Sunday, May 29, 2011

Everything You Need to Know and DO to HELP PASS BILLY'S LAW

ON THE ROAD TO PASSING BILLY’s LAW (Federal Law) in the 112th Congress! YOUR help is needed!!!

Note:  This is the Federal Law not the Connecticut State Law!  This law benfits the nation!

ON THE ROAD TO PASSING BILLY’s LAW in the 112th Congress! YOUR help is needed!!!
On March 31, 2011 Billy’s Law HR 1300 / SR 702 was reintroduced in the House.  Orginally introduced in the 111th Congress it has now been reintroduced in the 112th Congress thus the new bill numbers, HR 1300 / SR 702. 
When one Congress ends it wipes the slate clean so all actions taken before the Congress ended in January 2011 under the 111th Congress now need to be redone. 
This includes seeking cosponsorship and signing petitions all had to be restarted when the 111th Congress ended. 
Much work is needed and needed quickly. We need everyone’s help to be successful from families of the missing, advocates, concerned citizens to the general public.
Need Accomplished ASAP all below items:
  1. Write an Impact Letter to be used for requesting co-sponsorship (see template and example at bottom of this blog.)
  2. Write, phone or email your Senators and Congressmen and ask for their co-sponsorship:

-Click
here for Senators (http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm)

-Click
here for Congressmen (http://www.house.gov/representatives/ ) (Snail mail-signed in blue ink or phone calls are best.)
  1. POST EVERYWHERE! Ask your friends, family and basically everyone to contact their Congressmen and Senators and request their co-sponsorship. Post the following links on all websites and social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn status: http://peace4missing.ning.com  
  2. Sign and Leave Comment on NEW Petition Tell Congress to pass "Billy's Law" to help identify the missing” http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-congress-to-pass-billys-law-to-help-identify-the-missing
  3. Send out Press Releases to your local newstations, newspapers and radio stations educating them on Billy’s Law and inviting the readers/listeners to seek co-sponsors from their Congressmen and Senators.   

On behalf of the entire team here at Peace4 the Missing (Team Billy’s Law), we really appreciate your support and your hard work to make the road smoother for all families of the missing, both present and future.   Please contact us if you have any questions.
 
 
Template for letter to Congress – IMAPCT LETER
 
[your name]
[your mailing address]
 
[date]
 
Re: “Billy’s Law” (H.R. 1300 & S.R. 702)
 
To the Members of the 112th Congress:
 
[1 – one sentence subject with call to action – why are you writing]
[2 – the issue]
[3 – the solution = Billy’s Law]
[4 – why this issue matters to you]
[5 – call to action: co-sponsor “Billy’s Law”]
 
Respectfully submitted,
*your signature, in blue ink, goes above your printed name
[print your name] 
 
 
EXAMPLE of IMPACT Letter:
May 18, 2011 [INSERT TODAY’s DATE]
To:          Members of the 112th Congress:
From:     Maureen Reintjes [DELETE Maureen’s name and Insert your First and Last Name here.] Victims Advocate for the Families of the Missing [Delete Victims Advocate….and Insert your title related to the missing, such as, Family of a Missing Loved One, Concerned Citizen, Law Enforcement, PI, Organization affilliation, etc.]
Re:          H.R. 1300 and S.R. 702, the Help Find the Missing Act (Billy’s Law). 
[Please insert your own personal information here and delete the following bolded text.] As a person who had a loved one missing for 4 years and now as the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) Victims Advocate Team Kansas I am asking that when this extraordinary legislation comes before you that you make a choice to stand behind the families of the missing by supporting, co-sponsoring and passing the Help Find the Missing Act (Billy's Law).
 
There are over 100,000 missing in our great country and anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 unidentified remains of people all over this country. Sad isn't it that we can't even come up with an accurate count? Those numbers by themselves should get your attention. But have you stopped to think about how many lives are forever changed when a loved one is missing? 1/2 million plus US citizens get up every morning and go to sleep every night living this nightmare, many for decades. If 1/2 million people were suffering from the flu you would sit up and take notice, wouldn't you? It would be an epidemic. These numbers are at an epidemic level that no one in this country is immune to. The government has rushed in and helped far less numbers of citizens in times of national disasters, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, fires, etc. The missing and the unidentified and the impact on their families and friends is a national disaster. This can happen to anyone's family, anyone.
 
