# Billy's Law: Making It Easier to Find Missing People

Billy's Law creates a stronger connection between two major government databases that track missing and unidentified people. Right now, when someone goes missing, law enforcement enters information into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database run by the FBI. But there's also a separate system called NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System) that's designed specifically to help solve these cases. The problem is these two systems don't automatically share information with each other, which can slow down investigations and make it harder to find connections between cases. This bill fixes that by requiring the systems to work together and share data automatically.

The bill also pumps resources and support into NamUs itself. It authorizes funding to hire more staff, develop better technology, provide free forensic services like DNA analysis and fingerprint examination, and train law enforcement agencies on how to use these systems effectively. When someone goes missing, especially a child or someone in danger, their case now has to be reported to NamUs in addition to NCIC. The bill sets up automatic data sharing so that critical cases—like child abductions and endangered missing persons—get transferred between systems within 72 hours, while other cases follow within 30 to 180 days depending on the situation.

For families of missing people, this means better access to resources and support services. NamUs will be able to help coordinate assistance, collect DNA samples, and connect families with trained professionals who understand what they're going through. The bill also requires the government to create best practices guidelines for how police departments and medical examiners should handle missing person cases and unidentified remains, ensuring more consistent and effective investigations across the country. Essentially, this law removes barriers between systems and adds resources so that when someone disappears, more eyes and expertise can be brought to bear on finding them.

Billy’s Law

Hayes, Jahana

Billy's Law or the Help Find the Missing Act 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.