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

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

RIT Friends of George DeLany Successfully Lobby Senator Schumer's Support of Billy's Law

We at Peace4 the Missing along with the family of Billy Smolinski extend our deeply heartfelt gratitude towards George Delaney, whose life has propelled so many others to pick up this cause and successfully encourage Senator Schumer to support Billy's Law.  We are so very humbled and moved by all of you.

Schumer Announces Support For "Billy's Law"

By WKBW News, April 25, 2011 Updated Apr 25, 2011 at 2:57 PM EDT  

Schumer Announces Support For "Billy's Law"

WASHINGTON, DC (release) Monday, United States Senator Charles E. Schumer announced his support for legislation called "Billy's Law," also known as Help Find the Missing Act, to close loopholes in our national missing persons systems.

Schumer has sponsored this legislation in the past, and his co-sponsorship this Congress comes in the wake of the recent death of George Delaney, a Rochester Institute of Technology student. When George Delany went missing on March 12th, RIT faculty and students joined with law enforcement and the community to search for him. http://www.eveningtribune.com/features/x1798440022/Rochester-Instit...

This week they wrote to Senator Schumer in support of Billy’s Law, after experiencing firsthand the gaps in our national missing person response system. Schumer states that the enactment of Billy’s Law will provide law enforcement officials with the tools and resources it needs to better conduct the search for missing adults.

“George Delany’s death is a tragedy for Rochester and all of New York,” said Schumer. “And, what is even more difficult to believe are the loopholes in our national missing persons system. Just as we provide law enforcement with tools like the Amber alert and access to missing person databases when children are missing, we should not tolerate delays and lapses in information when people over the age of 18, like George Delany, are missing. Billy’s Law would provide the critical tools and alerts to law enforcement officials that are essential in the search of missing adults. What’s more, Billy’s Law seeks to bring our national missing persons databases into the 21st century, creating a central resource for officials and families that are so desperately trying to locate their loved ones.”

Students Finding George DeLany

RIT professor Paloma Capanna, along with a dozen RIT students who were personally involved in the search for George wrote to Senator Schumer in support of this legislation stating, “Our support for this [legislation] comes from our personal experience with our classmate and friend, George Delany. At least two college students go missing every week. And, nationwide, more than 20,000 persons are reported missing each year. The federal government should intervene to ensure that any barriers to participation in and access to all available databases are eliminated, including supplements for any fees that may be prohibitive within county budgets.”

Billy’s Law would authorize 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 to. The law would connect 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. Billy’s Law would expand current law by requiring missing children be reported to NamUs in addition to NCIC, and would create a grant program to help states, local law enforcement and medical examiners report missing persons and unidentified remains to NCIC, NamUs, and the National DNA Index System (NDIS). And, finally Billy’s Law requires the DOJ 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.

Billy’s Law is named after Billy Smolinski of Waterbury, Connecticut who went missing on August 24, 2004 at the age of 31. Billy’s family 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.

Continue reading: http://www.wkbw.com/home/Schumer-Announces-Support-For-Billys-Law-1...

Who is Billy? http://justice4billy.com/
http://helpfindthemissingact.blogspot.com

To find out more about how NamUs.gov and Billy's Law greatly benefits families of the missing please go to the following link ... http://peace4missing.ning.com/forum/categories/namusgov-billys-lawh...

Peace4 the Missing
A voice platform and support network for those with missing loved ones and victims of crime
http://peace4missing.ning. com/
Peace4's Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/pa ges/Peace4-the-Missing/114 101641947

RIT Honors George DeLany By Lobbying For Billy's Law

Rochester Institute of Technology students, faculty remember DeLany

Adjunct R.I.T. faculty member Paloma Capanna reads a letter from the DeLany family at the memorial service for George DeLany Tuesday.

 

By Andrew Poole

The Evening Tribune

Posted Apr 20, 2011 @ 01:59 PM

“We will find you — don’t lose hope.” 

 

“I personally don’t know you, but please come back soon.” 

“Strangers are praying — come home.”

Those pleas are just three of hundreds written on a banner for George DeLany, the previously missing Rochester Institute of Technology student whose remains were discovered Sunday night in a shallow indentation near the Wayland-Cohocton town line.

DeLany was last seen March 12, the day before his car was found in the Town of Wayland. State police in vain led massive search efforts, but it was a landowner who found DeLany in a previously unsearched area, two-to-three miles from the missing student’s vehicle.

Tuesday evening a crowd of approximately 75 gathered at the Schmitt Interfaith Center for a memorial service on the R.I.T. campus to remember their friend, classmate, and student.

“For those of you that knew George, I’m awfully sorry for your loss. For those of you that didn’t know George, I’m sorry for your loss, that you didn’t have a chance to get to know him,” said Mary-Beth Cooper, senior vice president for Student Affairs at R.I.T.

Adjunct faculty member Paloma Capanna, who was active in the “Students Finding George DeLany” organization publicizing his disappearance, read a letter from the DeLany family. The family wasn’t in attendance.

The letter summed up DeLany as a “nice person” who wanted to be known as a “tough guy,” despite it being against his nature.

“We are all a bit shy, and George inherited that trait,” said the letter. “That was tough to deal with as he grew older. Once he became involved with people, he could open up, and show the young man we loved so much.”

Much of the conversation at the memorial service centered on the community that developed during DeLany’s disappearance.

“Over the past month, our group (Students Finding George DeLany), with everyone here and in the community, has experienced something special, and that’s because of George,” said R.I.T. student James Brigden. “Not only has he built a sense of community that people work forever to try to build, he’s built it strong ... People work a lifetime to try to build a sense of community, and George did it in a very small amount of time.”

R.I.T. President Bill Destler, speaking before Brigden, also emphasized the community that had developed, and needed to continue.

