TRACE Act

To direct the Attorney General to include certain additional information in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Tracking and Reporting Absent Community-Members Everywhere Act TRACE Act 2. Information to be included in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System The Attorney General, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Justice, shall include in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System the following data fields: (1) A description of any initial search, rescue, or recovery mission. (2) A description of any ongoing search effort. (3) In the case that remains of a person are found, the cause of death determined by a coroner or forensics investigator. (4) Whether the last known location of the missing person was confirmed or was suspected to have been on Federal land. (5) For missing persons whose last known location was confirmed or was suspected to have been on Federal land, the following additional data fields: (A) The activity in which the person was engaged or suspected to have been engaged at the time of their disappearance, including any known or suspected destination. (B) A description of any belongings of the person that were recovered, and the location of recovery of each such time. (C) Whether the last known location of the missing person is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, the National Park Service, or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. (D) Any additional information, including any specific location details, about the unit of Federal land that was the last known location of the missing person. 3. Inclusion of open and archived cases (a) Open cases Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries, in consultation with Federal, State, or local law enforcement agencies, as appropriate, shall each include in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System the information described in section 2 for each missing person the last known location of whom was confirmed or was suspected to have been on Federal land, and the case of whom is open on the date of enactment of this Act. (b) Archived cases After the completion of the requirement under subsection (a), the Secretaries, in consultation with Federal, State, or local law enforcement agencies, as appropriate, shall each include in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System the information described in section 2 for each missing person the last known location of whom was confirmed or was suspected to have been on Federal land, and the case of whom was archived. (c) Clarification The requirements of the Secretaries under this section apply in each case with respect to which the Federal land is under the administrative jurisdiction of the applicable Secretary, regardless of whether another Federal, State, or local law enforcement agency that is not under the applicable Secretary’s jurisdiction is the lead law enforcement agency investigating the case. 4. Report Beginning in the second calendar year that begins after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, on January 15th, the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Justice, shall submit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and of the Senate a report that contains, for the previous calendar year, the following information: (1) The number of open cases in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. (2) The number of cases in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System that were archived. (3) The number of archived cases entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System under subsection (b). (4) The number of cases for each of paragraphs (1) and (2) where the missing person’s last known location was confirmed or was suspected to have been on Federal land. 5. Definitions In this Act: (1) The term Federal land (2) The term open case (3) The term Secretaries (A) the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to land and water under the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture; (B) the Secretary of the Interior with respect to land and water under the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior (except land held in trust for the benefit of an Indian Tribe); and (C) the Secretary of Defense only with respect to land and water resources projects administered by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Summary: Tracking and Reporting Absent Community-Members Everywhere Act or the TRACE Act This bill requires the National Institute of Justice to include additional data categories in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), including information about persons who go missing on federal land. It also requires the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Defense to report existing missing persons cases on their federal land to NamUs.