S. 5230Billy's Law

1 recorded action238 of these members are on the 2026 ballotWhat the measure does Read on Congress.gov

Sponsor: Christopher Murphy [D-CT]
Cosponsors: 4 · 3 Republicans · 1 Democrat
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Latest action: Dec 27, 2022 · Became Public Law No: 117-327.

IntroducedDec 8, 2022
Passed the SenateDec 8, 2022
Passed the HouseDec 14, 2022
Sent to the PresidentDec 23, 2022
Became lawDec 27, 2022

What the measure doesCRS summary

Billy's Law or the Help Find the Missing Act

This act provides statutory authority for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to maintain the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) consistent with its existing purpose and structure.

NamUs is a national information clearinghouse and resource center for cases involving missing persons and unidentified or unclaimed remains. NamUs is administered by the National Institute of Justice within DOJ.

The act also establishes new requirements.

First, it requires a law enforcement agency that submits a missing child report to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to also submit the missing child report to NamUs. The NCIC is a computerized index of criminal justice data and files for reports of missing and unidentified persons. Current law requires law enforcement agencies to submit missing child reports to the NCIC database but not to the NamUs databases.

Second, the act establishes requirements to facilitate data sharing between the NCIC database and the NamUs databases with respect to missing and unidentified persons.

Specifically, the act requires DOJ to give the National Institute of Justice access to the NCIC missing person and unidentified person records for the purpose of validating cases and reconciling data with NamUs.

Additionally, the act requires DOJ to assess the NCIC and NamUs systems and governing statutes, policies, and procedures and create a plan for NCIC to automatically transmit certain records to NamUs.

Third, the act requires DOJ to report to forensic medicine service providers and law enforcement agencies on best practices for collecting, reporting, and analyzing data and information on missing persons and unidentified human remains.

DOJ must also report to Congress biennially on the status of the NCIC database and the NamUs databases. The report must describe the process of information sharing between the NCIC database and NamUs databases.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, describing S. 5230 as public Law on Dec 27, 2022. It is not the text of the measure; a later amendment may have changed what it does.

How every member votedHouse roll call 526

House Dec 14, 2022

On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass

Billy’s Law

Passed · Two-thirds required

422 Yea 4 Nay 4 not voting

Crossed both parties 4 of 426 voting members broke with their own party: 4 Republicans.

Open the official roll call

How the chamber split

One dot per member. Select a seat or a bar to filter the list.

DemocratsRepublicansFilled: YeaRing: NayGrey: not voting or present

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All members430 members

Democratic217 members

Republican213 members

marks half of the votes cast. A party’s majority is the side most of its voting members took.

Cosponsors4 · 3 Republicans · 1 Democrat

Signing on is not a vote: a member can cosponsor S. 5230 and vote against it. 4 signed when it was filed.

RJohn Cornyn [R-TX]Original2026 profile

RJohn Hoeven [R-ND]Original

DRichard Blumenthal [D-CT]Original

RThom Tillis [R-NC]Original

Loading the public record

S. 5230Billy's Law

What the measure doesCRS summary

How every member votedHouse roll call 526

On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass

How the chamber split

Cosponsors4 · 3 Republicans · 1 Democrat

S. 5230Billy's Law

What the measure doesCRS summary

How every member votedHouse roll call 526

On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass

How the chamber split

Cosponsors4 · 3 Republicans · 1 Democrat

Who lobbied on S. 52302 organizations

Who lobbied on S. 52302 organizations