Do you know how many people are missing in your state?  Do you know where to turn to get ALL those numbers and see those faces? Do you know how many unidentified remains are in your state? Do your fellow state residents know where to get these numbers and view these cases? People missing and unidentified remains are a concern for public safety and homeland security.  When you don’t know why a person is missing then they could have been murdered, are being exploited or something criminal happened to them or by them. When a missing person case is not solved or an unidentified person case is not solved then it is highly likely that criminals/murderers/terrorists walk among us unpunished.  Doesn't it make sense to do all you can do to strengthen NamUs so the data is all housed in one clearinghouse, one repository for both the missing and the unidentified remains so that cases can be solved quicker, families given answers quicker and the public protected quicker? Doesn’t it make sense to strengthen NamUs so that Law Enforcement, Coroners, Medical Examiners, the Families of the Missing, the Media and the Public can all have access to one repository to aid in collaboration between all entities of solving these cases? Connect this disconnected system and more families of the missing will get their answers. And, for those families yet to come they will have the hope of a much quicker answer than ever before once Billy’s Law is law. You can make that happen.  Please for the families of the missing and for the safety of this country please cosponsor HR 1300 / SR 702, Billy's Law.
 
Thank you for your time and your service to our country.
 
[Your signature in blue ink, here.]
 
 
Maureen Reintjes [Insert your First and Last Name here, delete Maureen’s name.]
[Insert your Street Address – Mandatory for validation.]
[Insert your City, State Zip Code – Mandatory for validation.]
 
[Insert your phone number – optional.]
[Insert your email address – optional.]
 
The bulleted points above are my signature tag line.  It helps to show who you are affilated with.  For families of the missing you might consider including info such as your missing loved ones name and a link to his/her NamUs file. And, include any valid non profit missing person organizations you are a part of or volunteer for.  [DELETE the bulleted text and Insert your own info.]
 

Bill Summary & Status 112th Congress (2011 - 2012): H.R.1300 (Check http://www.thomas.gov and search on the bill number HR 1300 or SR 702 for current legislative updates.)
 
 
H.R.1300 | Latest Title: Billy's Law | Sponsor: Rep Murphy, Christopher S. [CT-5] (introduced 3/31/2011)   | Cosponsors : Rep Poe, Ted [TX-2] - 3/31/2011 | Related Bills: S.702 | Latest Major Action: 3/31/2011 Referred to House committee. | Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.  SUMMARY AS OF: 3/31/2011--Introduced. Billy's Law or the Help Find the Missing Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to maintain public databases, known as the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System or NamUs, to contain missing persons records and unidentified remains cases to assist in identifying missing people and solve cases of unidentified human remains. (Transfers to such System all functions, personnel, assets, liabilities, and administrative actions applicable to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System carried out by the National Institute of Justice before enactment of this Act.) Directs the Attorney General to: (1) provide for the sharing of information on missing persons and unidentified human remains contained in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) missing and unidentified person database and the NamUs database; (2) update the online data entry format for such databases to allow states to report information to each database; (3) establish a matching grant program to assist in the reporting of missing persons and unidentified remains information to the NCIC and NamUs databases; (4) issue a report to the offices of medical examiners, offices of coroners, and federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies describing the best practices for collecting, reporting, and analyzing data and information on missing persons and unidentified human remains; and (5) report to Congress on the status of the NCIC Missing and Unidentified Person File and NamUs databases. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require reports of missing children (under age 21) to NamUs databases. Allows authorized agencies to remove or override information from the NamUs and NCIC databases if such information is submitted on behalf of a public user and is deemed to be inaccurate. TITLE(S):  (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill): SHORT TITLE(S) AS INTRODUCED:  Billy's Law | Help Find the Missing Act  | OFFICIAL TITLE AS INTRODUCED:  To authorize funding for, and increase accessibility to, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, to facilitate data sharing between such system and the National Crime Information Center database of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to provide incentive grants to help facilitate reporting to such systems, and for other purposes.
 
 
PEACE4 THE MISSING: Voice Platform and Support Network for Families of Missing and Victims of Crime.  *Command Central for the Help Find the Missing Act (Billy's Law)*   http://peace4missing.ning.com
 
 

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Further Strengthen and Utilize NamUs by Supporting Billy's Law Now

Thanks to all the many supporters helping spread the word about NamUs - legislative efforts are currently underway to further strengthen and utilize the NamUs system through Billy's Law, The Help Find the Missing Act ...

