The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on July 28 approved bipartisan legislation offered by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) that would establish a functional system to report people who have gone missing on public lands in an effort to better aid search and rescue efforts and resolve cases.
“I applaud the Senate Judiciary Committee for passing this bipartisan, bicameral legislation so these cases can be added to the database and potentially save hundreds of lives in the future, and I look forward to supporting this legislation on the Senate floor,” Sen. Tillis said.
The lawmaker on March 13 sponsored the committee-approved Tracking and Reporting Absent Community-Members Everywhere (TRACE) Act, S. 1038, alongside original cosponsors including U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Alex Padilla (D-CA).
If enacted, S. 1038 would require the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to include an additional category to the existing National Missing and Unidentified Persons Systems (NamUs) database so the public and law enforcement partners could denote cases where a person went missing or was identified on federal land or territorial waters of the United States — including by providing specific location details.
NamUs is the main system used by law enforcement, families, and friends of missing persons, medical examiners, and coroners to report unidentified remains and missing persons, and is also used by the public.
Additionally, S. 1038 would require the DOJ to submit an annual report to Congress on the number of cases of persons missing or suspected of going missing on public lands or territorial waters of the U.S. from the previous year, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Tillis’ office.
“Every year, people go missing on public lands without being recorded in the [NamUs],” said Sen. Tillis. “This oversight is impeding law enforcement from keeping track of those who go missing to help search and rescue efforts.”
The legislation is supported by the Public Lands Solution, the Jewish Women’s Institute, the Major County Sheriffs Association, the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, and the National Association to End Sexual Violence, among others.
The measure has been placed on the U.S. Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders.
“Thousands of people go missing on public lands every year in the United States, but without an effective tracking system, law enforcement faces significant challenges in finding them,” said Sen. Padilla. “I will keep working with Sen. Tillis and my colleagues across the aisle to pass this bipartisan legislation to improve data accuracy and accessibility, give law enforcement better tools to resolve cases, and bring peace of mind to affected families.”