TRACE Act
Bill: H.R.8860 | Sponsor: Rep. Neguse, Joe (D-CO)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

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.

To direct the Attorney General to include certain additional 
 information in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Tracking and Reporting Absent 
Community-Members Everywhere Act'' or the ``TRACE Act''.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``Federal land'' means land owned by the 
        United States that is under the administrative jurisdiction of 
        the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior 
        (except land held in trust for the benefit of an Indian Tribe), 
        or the Secretary of Defense only with respect to land and water 
        resources projects administered by the Army Corps of Engineers.
            (2) The term ``open case'' means an active case and a case 
        that is unsolved but not being actively investigated.
            (3) The term ``Secretaries'' means--
                    (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.
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