ON THE ROAD TO PASSING BILLY’s LAW (Federal Law) in the 112th Congress! YOUR help is needed!!!

[Maureen Reintjes-Peace4 Admin]

 

ON THE ROAD TO PASSING BILLY’s LAW in the 112th Congress! YOUR help is needed!!!

• When one Congress ends it wipes the slate clean so all actions taken before the Congress ended in January 2011 under the 111th Congress now need to be redone.
  
  
• This includes seeking cosponsorship and signing petitions all had to be restarted when the 111th Congress ended.
  
  
• Much work is needed and needed quickly. We need everyone’s help to be successful from families of the missing, advocates, concerned citizens to the general public.
  
  Note: This is the Federal Law not the Connecticut State Law! This law benfits the nation! If you have any questions, need further instructions or help determining your Congressman or Senators please email us at [e-mail]

 

We need everyone to write, phone or email your Senators and Congressmen and ask for their co-sponsorship:

 

• Click here for Peace4 Billy's Law Group with State-by-State contacts/template letter: http://peace4missing.ning.com/group/billyslawbystatehouseandsenatec...
  
  
• -Click here for Senators
  
  (http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm)
  
  
• -Click here for Congressmen
  
  (http://www.house.gov/representatives/ )

 

This is a  letter that is very well done for you to use when writing to your Senators and Congressmen.  (Letter was created by Becky Castillo.)

 

NOTE:  Remember this is a sample letter, All the facts are here use some of it, part of it, and in some cases if you have to use it all. In the letter you will see (Insert your personal story ) make sure you do this, when you are finished have it be your own.

 

• When writing to your Congressmen use HR 1300 in your letter.
• When writing to your Senator use SR 702 in your letter.

 

TEMPLATE LETTER: ______________________________________________________________________________________

 

Senator [or Congressman],

 

I am writing this letter in support of pending legislation, the Help Find the Missing Act - Billy's Law (HR 1300 / SR 702). According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, over 4,000 unidentified remains are discovered each year.

 

After one year, 1,000 of these bodies remain unidentified. With tens of thousands of people reported missing each year, it is likely that a family member, friend, or loved one is looking for that unidentified person and simply can't find them due to the absence of a cooperative effort by law enforcement across the country.

Some law enforcement agencies have a lackadaisical attitude when they receive a report for the “voluntarily missing” and often there is very little effort to search for them. The problem is when the case goes long term. If there is any follow-up at all, often it is long after the initial report. Often those long term cases have not been resolved because the missing person has died and their remains lay unidentified in a county morgue or cemetery.

 

(Insert personal story)

 

The problem we face is there is no national protocol in play to assist investigators to bridge the gap between missing persons and unidentified persons cases.

 

The Help Find the Missing Act will bridge the gap.

 

The National Missing Persons and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) is by far becoming one of the best ways for the public and law enforcement agencies across the country to work together to help bring missing loved ones home! Since its launch the database of unidentified decedents and missing persons has proved essential in solving many cases. With the passing of Billy's Law, this number only stands to grow. Unfortunately, without the funding of Billy's Law not all law enforcement agencies are able to allocate the resources necessary to use the NamUs system.

 

The passing of Billy's Law would make it possible for agencies across the country to input information on their unidentified decedents, increasing the number of case resolutions and potentially bringing closure to families of missing persons all across our country.

 

I support this funding and hope that you do as well. I respectfully urge you to pass HR 1300 / SR 702 when it comes before you.

 

Respectfully,

 

Full Name

Street, City, State, ZipCode

Email / Phone Number 

 

# # #

 

___________________________________________________________END OF TEMPLATE LETTER


 
 
On behalf of the entire team here at Peace4 the Missing (Team Billy’s Law), we really appreciate your support and your hard work to make the road smoother for all families of the missing, both present and future. Please contact us if you have any questions.

 

Here is some background information:

Bill Summary & Status 112th Congress (2011 - 2012): H.R.1300
(Check http://www.thomas.gov and search on the bill number HR 1300 or SR 702 for current legislative updates.)

