Legislation News & Report (TM) 

TheWeekInCongress.com (TM)

Managing America: Crime

TheWeekInCongress.com (TM)

Week Ending September 28, 2007

H.RES.303 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a day ought to be established to bring awareness to the issue of missing persons.

On any given day there are 100,000 active missing persons cases in the US and about ten percent are between the ages of 18 and 25. Around 40% are found. The rest leave behind family and friends.

In light of the size of the missing population, the resolution calls for a missing person’s day to raise awareness of the problem.

Sponsor:  Rep/Kirsten Gillibrand (NY-20^th)

Vote: Passed House by voice vote September 24, 2007

Cost to the taxpayers: No discernible cost

## All Rights Reserved. © 2007 TheWeekInCongress.com(TM)

No reproduction, language translation or distribution without written permission from TheWeekInCongress.com.(TM)

MORE INFORMATION

Whereas each year tens of thousands of people go missing in the United States;

Whereas, on any given day, there are as many as 100,000 active missing persons cases in the United States;

Whereas the Missing Persons File of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) was implemented in 1975;

Whereas, in 2005, 109,531 persons were reported missing to law enforcement agencies nationwide, of whom 11,868 were between the ages of 18 and 20;

Whereas section 204 of the PROTECT Act, known as Suzanne's Law and passed by Congress on April 10, 2003, modifies section 3701(a) of the Crime Control Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 5779(a)), so that agencies must enter records into the NCIC database for all missing persons under the age of 21;

Whereas Kristen's Act (42 U.S.C. 14665), passed in 1999, has established grants for organizations to, among other things, track missing persons and provide informational services to families and the public;

Whereas, according to the NCIC, 48,639 missing persons were located in 2005, an improvement of 4.2 percent from the previous year;

Whereas many persons reported missing may be victims of Alzheimer's disease or other health-related issues, or may be victims of foul play;

Whereas, regardless of age or circumstances, all missing persons have families who need support and guidance to endure the days, months, or years they may spend searching for their missing loved ones; and

Whereas it is important to applaud the committed efforts of families, law enforcement agencies, and concerned citizens who work to locate missing persons and to prevent all forms of victimization: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--

(1) a day ought to be established to bring awareness to the issue of missing persons; and

(2) the people of the United States should be encouraged to--

(A) observe the day with appropriate programs and activities; and

(B) support worthy initiatives and increased efforts to locate missing persons.

## All Rights Reserved. © 2007 TheWeekInCongress.com.(TM)

No reproduction, language translation or distribution without written permission from TheWeekInCongress.com.(TM)