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H.R. 3653: Help Find the Missing Act

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H.R. 3653: Help Find the Missing Act

114th Congress · introduced 2015-09-30 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2015-09-30 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Poe, Ted [R-TX-2] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Help Find the Missing Act

Plain summary

Billy's Law or the Help Find the Missing Act This bill authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ), through the National Institute of Justice, to maintain public databases, known as the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), of missing persons and unidentified remains. It requires DOJ to facilitate information sharing between the NamUs databases and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. DOJ must update the online data entry format to allow criminal justice agencies, medical examiners, and coroners to simultaneously submit information to NamUs and NCIC. DOJ must also promulgate rules that protect confidential, private, and law enforcement sensitive information. The bill amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require a law enforcement agency that submits a missing child report to NCIC to also submit such missing child report to NamUs. It directs DOJ to establish a program to award matching grants to law enforcement agencies, coroners, and medical examiners to facilitate information reporting to the NCIC database and NamUs databases to help locate missing persons and identify unidentified remains. DOJ must report: (1) to medical examiners, coroners, and law enforcement agencies on best practices for data collection and analysis; and (2) to Congress on the status of the NCIC database and NamUs databases.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Help Find the Missing Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Poe, Ted [R-TX-2] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong114-hr3653 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114