUs. The NCIC is a computerized index of criminal justice data and files for reports of missing and unidentified persons. Current law requires law enforcement agencies to submit missing child reports to the NCIC database but not to the NamUs databases. Second, the bill establishes requirements to facilitate data sharing between the NCIC database and the NamUs databases with respect to missing and unidentified persons. Specifically, the bill requires DOJ to give the National Institute of Justice access to the NCIC missing person and unidentified person records for the purpose of validating cases and reconciling data with NamUs. Additionally, the bill requires DOJ to assess the NCIC and NamUs systems and governing statutes, policies, and procedures and create a plan for NCIC to automatically transmit certain records to NamUs. Third, the bill requires DOJ to report to forensic medicine service providers and law enforcement agencies on best practices for collecting, reporting, and analyzing data and information on missing persons and unidentified human remains. DOJ must also report to Congress biennially on the status of the NCIC database and the NamUs databases. The report must describe the process of information sharing between the NCIC database and NamUs databases.
Sponsors: Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5]
Target Audience
Population: People whose lives are impacted by missing persons cases
Estimated Size: 100000000
- The global issue of missing persons affects families and communities worldwide, making it a significant concern for a substantial number of people.
- There are millions of missing persons cases reported globally each year, affecting friends, families, and communities connected to each case.
- NamUs serves as a national information clearinghouse and resource center, and its enhancement through this bill could potentially impact a wide range of individuals connected to missing persons cases.
- The bill aims to improve data sharing and efficiency in handling missing persons cases, which could have broad implications for the successful resolution of such cases.
Reasoning
- The population affected by missing persons cases is vast and diverse, including family members, friends, law enforcement, and even community members indirectly touched by these cases.
- Billy's Law aims to improve the efficiency and resolution of missing persons cases by enhancing data sharing between NCIC and NamUs, which can benefit all involved parties by speeding up the process and providing much-needed closure.
- The budget constraints necessitate a focus on the most impactful areas first, such as technology upgrades for data sharing and training programs for law enforcement.
- The effect on individual wellbeing will vary, heavily influenced by personal connection to missing persons cases, occupation, and geography.
Simulated Interviews
Detective (New York, NY)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- As a detective, I hope this bill will streamline our processes and make it easier to reconcile data from various databases.
- Missing persons cases are complex and emotionally draining for both families and investigators, so any improvement is welcome.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Retired teacher (Chicago, IL)
Age: 60 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Anything that enhances the search for missing persons is crucial.
- Our family hopes that this bill will provide better closure for cases like ours.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 3 |
Software Engineer (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 30 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 18/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think this bill is a step in the right direction for data systems in public safety.
- Improving data efficiency will likely make a big difference in the timely resolution of cases.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Coroner (Houston, TX)
Age: 52 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This legislation should improve our ability to identify remains and bring closure to families.
- Streamlining access to databases will save time and resources.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 4 |
Graduate Student (Atlanta, GA)
Age: 24 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 20/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I am optimistic that new policies like Billy's Law will foster innovation in our field.
- Improved coordination between agencies can greatly enhance outcomes for everyone involved.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Lawyer (Seattle, WA)
Age: 41 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The clarity this bill brings to data sharing can significantly affect the legal processes surrounding missing persons cases.
- It can make a lawyer's job slightly easier by reducing uncertainty in case statuses.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Journalist (Portland, OR)
Age: 29 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 13/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This act could potentially provide journalists with more accurate and faster access to information needed for reporting.
- Better data transparency is beneficial for public awareness.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Police Investigator (San Francisco, CA)
Age: 54 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 15.0 years
Commonness: 11/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Additional technological support can significantly impact the resolution of missing persons cases.
- I am hopeful this speeds up the process of finding missing people or identifying remains.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 5 |
IT Specialist (Miami, FL)
Age: 33 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 17/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The integration of advanced IT solutions into NamUs is an exciting prospect.
- This policy will hopefully make data exchange more reliable and secure.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Family Counselor (Denver, CO)
Age: 38 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Improved data sharing might alleviate some of the stress and uncertainty families face.
- This bill gives me hope that some families will find the resolution they need.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 3 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $15000000 (Low: $12000000, High: $18000000)
Year 2: $15000000 (Low: $12000000, High: $18000000)
Year 3: $15000000 (Low: $12000000, High: $18000000)
Year 5: $15000000 (Low: $12000000, High: $18000000)
Year 10: $15000000 (Low: $12000000, High: $18000000)
Year 100: $15000000 (Low: $12000000, High: $18000000)
Key Considerations
- Integration between NCIC and NamUs is complex and may face technical challenges.
- The reported benefits to law enforcement's effectiveness in resolving cases may not be quantifiable in GDP or tax revenue terms but are significant in social impact.
- Maintenance and updating of databases require continued financial commitments.
- Cooperation between various agencies and departments, such as NCIC and NamUs, may have bureaucratic hurdles.