[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5519 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5519

 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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 17, 2014

 Mr. Poe of Texas (for himself and Ms. Esty) introduced the following 
       bill; which was 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.

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

SEC. 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.

SEC. 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).

SEC. 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.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 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) NamUs 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.
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