Help Find The Missing Act H.R. 3695 (Billy's Law)

TO IMPLEMENT H.R. 3695, THE HELP FIND THE MISSING ACT INTO BILLY'S LAW, Simply Cut/Paste the Following Letter and send out to your Federal Congressperson:
"10 Seconds" to accomplish Steps:
Simply remove the X's and replace with your information.
Next click on Write Your Representative
(This service will assist you by identifying your Congressperson in the U.S. House of Representatives and providing contact information.)




October XX, 2009



TO: Congressmen XXXX

FROM: Name – Address – City/St/zip

RE: H.R. 3695, The Help Find the Missing Act (Billy's Law)


Dear Congressmen XXXXX:

Thank you, in advance for reviewing my letter and the information below. As a Representative of our district, I am hoping that you will support H.R. 3695. This is very important to me and as a member of our community I believe this is important to all, and hopefully to you as well.


It is no longer a rare occasion in which one may become a missing statistic, rather it happens more often than we would like. The growing number of citizens with Alzheimer's and other cognitive disabilities also has shown a tremendous increase in missing loved ones, which also includes those with other cognitive disorders such as autism.


Your support, and those of your colleagues, are desperately needed. We feel if we do not gain support the bill will just die off. This bill is very necessary. We only want to have the gaps closed that will enable families of missing to have one source to be able to search for their loved ones.


Some recent published examples are:


* 200 unidentified bodies,in Florida, right now from 60's and 70's lying in wait in county morgues, unidentified. Orlando Sentinel


* In Los Angeles, there are 4815 unclaimed.
Los Angeles County Department of Coroner


Every year tens of thousands of Americans go missing, never to be seen by their loved ones again. Additionally, there are also an estimated 40,000 sets of unidentified human remains that are being held or disposed of across the country. Sadly, because of gaps in the nation’s missing persons systems, missing persons and unidentified remains are rarely matched. The Help Find the Missing Act (Billy’s Law) is an effort to fix these gaps. We want to help families to have the resources so that we can lessen the burden on the system as well as bringing loved ones home for a proper burial.

Please review the below and help by supporting H.R. 3695

Filling in the Gaps of the Nation’s Missing Persons Systems

Endorsed By: Connecticut Department of Public Safety, National Forensic Science Technology Center, National Center for Forensic Science, Doe Missing Persons Network, Center for Hope, Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons, Inc.

Sponsored by Representatives Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Ted Poe (R-TX)

This legislation is named after Billy Smolinski of Waterbury, Connecticut who went missing on August 24, 2004 at the age of 31. Billy’s family knows all-too-well the systemic challenges in trying to find the missing. They quickly learned that while federal law mandates law enforcement report missing children, there are no such requirements for adults – or unidentified bodies. Compounding this problem is the fact that local law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and coroners, often don’t have the resources or training to voluntarily report these cases. Finally, even when missing adults and remains are reported, the wide-range of unconnected federal, state, local, and non-profit databases to help match the missing with unidentified bodies, makes finding a match an often insurmountable challenge.

Billy’s Law builds upon recent efforts to address these issues by:


* Authorizing, and therefore helping to ensure funding for, the National Missing Persons and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), which was created in July 2007 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide a missing persons/unidentified database that the public could access and contribute;


* Connecting NamUs with the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) in order to create more comprehensive missing persons and unidentified remains databases and streamlining the reporting process for local law enforcement;


* Creating an incentive grants program to help states, local law enforcement and medical examiners/coroners report missing persons and unidentified remains to NCIC, NamUs, and the National DNA Index System (NDIS);


* Calling on the DOJ to issue guidelines and best practices on handling missing persons and unidentified remains cases in order to empower law enforcement, medical examiners and coroners to help find the missing.

In closing, I thank you again for your review and hopeful support. Should you have any questions or needs, I am sure that Representative Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Ted Poe (R-TX) would be honored to respond to your inquiries.


Respectfully,


XXName

XXAddress

XXCity/State/Zip

XXPhone Number


Source:
Peace4 the Missing

Please don't allow Them to remainThe Forgotten

The Forgotten Network gathers in coffee shops and living rooms to discuss leads, clues and tips, each bringing their own motivations and skills to the table, each driven by a deep sense of purpose. Donovan is a former detective who left the force after the disappearance of his own young daughter. Through the use of his investigative skills, he can help piece together each victim's story: retracing their footsteps and unearthing why they died by learning how they lived. Working against the clock to give each victim a name before being buried a John or Jane Doe, these amateur detectives are in it to bring closure... and win justice. ABC's, "The Forgotten."

To ABC, Bonanza Productions, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, and Warner Bros. Television:

We, the undersigned, greatly enjoy watching the new the forgotten TV show on the ABC network. It is a gripping drama that keeps us on the edge of our seats. It’s a great medical show with lots of action, interesting stories, and interesting characters.

Please find a way to keep the forgotten on the air. We are devoted viewers who will continue to watch the program, encourage others to do the same, and will support the series’ advertisers as well. Please keep it going, either on ABC or, if necessary, on another channel.
The forgotten: Petition to Continue the ABC TV Series

Over the last few years, I have connected with many other people who are unfortunate enough to know what it's like to have a loved one gone missing.
Even though the stories of how a loved one went missing are different, the emotions of anguish, frustration, and pain are replicated throughout the 'left-behind' community.
Yet, instead of allowing this pain and frustration to consume their lives, many people are forming an alliance on sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter.
People from all walks of life are banding together to form a network, and just like the amateur detectives on The Forgotten, many have been bringing their own motivations and skills to the table.

