Help Find the Missing Act

Bill: 113-s-2840
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2014-09-17
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Congressional oversight

Crimes against children

Criminal justice information and records

Department of Justice

Evidence and witnesses

Government information and archives

Government studies and investigations

Law enforcement administration and funding
Latest action: action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2014-09-17
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>Billy's Law or the Help Find the Missing Act - Authorizes the Attorney General, through the Director of the National Institute of Justice, to maintain public databases containing missing persons records and unidentified remains cases, to be known as the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System or NamUs, for purposes of assisting in identifying missing people and solving cases of unidentified human remains. Transfers all functions, personnel, assets, liabilities, and actions applicable to such System before enactment of this Act to such System as authorized by this Act. Authorizes appropriations for such System for FY2015-FY2020.</p> <p>Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to conduct a study on: (1) how to better integrate the national missing persons databases, including the NamUs databases and the NCIC database; (2) any technical challenges for integrating such databases; and (3) practices, procedures, or technologies that would assist states, local law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and coroners in reporting missing persons and unidentified remains to the NamUs databases and the NCIC database.</p> <p>Requires the Attorney General to: (1) provide for information on missing persons and unidentified human remains contained in the NCIC database to be transmitted to, entered in, and shared with the NamUs databases and vice versa; (2) promulgate rules that specify the information the Attorney General may provide from the NCIC files to the NamUs databases while protecting confidential information; and (3) update the online data entry format for the NCIC database and the NamUs databases to provide state criminal justice agencies, medical examiners, and coroners with the option to authorize the submission of new data that is reported to and entered into the NCIC database to the NamUs databases.</p> <p>Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require the updating and reporting of missing children information to the NamUs databases.</p> <p>Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish a program to provide grants to qualifying law enforcement agencies, coroners, medical examiners, and other authorized agencies to facilitate reporting information regarding missing persons and unidentified remains to the NCIC database and the NamUs databases; and (2) issue a report to medical examiners, coroners, and law enforcement agencies describing the best practices for the collection, reporting, and analysis of such information.</p>

