TRACE Act
The TRACE Act would require the Attorney General (acting through the Director of the National Institute of Justice) to add a new data field to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NMUPs). This field would indicate whether the last known location of a missing person was confirmed or suspected to be on Federal land or within the United States’ territorial waters, and it would require including specific location details about the federal land unit or the area of territorial waters identified as the last known location. The bill also mandates annual reporting to Congress on the number of NMUPs where the last known location was confirmed or suspected to be on Federal land or in territorial waters. The aim is to improve visibility and tracking of missing persons cases that occur on federal lands or in territorial waters, facilitating better resource allocation and coordination among agencies.
Key Points
- 1Adds a data field in NMUPs to record whether the last known location of a missing person was on Federal land or in territorial waters, with specifics about the exact location (e.g., federal land unit or area within territorial waters).
- 2Defines Federal land to include land owned by the U.S. administered by the USDA, the Department of the Interior (excluding Indian Trust lands), and Department of Defense land/water resources projects managed by the Corps of Engineers.
- 3Defines territorial waters as the U.S. territorial sea extending 12 nautical miles from the coast.
- 4The data field must indicate whether the last known location was confirmed or suspected to be on Federal land or territorial waters, plus location details.
- 5Requires the Attorney General to submit an annual report to the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Judiciary Committee detailing the number of NMUPs with last-known locations on Federal land or in territorial waters for the previous year.
- 6Implementation responsibility lies with the Attorney General through the National Institute of Justice; timing specifies first report by a set date after enactment and then annually.