We finally have the opportunity to somewhat lessen the horror so many families with missing loved ones are forced to endure ... let's not let it pass us by -

Help Pass Billy's Law today!! http://peace4missing.ning.com/forum/topics/on-the-road-to-passing-billys. ‎-

Billy's Law online petition - http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-congress-to-pass-billys-law-to-help-identify-the-missing

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Find Out How To Help Pass Billy's Law (The Help Find the Missing Act) Here!

Little actions DO make a BIG difference - 

Have you signed the petition for Billy's Law (The Help Find the Missing Act) yet? 

If not, please do so now here ... http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-congress-to-pass-billys-law-to-help-identify-the-missing


OVERVIEW

"Billy's Law" sits in two pieces in Congress:  H.R. 1300 and S.R. 702.  And that's how our nation's databases sit, disconnected, in the forms of the Department of Justice "NaMUs" database and the FBI's "Missing Persons Database."  Pass the Bills into law and you'll connect the databases to help find those who have gone missing and those who are "unidentified" remains.

Billy's Law passed the House last term in 2010, but never left the Senate Judiciary Committee.  This legislation was recently reintroduced.

Our goal is to bring the voice of The People to The Hill on behalf of the missing.

We bring this Petition on behalf of our classmate and friend, George DeLany, Jr.  He disappeared from Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) on March 12, 2011 and was found on April 17, 2011, sadly, to have died.  We had to wait less than 24-hours for DNA testing to confirm that it was George who had been found.

Many families have been waiting for years for news of their loved ones.  And many people who have died, have done so without identification and await their final journey home.

Billy's Law is named in honor of Billy Smolinski, Jr., who went missing more than six years ago, and has yet to be found.

Won't you lend your name to this worthy cause?  Put the best of the technology that our nation has to offer to work for those who are missing.

Thank you.  James, Lelah, D.J., Alex, Amber, Ed, Matt, Ben, Taryn, Michael, Daniel, Jonathan, and Paloma

On Facebook at "Students Finding George DeLany"
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Billy's Law at Michigan's Missing Persons Day

What I walked away from Michigan's (very first) Missing Persons Day with

This past Saturday, May 7th, 2011, I (Sara Huizenga) on behalf of Peace4 the Missing and Billy's Law attended and held an information booth at Michigan's (VERY FIRST) Missing Persons Day.


It was a day of many mixed emotions - which I guess ironically makes sense at any missing persons event in general. 

Perhaps I can help you gain a bit of perspective on what I mean by my typed sentence directly above here by sharing some of the days comments from Families of Missing Loved Ones below ....

We just don't know what to do.

One minute we think it might be okay, but the next moment we're not even sure we can even make it through to seeing the next second, it hurts so bad.

I can't believe I've endured having a missing loved one this long, I never thought I'd be able to last as long as I have.

Thank you for displaying their picture (NamUs Missing Person Poster) - you have no idea as to how much that means to us - it is everything!

People who give us hope help us go on, we couldn't do it without them and the hope they offer.

I will never give up on them - I'll never stop looking.

You have no idea how much this day means to us, we've traveled from (insert many States even COUNTRIES away) just to be here ... wouldn't have missed it for the world.

NamUs has finally given us some hope back!  We thought we'd lost it all for good shortly before finding out about it ... We MUST pass Billy's Law and make it stronger!

I walked away from this event even more convinced of two things in particular ...

1.  I painfully have no magic words to take away this intensely horrific of a pain that families of the missing are forced to endure - every second of every day.

2.  Procedures, legislation and action such as NamUs, Billy's Law, Resourceful Law Enforcement, Kelsey's Law, etc.  are SO NEEDED - and so worth fighting for ... we must work together to ensure these full of hope for the missing things.

Here's how ...  CLICK TO HELP CREATE MUCH NEEDED CHANGE ... let's get going on here and now.



PEACE4 THE MISSING: Voice Platform and Support Network for Families of Missing and Victims of Crime.  *Command Central for the Help Find the Missing Act (Billy's Law)*   http://peace4missing.ning.com

Billy's Law Images - Please Use and Share


Find more photos like this on PEACE4 THE MISSING


PEACE4 THE MISSING: Voice Platform and Support Network for Families of Missing and Victims of Crime.  *Command Central for the Help Find the Missing Act (Billy's Law)*   
http://peace4missing.ning.com

Important Message Billy's Law HR 1300: Co-Sponsors Needed in House and Senate

BILLY'S LAW - HR 1300 & SR 702
        
On March 2011 Billy's Law was introduced into the House Of Representatives as most of you know the law was hung up in the Senate last year. All Bills have to be introduced again if not passed by the end of the year and this is where we are at now. What this means is we are back to square one and the Bill has to go through the same political process as last year meaning we need Cosponsors. There is a change this time on how we are going to handle getting cosponsors which will be explained.