tv_txt: II 113th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2840 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 17 (legislative day, September 16), 2014 Mr. Murphy (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal , Mr. Begich , and Mr. Schumer ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To authorize funding for, and increase accessibility to, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, to facilitate data sharing between such system and the National Crime Information Center database of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to provide incentive grants to help facilitate reporting to such systems, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as Billy’s Law or the Help Find the Missing Act . 2. Authorization of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (a) In general The Attorney General, through the Director of the National Institute of Justice, is authorized to maintain public databases, known as the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System or NamUs , to contain missing persons records and unidentified remains cases for purposes of assisting to identify missing people and solve cases of unidentified human remains. All functions, personnel, assets, liabilities, and administrative actions applicable to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System carried out by the National Institute of Justice on the date before the date of the enactment of this Act shall be transferred to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System authorized under this section as of the date of the enactment of this Act. (b) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section not more than a total of $2,400,000 for each of the fiscal years 2015 through 2020. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the total amount of Federal funds made available for any of the fiscal years 2015 through 2020 to maintain NamUs may not exceed the amount described in the previous sentence. 3. GAO report on information sharing between NCIC and NamUs (a) Study The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on— (1) how to better integrate the national missing persons databases, including the NamUs databases and the NCIC database; (2) any technical challenges that may exist in integrating the databases described in paragraph (1); and (3) practices, procedures, or technologies that would assist States, local law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and coroners in reporting missing persons and unidentified remains to the NamUs databases and the NCIC database. (b) Report Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Attorney General and to the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate a report on the study conducted under subsection (a). 4. Sharing of information between NCIC and NamUs (a) Sharing of information Not later than the end of the 30-day period beginning on the date the online data entry format is updated under subsection (c), the Attorney General shall, in accordance with this section, provide for information on missing persons and unidentified human remains contained in the NCIC database to be transmitted to, entered in, and otherwise shared with the NamUs databases and for such information contained in the NamUs databases to be transmitted to, entered in, and otherwise shared with the NCIC database. (b) Rules on confidentiality (1) In general Not later than 18 months after the date on which the GAO report is submitted, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of the FBI, shall promulgate rules pursuant to notice and comment that specify the information the Attorney General may provide from the NCIC files to the NamUs databases for purposes of this Act. Such rules shall— (A) provide for the protection of confidential, private, and law enforcement sensitive information contained in the NCIC files; (B) be promulgated only after the Director approves recommendations by the Advisory Policy Board of the Criminal Justice Information Services Division of the FBI; (C) specify the circumstances in which portions of information may be withheld from transfer, entry, or sharing from the NCIC database to the NamUs databases; and (D) provide that once an authorized agency provides an authorization to permit the transmission, entering, or sharing of information (or portions of information) from the NCIC database to the NamUs databases, such authorization shall be deemed to apply to any updates made to such information, unless otherwise specified by the agency. (2) Submissions prior to online data entry format update With respect to information submitted to the NCIC database before the end of the 30-day period described in subsection (a), the Attorney General may solicit from appropriate authorized agencies authorization to transmit, enter, or share such information. (c) Updates (1) In general Not later than 18 months after the date the GAO report is submitted, the Attorney General shall update the online data entry format for the NCIC database and NamUs databases to provide State criminal justice agencies, offices of medical examiners, and offices of coroners with the option to authorize the submission of new information and data that is reported to and entered into the NCIC database to be submitted to and entered into the NamUs databases. (2) NCIC format In the case of the NCIC database, an update described in paragraph (1) shall include an update to the NCIC database online data entry format that States use in submitting missing persons and unidentified remains reports, including the addition of a new data field allowing States, on behalf of the authorized agency that originally submitted the data, to select whether or not to have the NCIC report, subject to the rules promulgated under subsection (b), shared with the NamUs databases. (d) Amendments to title XXXVII of the Crime Control Act of 1990 To require reports of missing children to NamUs (1) Reporting requirement Section 3701(a) of title XXXVII of the Crime Control Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 5779(a) ) is amended by striking the period and inserting the following: and, consistent with section 4 (including rules promulgated pursuant to section 4(b)) of the Help Find the Missing Act , shall also report such case, either directly or through authorization described in such section to transmit, enter, or share information on such case, to the NamUs databases (as defined in section 8 of such Act). . (2) State requirements Section 3702 of title XXXVII of the Crime Control Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 5780 ) is amended— (A) in paragraph (2), by striking or the National Crime Information Center computer database and inserting , the National Crime Information Center computer database, or the NamUs databases (as defined in section 8 of the Help Find the Missing Act ) ; (B) in paragraph (3), in the undesignated matter following subparagraph (C), by inserting after receive such reports the following: and is entered within 60 days of receipt in the NamUs databases (as so defined) ; and (C) in paragraph (4)— (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting or the NamUs databases after National Crime Information Center ; and (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking and National Crime Information Center computer networks and inserting , National Crime Information Center computer networks, and the NamUs databases . (3) Effective date The amendments made by this subsection shall apply with respect to reports made before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act beginning on the last day of the 30-day period described in subsection (a). (e) Authorized agencies authority To override information An authorized agency may remove or override information (or portions of information) from the NamUs database, and correspondingly from the NCIC database if the information was transferred from the NamUs database under this Act, if such information is submitted on behalf of a public user and such information is deemed by the authorized agency to be inaccurate. 