Justice4Billy

Jan Smolinski-Billy's mother, has spent thousands of hours leading an effort to alter the way law enforcement officers respond to the report of a missing adult. She and her husband, Bill, successfully shepherded a bill through the state legislature last year, but at the last second the bill was watered down by the Police Officers Standard and Training Council that made the recommendations voluntary.

The Smolinski's, with help from their state representative in Cheshire, Vicki Nardello, are attempting to make the changes mandatory in this legislative cycle. In addition, Janice Smolinski has been prodding Senator Joe Lieberman and Congressman Chris Murphy to sponsor a bill in Congress that mandates medical examiners across the country to take samples from unidentified remains and upload the information into NAMUS, a national data bank trying to link 160,000 missing people in the United States to the 60,000 unidentified dead being stored around the country.

Janice Smolinski has become a national spokesperson for NAMUS and was a speaker at conferences in Texas, Colorado and Maryland in 2008 that targeted law enforcement and medical examiners. The Cool Justice Report

Missing Pieces

Todd's calling to be a voice for missing and unidentified persons began when he solved the identity of the "Tent Girl" case, Barbara Hackman-Taylor, after a ten-year journey that ended in 1998. (Associated Content Community)

Project Jason

Before June 13th, 2001, we were just an ordinary family living a peaceful, happy existence. My husband, Jim, and I worked outside the home, spent time with our two wonderful sons, attended Mass every Sunday, and enjoyed the company of family and friends. On that fateful Wednesday, our lives changed forever. Our family unit was brutally ripped apart when our oldest son, Jason, then age 19, disappeared without a trace from our driveway.

Project Jason Mission Statement:
Our mission as a non profit organization is to create and increase public awareness of missing people through a variety of outreach and educational activities. Project Jason seeks to bring hope and assistance to families of the missing by providing resources and support

In 1994, Mrs. Caison founded the non-profit CUE Center for Missing Persons, which is focused on finding the missing, advocating for their causes, and supporting their families.

Offering a wide range of free services, CUE has since helped more than 8,700 families in what is often the most confusing and desperate times of their lives. In addition to providing services for the missing and their families, CUE offers college internships and youth mentoring programs.

CUE is entirely donation funded and staffed by volunteers, including Mrs. Caison, who takes no salary from the organization.
CUE CENTER

The GINA for Missing Persons FOUNDation’s mission is to educate the public by utilizing entertainment to create awareness and media attention for missing persons world-wide. GINA was created in honor of musician Gina Bos, who disappeared from Lincoln, Nebraska on October 17, 2000 after a performance. Her case remains unsolved. 411Gina.org

 Squeaky Wheel Tour® is a grass roots effort to gain attention for hundreds of missing children and adults whose disappearances do not have the scandal, intrigue, or national appeal to garner the attention of the public.






 This is an amazing opportunity that we have right here and right now to gain public attention for the missing, which will in turn create momentum and hope for us all.

The Squeaky Wheel starts here. . .with me, with you...we have the power to make a difference both individually and collectively. We are the families of the missing, the artists and communities who care about the missing, the non-for-profit organizations dedicated to the missing, and the media who sees that attention is needed to bring someone home.


Even people, who've never experienced the anguish of a loved one gone missing, have shown a genuine compassion! I don't think I've met a group of people as willing to learn and understand the confusions and pain of the 'left-behind' community searching for their missing loved one as Peace 4 the Missing - created by Maggie's Rose, writes:

Can We Bring Peace?
No, we can't...In my humble opinion and own life experience, only God can do that. And sometimes, even HIS peace is not one we are capable of truly comprehending nor accepting in this life on earth.
So, why are we here then, at Peace 4 the Missing? Why do we and why should we care? Because, even if, God willing, we are "only" somehow able to bring about even one mere drop, the tiniest of sprinkle of a peaceful, even momentarily peaceful feeling to those forced to endure the anguishing pain of the missing, then it is worth it.

A second member of Peace 4 the Missing that deserves a round of applause is Delilah, who says: Not long ago Maggiesrose and I started talking about building a place where families of missing persons could come and do what they needed to do to make their life a little bit more comforting despite the pain and sorrow they have endured. We talked and talked about what to offer and just how to do it and finally came up with the premise that if we build it, they will come. LostFaces of the Missing

The above mentioned are only a few of those, whose hard work and dedication for the missing and the families that have been left-behind, can never be over-appreciated. I cannot possibly list all organizations who have used their skills in one way or another, to 'Help Bring Them Home.' Thank you for your time and effort, and for your sincere dedication to keep our missing from becoming The Forgotten.



Pictures:
Where is William (Billy) Smolinski?
Missing Pieces
CUE
411 Gina - Squeaky Wheel Tour


Updated March 19, 2018
Even though some people and organizations listed above are "quiet" now, I could not just delete their unselfish, emotionally-draining, and time-consuming efforts. What I could -and did- do, is remove the broken links.