If you look at the top of the page you will see HR 1300 & SR 702, this is the change I was talking about HR 1300 is the Bill number in the House of Representatives and SR 702 is the Bill number in the US Senate We will be getting cosponsor from both at the same time.

Listed below I will give links on how to find and write to your Congressman in the House of Rep and your US Senators ( remember 2 Senators per state ).

First of all a very special Thank you to Congressman Chris Murphy and Ted Poe  for sponsoring this Bill and once again making it bipartisan.

This is the link to find your Congressman  https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

NOTE: Remember to write your Congressman and Senators even if they  Cosponsored this Bill last year.

Now on the Senate side Ct. Senator Joe Lieberman and Ct. Senator Richard Blumenthal will also be sponsoring this Bill.

This is the Link to U.S. Senators  http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm


We all know how important this Bill is these letters and emails MUST be written this Bill will pick up momentum and once it does we have to be ready with our voices even stronger then before. If you are a family with a missing loved one please share your story in your letters.

This is the first post on are call to action I'm sure there will be many more before we are done if there are any questions please feel free to ask and we will get back with answers asap. Also as before when Congressman and Senators cosponsor this Bill they will be listed.

Here also is a link to a petition for Billy's Law  http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-congress-to-pass-billys-law-to...

This Bill will become law but there is a lot of work to do so let's do it.

http://peace4missing.ning.com/forum/topics/important-message-billys-law

PEACE4 THE MISSING: Voice Platform and Support Network for Families of Missing and Victims of Crime.  *Command Central for the Help Find the Missing Act (Billy's Law)*   http://peace4missing.ning.com

Discussion Forum - NamUs.Gov/Billy's Law


Peace4 the Missing's NamUs.Gov & Billy's Law/HR 1300 Forum Discussions Area

http://peace4missing.ning.com/forum/categories/namusgov-billys-lawhr-1300/listForCategory

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Petition Congress to Pass "Billy's Law" to Help Find The Missing


PETITIONING

The President of the United States
+ 2 others

STARTED BY

Paloma Capanna
Penfield, NY

 

OVERVIEW

"Billy's Law" sits in two pieces in Congress:  H.R. 1300 and S.R. 702.  And that's how our nation's databases sit, disconnected, in the forms of the Department of Justice "NaMUs" database and the FBI's "Missing Persons Database."  Pass the Bills into law and you'll connect the databases to help find those who have gone missing and those who are "unidentified" remains.

Billy's Law passed the House last term in 2010, but never left the Senate Judiciary Committee.  This legislation was recently reintroduced.

Our goal is to bring the voice of The People to The Hill on behalf of the missing.

We bring this Petition on behalf of our classmate and friend, George DeLany, Jr.  He disappeared from Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) on March 12, 2011 and was found on April 17, 2011, sadly, to have died.  We had to wait less than 24-hours for DNA testing to confirm that it was George who had been found.

Many families have been waiting for years for news of their loved ones.  And many people who have died, have done so without identification and await their final journey home.

Billy's Law is named in honor of Billy Smolinski, Jr., who went missing five years ago, and has yet to be found.

Won't you lend your name to this worthy cause?  Put the best of the technology that our nation has to offer to work for those who are missing.

Thank you.  James, Lelah, D.J., Alex, Amber, Ed, Matt, Ben, Taryn, Michael, Daniel, Jonathan, and Paloma

PETITION LETTER

Billy's Law (H.R. 1300 & S.R. 702)

Greetings,

This letter is a call to action to the House, Senate, and President to enact "Billy's Law" (H.R. 1300 & S.R. 702).

The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimated in 2007 that more than 40,000 human remains were unidentified and being held in Coroner's Offices nationwide. This amounts to a national tragedy for the missing, their families, and friends.


All available technology should be brought together to assist in the search for the missing, including the Department of Justice "NaMUs" database and the FBI's NCIC database.


Please take action today to advance, sign, and implement this important legislation.
[Your name]


Please click on the following link now to sign and support this urgent and most vital petition ... http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-congress-to-pass-billys-law-to-help-find-the-missing-2