5. Incentive grants program (a) Establishment Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish a program to provide grants to qualifying law enforcement agencies, offices of coroners, offices of medical examiners, and other authorized agencies to facilitate the process of reporting information regarding missing persons and unidentified remains to the NCIC database and NamUs databases for purposes of assisting in locating such missing persons and identifying such remains. (b) Requirements (1) In general As a condition of a grant under this section, a grant recipient shall, with respect to each case reported to the agency or office of the recipient relating to a missing person described in a category under subsection (e) or relating to unidentified remains— (A) not later than 72 hours after such case is reported to the agency or office and consistent with subsection (c), submit to the NCIC database and NamUs databases— (i) in the case of a missing person described in a category under subsection (e), at least the minimum information described in subsection (f)(1); and (ii) in the case of unidentified remains, at least the minimum information described in subsection (f)(2); and (B) not later than 60 days after the original entry of the report, verify and update any original report entered into the State law enforcement system, the NCIC database, or NamUs databases after receipt of the grant with any additional information, including, to the greatest extent possible— (i) information on the extent to which DNA samples are available, including the availability of DNA identification records information submitted to the National DNA Index System under subparagraph (C); (ii) fingerprints, medical and dental records, and photographs of any distinguishing characteristics such as scars, marks, tattoos, piercings, and other unique physical characteristics; (iii) in the case of unidentified remains, photographs or digital images that may assist in identifying the decedent, including fingerprint cards, radiographs, palmprints, and distinctive features of the decedent’s personal effects; and (iv) any other information determined to be appropriate by the Attorney General; and (C) not later than 60 days after the original entry of the report, to the greatest extent possible, submit to the National DNA Index System of the FBI, established pursuant to section 210304(a) of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 ( 42 U.S.C. 14132(a) ), either directly or through use of NamUs victims assistance resources and DNA collection services, DNA identification records information relating to such case in accordance with section 210304(b) of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 14132(b) ) and the National DNA Index System acceptance standards. (2) Sharing of information For purposes of subparagraph (B), in the case of information a grant recipient authorizes to be transferred, entered, or shared under section 4 between the NCIC database and NamUs databases, any update to such information shall be made with respect to both databases unless specified otherwise by the recipient. (c) Submission of reports To satisfy subsection (b)(1)(A), a recipient of a grant under this section shall submit information required under such subsection— (1) separately to the NCIC database and NamUs databases; or (2) in accordance with section 4, simultaneously to the NamUs databases when reporting to the NCIC database or to the NCIC database when reporting to the NamUs databases. (d) Permissible use of funds (1) In general The permissible uses of grants awarded under this section include the use of funds— (A) to hire additional personnel, to acquire technology to facilitate timely data entry into the relevant databases; (B) to conduct contracting activities relevant to outsourcing the processing of unidentified remains and the reporting of the resulting information to the NCIC database and NamUs databases; (C) to train local law enforcement personnel, medical examiners, and coroners to use the NCIC database and NamUs databases; (D) to assist States’ transition into the new system under which information is shared between the NCIC database and NamUs databases; and (E) for other purposes consistent with the goals of this section. (2) Clarification In no case may a recipient of a grant under this section use funds to enter or help facilitate the entrance of any false or misleading information about missing persons or unidentified remains. (e) Categories of missing persons The categories of missing persons described in this subsection are the following: (1) A missing person age 21 or older who— (A) is senile or is suffering from a proven mental or physical disability, as documented by a source deemed credible to an appropriate law enforcement entity; or (B) is missing under circumstances that indicate, as determined by an appropriate law enforcement entity— (i) that the person’s physical safety may be endangered; (ii) that the disappearance may not have been voluntary, such as abduction or kidnapping; or (iii) that the disappearance may have been caused by a natural disaster or catastrophe (such as an airplane crash or terrorist attack). (2) A missing person who does not meet the criteria described in paragraph (1) but who meets one of the following criteria: (A) There is a reasonable concern, as determined by an appropriate law enforcement entity, for the safety of the missing person. (B) The person is under age 21 and emancipated under the laws of the person’s State of residence. (f) Minimum information required (1) Content for missing persons The minimum information described in this section, with respect to a missing person, is the following: (A) The name, date of birth, city and State of residence, gender, race, height, weight, eye color, and hair color of the missing person. (B) The date and location of the last known contact with the missing person. (C) The category described in subsection (e) in which the missing person is classified. (2) Content for unidentified human remains The minimum information described in this section, with respect to unidentified human remains, is the following: (A) The estimated age, gender, race, height, weight, hair color, and eye color. (B) Any distinguishing characteristics such as scars, marks, tattoos, piercings, and other unique physical characteristics. (C) A description of clothing found on the decedent. (D) City and State where the unidentified human remains were found. (E) Information on how to contact the law enforcement agency handling the investigation and the unidentified human remains. (F) Information on the extent to which DNA identification records information are available, including the availability of such samples submitted to the National DNA Index System under subsection (b)(1)(C). (g) Administration The Attorney General shall prescribe requirements, including with respect to applications, for grants awarded under this section and shall determine the amount of each such grant. (h) Confidentiality As a condition of a grant under this section, the recipient of the grant shall ensure that information reported under the grant meets the requirements promulgated by the Attorney General under section 4(b)(1)(A). (i) Annual summary For each of the fiscal years 2015 through 2020, the Attorney General shall publish an annual statistical summary of the reports required by subsection (c). (j) Qualifying law enforcement agency defined For purposes of this Act, the term qualifying law enforcement agency means a State, local, or tribal law enforcement agency. (k) Funding (1) Matching requirement The Attorney General may not make a grant under subsection (a) unless the applicant involved agrees, with respect to the costs to be incurred by the applicant in carrying out the purposes described in this section, to make available non-Federal contributions (in cash or in kind) toward such costs in an amount equal to not less than $1 for each $2 of Federal funds provided in the grant. (2) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $8,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2015 through 2020. 6. Report on best practices Not later than 18 months after the date on which the GAO report is submitted, the Attorney General shall issue a report to offices of medical examiners, offices of coroners, and Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies describing the best practices for the collection, reporting, and analysis of data and information on missing persons and unidentified human remains. Such best practices shall— (1) provide an overview of the NCIC database and NamUs databases; (2) describe how local law enforcement agencies, offices of medical examiners, and offices of coroners should access and use the NCIC database and NamUs databases; (3) describe the appropriate and inappropriate uses of the NCIC database and NamUs databases; and (4) describe the standards and protocols for the collection, reporting, and analysis of data and information on missing persons and unidentified human remains. 7. Report to Congress (a) In general Not later than 18 months after the date on which the GAO report is submitted, and biennially thereafter, the Attorney General shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate a report describing the status of the NCIC database and NamUs databases. (b) Contents The report required by subsection (a) shall describe, to the extent available, information on— (1) the process of information sharing between the NCIC database and NamUs databases; and (2) the programs funded by grants awarded under section 5. 8. Definitions For the purposes of this Act, the following definitions apply: (1) Authorized Agency The term authorized agency means a Government agency with an originating agency identification (ORI) number and that is a criminal justice agency, as defined for purposes of subpart A of part 20 of title 28, Code of Federal Regulations. (2) GAO report The term GAO report means the report required under section 3(b). (3) FBI The term FBI means the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (4) Nam U s Databases The term NamUs databases means the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System Missing Persons database and National Missing and Unidentified Persons System Unidentified Decedents database maintained by the National Institute of Justice of the Department of Justice. (5) NCIC Database The term NCIC database means the National Crime Information Center Missing Person File and National Crime Information Center Unidentified Person File of the National Crime Information Center database of the FBI, established pursuant to section 534 of title 28, United States Code. (6) State The term State means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.