Bill Overview
Title: Help Find the Missing Act
Description: This bill provides statutory authority for the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) and requires certain data sharing between databases of the National Crime Information Center and NamUs. It also provides for grants to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to support reporting to these systems.
Sponsors: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Target Audience
Population: People associated with missing and unidentified persons
Estimated Size: 600000
- The bill focuses on enhancing systems for identifying and locating missing and unidentified persons.
- It involves the integration and data sharing between the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) and the National Crime Information Center.
- There are over 600,000 people who go missing in the U.S. each year according to NamUs data.
- The impact will be primarily on families and friends of missing persons, providing potential closure or information on their loved ones.
- By supporting law enforcement, this bill indirectly benefits broader communities as it can potentially lead to solving missing person cases and crimes.”
Reasoning
- The policy directly targets the families and communities of the 600,000 people who go missing annually in the U.S., aiming to improve data sharing and support law enforcement in missing person cases.
- The budget constraints must be adhered to, with an initial $100 million in year 1 and $700 million over 10 years, which will mainly fund improvements to systems and provide grants for law enforcement.
- This legislation inherently impacts a broad population range, including rural and tribal communities, urban settings, and diverse socio-economic groups.
- The Cantril wellbeing scores are anticipated to reflect minor improvements for the general population, with more significant shifts for those directly affected by missing persons cases.
Simulated Interviews
Social Worker (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm hopeful this policy will make it easier to find and identify missing people, which is a huge relief for the families I work with.
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 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Police Officer (Albuquerque, NM)
Age: 32 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- With more resources and data, we can cut down investigation times. This policy should really help make our work more effective.
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 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Retired Teacher (Chicago, IL)
Age: 60 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 3
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 2/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy gives me hope that maybe we'll finally have answers or closure. It's a much-needed step in the right direction.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 4 | 3 |
College student (Portland, OR)
Age: 20 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 13/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think it's important to improve systems like these, even if it doesn't affect me directly. It's about having empathy for those it does impact.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
Tribe Elder (Tulsa, OK)
Age: 55 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Better systems can help bring answers to our community prayers and worries over decades.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Tech Startup Founder (New York, NY)
Age: 28 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm interested in how tech can support this policy and hope it will open opportunities for innovation to solve these issues.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
Software Engineer (Austin, TX)
Age: 43 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This should lead to the development of better tools and systems, making our work more rewarding.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
Private Investigator (Denver, CO)
Age: 39 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy is a godsend. It should increase collaboration between agencies, ultimately making my investigations smoother.
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 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Journalist (Miami, FL)
Age: 52 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This is an important update to current systems, potentially uncovering stories and cases that would otherwise remain cold.
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 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Farmer (Rural Kansas)
Age: 25 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 11/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm glad to see attention being given to this, though it doesn't directly affect my community much.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $100000000 (Low: $85000000, High: $125000000)
Year 2: $100000000 (Low: $85000000, High: $125000000)
Year 3: $100000000 (Low: $85000000, High: $125000000)
Year 5: $100000000 (Low: $85000000, High: $125000000)
Year 10: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 100: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Key Considerations
- The bill emphasizes getting statutory authority for NamUs, crucial for its effective legal integration.
- Data privacy and security are central concerns when integrating extensive law enforcement databases.
- Sustainability of funding will be critical post the initial implementation phases to ensure ongoing effectiveness.
- Interoperability of NamUs with existing databases is both a technical and infrastructural challenge.
- This legislation directly improves processes that affect families of missing persons.