All Roll Calls
Yes: 422 • No: 4
117-s-5230117th Congress
Billy's Law
Sponsored By: Senator Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Became Law
Summary
NamUs is established as a national information clearinghouse for missing and unidentified persons and is funded and managed through the Department of Justice and the National Institute of Justice to speed identifications and support families.
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- Families of missing people get free forensic services and direct technical assistance, plus access to NamUs experts and Missing Person Day support to help resolve cases faster.
- Investigators and forensic providers gain a unified online database, investigative support, free forensic analyses (DNA, odontology, fingerprints, anthropology), training, and a secure critical incident response tool for faster case work.
- State, local, and Tribal agencies must share missing child reports with NamUs, and can receive funding for staff, new data-entry technology, contracting, and training to improve reporting and coordination.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Faster sharing to national missing persons system
The law requires missing child cases to be reported to the national system and adds that system to official reporting channels. Within 6 months of enactment, the Attorney General provides a plan for automatic NCIC-to-NamUs transfers: child abduction or AMBER (CA/AA) within 72 hours; endangered or involuntary (EME/EMI) within 30 days; other active missing after 180 days; unidentified cases after 60 days; updates within 24 hours. Within 1 year, the Attorney General gives the NamUs administrator access to NCIC files to validate and reconcile cases. Within 1 year, the Attorney General and FBI issue public rules that protect private and law‑enforcement sensitive data and state when parts of a record are withheld. The reporting amendments apply to reports made before, on, or after enactment.
National center to find missing people
The law establishes a national clearinghouse for missing, unidentified, and unclaimed people, run by the National Institute of Justice. Funds can hire staff, build tech, pay for DNA and other forensic work, train agencies, and support a secure response tool. Families and local, State, and Tribal agencies get case help and training. The law also defines who can access services, like agencies with an ORI number and forensic providers with a pathologist or analyst on staff.
Guidance and oversight for missing person data
Within 1 year, the Attorney General issues best practices for law enforcement and forensic providers. The guidance explains NCIC and NamUs, how to access them, proper and improper uses, and standards for collecting and analyzing data. Within 1 year and then every 2 years, the Attorney General reports to Congress on the status of NCIC and NamUs and how they share information.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
CT • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
TX • R
Sponsored 12/8/2022
Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND]
ND • R
Sponsored 12/8/2022
Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
CT • D
Sponsored 12/8/2022
Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC]
NC • R
Sponsored 12/8/2022
Roll Call Votes
house vote • 12/14/2022
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass
Yes: 422 • No: 4