Bill Overview
Title: Billy's Law
Description: This act 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 act 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 act establishes requirements to facilitate data sharing between the NCIC database and the NamUs databases with respect to missing and unidentified persons. Specifically, the act 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 act 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 act 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: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Target Audience
Population: People experiencing the disappearance of loved ones, along with law enforcement and forensic professionals involved in missing persons cases
Estimated Size: 10000000
- Billy's Law impacts individuals involved with the system of missing persons reporting, including law enforcement agencies, forensic providers, and associated governmental departments.
- Law enforcement agencies will need to adhere to new guidelines for submitting reports to NamUs in addition to NCIC.
- There will be improved data sharing between agencies, which has potential international implications especially in border areas or in cases involving missing persons with dual residencies.
- Families and advocates of missing persons will benefit from improved systems that aim to increase the efficiency and efficacy of finding missing individuals.
Reasoning
- Billy's Law impacts a specific segment of the population who are actively involved in or affected by missing persons cases, including law enforcement personnel, forensic experts, and families of missing persons.
- A budget of $49.25 million over 10 years indicates a focus on improving systems and processes rather than direct compensation or large-scale public services, which means the impact is more systemic and infrastructure-based.
- The estimated target population of 10 million U.S. citizens are those who may interact with missing persons systems, either directly as a family or indirectly as stakeholders or professional users of the systems.
- Improvement in wellbeing for those affected directly by missing persons cases likely results from the policy's enhancement of data systems, leading to faster resolutions and closure.
Simulated Interviews
Detective (New York, NY)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The current system is a bit of a maze. It takes time to get the information across databases, which can delay finding missing persons.
- With this new law, the streamlined data sharing between NCIC and NamUs will make our work faster and more coordinated.
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 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Forensic Specialist (San Antonio, TX)
Age: 39 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Too often, we don't have access to all available data, which can hinder our findings.
- Billy's Law seems like a step in the right direction, ensuring we receive more complete information.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
Retired Teacher (Chicago, IL)
Age: 60 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 3
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Having a loved one missing is an indescribable pain. Any policy that can bring faster results is welcome.
- I hope this will give authorities the resources they need to find my nephew.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 3 |
Software Developer (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 28 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm not directly involved, but I develop software that may potentially use the APIs provided by such databases.
- Anything that provides clear data pathways and government-led APIs can be useful for development.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
Stay-at-home Parent (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 52 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The pain of not knowing is constant. Improving systems for missing persons is vital.
- This policy seems like it could help others in my situation find answers quicker.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
Law Enforcement Officer (Miami, FL)
Age: 34 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- We've needed better data tracking and sharing, especially for multi-state cases.
- If NamUs and NCIC can work together more effectively, it'll make catching child abductors more efficient.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Public Health Official (Denver, CO)
Age: 41 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Enhancing these databases could make local efforts more effective in dealing with unidentified remains.
- The true benefit will be seen in how these changes are implemented by local jurisdictions.
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 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Journalist (Seattle, WA)
Age: 27 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Having access to improved data and transparency through NamUs would assist reporters as well as families and law enforcement.
- Hopefully, these changes increase accountability and efficiency.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
State Senator (Atlanta, GA)
Age: 55 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Federal-state cooperation on data sharing could set a precedent for other sectors.
- The focus on missing persons is crucial, but hopefully, it will lead to broader technological enhancements in justice systems.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
College Student (Detroit, MI)
Age: 22 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 20/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm hopeful that enhancing resources for finding missing persons is indicative of priorities towards public safety.
- Policies like Billy's Law suggest progress, which I'm supportive of for our future.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $2500000 (Low: $2000000, High: $3000000)
Year 2: $3000000 (Low: $2500000, High: $3500000)
Year 3: $3500000 (Low: $3000000, High: $4000000)
Year 5: $5000000 (Low: $4500000, High: $5500000)
Year 10: $7000000 (Low: $6500000, High: $7500000)
Year 100: $10000000 (Low: $9000000, High: $11000000)
Key Considerations
- The technical integration between NCIC and NamUs presents a significant challenge and cost driver.
- Training and buy-in from local and state-level law enforcement agencies are crucial for successful implementation.
- The efficiency of the data sharing system will directly correlate with its utility in solving cases.