 

H.R.1300 | Latest Title: Billy's Law | Sponsor: Rep Murphy, Christopher S. [CT-5] (introduced 3/31/2011) | Cosponsors : Rep Poe, Ted [TX-2] - 3/31/2011 | Related Bills: S.702 | Latest Major Action: 3/31/2011 Referred to House committee. | Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. SUMMARY AS OF: 3/31/2011--Introduced. Billy's Law or the Help Find the Missing Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to maintain public databases, known as the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System or NamUs, to contain missing persons records and unidentified remains cases to assist in identifying missing people and solve cases of unidentified human remains. (Transfers to such System 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 before enactment of this Act.) Directs the Attorney General to: (1) provide for the sharing of information on missing persons and unidentified human remains contained in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) missing and unidentified person database and the NamUs database; (2) update the online data entry format for such databases to allow states to report information to each database; (3) establish a matching grant program to assist in the reporting of missing persons and unidentified remains information to the NCIC and NamUs databases; (4) issue a report to the offices of medical examiners, offices of coroners, and federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies describing the best practices for collecting, reporting, and analyzing data and information on missing persons and unidentified human remains; and (5) report to Congress on the status of the NCIC Missing and Unidentified Person File and NamUs databases. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require reports of missing children (under age 21) to NamUs databases. Allows authorized agencies to remove or override information from the NamUs and NCIC databases if such information is submitted on behalf of a public user and is deemed to be inaccurate. TITLE(S): (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill): SHORT TITLE(S) AS INTRODUCED: Billy's Law | Help Find the Missing Act | OFFICIAL TITLE AS INTRODUCED: 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.

 

• PEACE4 THE MISSING: Voice Platform and Support Network for Families of Missing and Victims of Crime. *Command Central for the Help Find the Missing Act (Billy's Law)* http://peace4missing.ning.com

 

 

 

On March 31, 2011 Billy’s Law HR 1300 / SR 702 was reintroduced in the House. Orginally introduced in the 111th Congress it has now been reintroduced in the 112th Congress thus the new bill numbers, HR 1300 / SR 702.

[Sara Huizenga]

Are you willing to be the Billy's Law Representative for your State? Doing so would require that you take a prominent role in leading the way towards obtaining your state's senators and congressperson as cosponsors of Billy's Law ...

[Sara Huizenga]

To be your state's rep for this bill ... All the info is at this link ... please feel free to ask any questions about ... bottom line - we need each state's senators and congressperson to cosponsor Billy's Law ... to do this .. 1. Write a letter to (template for and contact link to info included on post) 2. Follow up by calling to about your letter sent ... Also, mobilize a team from your state to do the same ...<3

[Lisa DeSherlia]

Rep. Russ Carnahan, for Kirkwood, MISSOURI, as well as MISSOURI Sens. Roy Blunt & Claire McCaskill, have been contacted via email.

[Justme]

Looks like we might have Rep. Mike Quigley from Illinois who is on the judicial committee onboard as a possible cosponsor!!!  working on a few others also.  Senator Durbin has also been made aware and we are trying to also get him to cosponsor in the senate.  will keep you posted.

[Maureen Reintjes-Peace4 Admin]

:) :) :)  Thank you!!!

[Maureen Reintjes-Peace4 Admin]

Thank you Lisa!!!!

[Maureen Reintjes-Peace4 Admin]

............

[Sherry Sophia]

I have mailed both my Congressmen and Senators in Maryland on Billy's Law! I certainly hope and pray that Billy's Law will be passed.

Sherry

[Maureen Reintjes-Peace4 Admin]

Thank you Sherry!

 

[Sara Huizenga]

For AMERICA'S MISSING - please actively support passing Billy's Law ... how to here ... http://peace4missing.ning.com/group/billyslawbystatehouseandsenatec...

[Maureen Reintjes-Peace4 Admin]

The magnitude of children and adults missing in our country is enormously overwhelming ... if only there were a way to help ALL of them ... YOU CAN DO THAT!!!!

 

 

Find out how here... http://peace4missing.ning.com/forum/topics/on-the-road-to-passing-b...

 

Help ALL the Missing! We're almost there - with your help Billy's Law CAN and WILL pass soon!! http://peace4missing.ning.com

 

Billy's Law By State - House and Senate CoSponsors Needed! http://peace4missing.ning.com/group/billyslawbystatehouseandsenatec...

 

PopVox Link to tell your Congressperson why you want Billy's Law: https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr1300/report#nation