“I hope all of us will dedicate ourselves to that basic idea, that we are all a family. Those of us that need help, need to know that we can help them,” said Destler. “We don’t know, we may never know, exactly what happened to George. But I think we do know that we have a responsibility to try to minimize these kinds of tragedies.

“If I’m proud of anything, I’m proud of the fact that this community kept its vigil going, both in person here on campus and on social networks ... I’m proud we didn’t give up hope until the very last.”

The discovery of DeLany’s remains would seem to bring closure, but Capanna and Brigden said they wouldn’t step back from the incident that has enveloped them in the past month. Capanna said she and the students will lobby to get Billy’s Law, legislation previously rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee, back to the Senate.

The law would create stronger sharing of information between missing persons databases and provide grants to municipalities and states to share information, according to an article from the Los Angeles Times.

Some of the details of the case — such as why DeLany was in Wayland, or the official cause of death — aren’t known. To Brigden, whatever details still unknown are irrelevant.

“We’re at the point where we have an answer for George’s family. The details we don’t know, and there aren’t many, aren’t as important to the students,” he said.

Others, though, such as sophomore D.J. Abele, are still curious as to what happened to their classmate.

“I’m torn. Part of me wants to know what happened. I don’t want more horrible news. I don’t,” he said.

Source:  http://www.eveningtribune.com/features/x1798440022/Rochester-Institute-of-Technology-students-faculty-remember-DeLany

Please Voice Your Support of NamUs.gov and Billy's Law for The Families of the Missing

The following was written by Billy's Mother, Jan Smolinski ... http://peace4missing.ning.com/profiles/blogs/your-voice-counts-for-missing/edit

If anyone has watched the journey our family has taken to try and find a real person, disappeared, ignored by the authorities as a walk away, hurtful remarks made, evidence lost, entries wrong and incomplete, six years later and still the enormous up hill push just to bring my son home.


Please Help Find Our Missing Loved Ones
We are just a small example of the thousands of families who have to face the reality of a similar nightmare/silent crisis that faces our nation today.

Education is the key~~there is a centralized database that will help connect the dots possibly make matches or bring a loved one home called NamUs.

Imagine a person you love so dearly, a child perhaps (no matter the age they are always your child) go missing with very little attention ~ to then finally receive HOPE ... who would not stand up and say WAIT this is what we have been waiting for! ?? Perhaps a solution?

In our state of Connecticut, like most states, Billy has been missing for six years, but yet the state police ~ public safety ~ have not and will not put Billy as a missing person on their database because they say he is not their case. We questioned and were told Billy's case belongs in the lead agency database, ok, but the computers don't connect, so it will not work.

Our country is in desperate need of a new system, the disjointed, confusing process and tools currently available prior to the creation of NamUs were not working! And unfortunately, until more agencies are required to utilize NamUs (part of what Billy's Law would initiate) this broken, ineffective method will continue.

Now for the first time ever a centralized database is available and incentives are needed to help train law enforcement and medical examiners/coroners how to enter the information and take DNA samples, put into the proper databases, results that are much needed, a resolution for the family of a missing loved one may be possible, it is proven to have worked already.

A missing person DOES NOT have to be deceased for this to work.

Check your local or state clearinghouses, look at the disaster of information entered ... see for yourself the tangled web of missing pieces, entries here there and everywhere and dead ends ... it doesn't make sense.

You decide ... is this the kind of system you'd want to put the majority of your hopes for finding your missing loved one into??

If you say I don't have to worry about this it won't happen to my family, think again ~ NO ONE IS EXEMPT!!

It is time to wake up!

It is time to get the ball rolling and support the best database to date.

If law enforcement is here to serve and protect then lets educate them how to help serve and protect. It is not their fault if they are not trained, incentives are needed to help in the process.

It is 2010, this is why we in this country need S3019 ~ Help Find the Missing Act ~ Billy's Law.

Billy's Law (The Help Find the Missing Act) is a proposed bill that was created in order to strengthen and increase utilization of our National Missing Persons Database (NamUs.Gov)

More info can be found on PEACE4 THE MISSING
Voice Platform and Support Network for Families of Missing and Victims of Crime
http://peace4missing.ning.com/

Peace4 Page on Facebook ... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peace4-the-Missing/114101641947

NamUs.gov
http://namus.gov/

Billy's Law
http://helpfindthemissingact.blogspot.com/
http://justice4billy.com/

NamUs.gov WITH Billy's Law: Stronger Together - A Perfect Match

Billy's Law (The Help Find the Missing Act) is a proposed bill that was created in order to strengthen and increase utilization of our National Missing Persons Database (NamUs.Gov)

S. 3019 (more commonly known as Billy's Law) would authorize funding for, and increase accessibility to, (NamUs.Gov) 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.

In order to improve the current situation of how all Missing Persons cases are handled within the United States it is of ESSENTIAL importance that we all actively work together to ensure the passage of Billy's Law

 ... please do so now by clicking on the link below and taking action! 
http://peace4missing.ning.com/profiles/blogs/proposed-bill-billys-law

Additional details regarding are updated frequently and can be found on Peace4 the Missing ... http://peace4missing.ning.com/

Facebook Challenge ~ Change Your Profile Pic in Support of Billy's Law TODAY!

Billy's Law profile pic options attached ... change yours on Facebook in support of Billy's Law ... spread awareness and let it be known that You actively support the Help Find the Missing Act!

But don't stop there! ... Next, challenge others as well to show their Billy's Law support and actively participate in the 3 Simple Steps to Save Billy's Law ...

1. Copy/Paste this letter located HERE
2. Go HERE to find contact info for Senators on the United States Judicial Committee
3. Fill out the form on each of their individual websites (copy/paste the letter in the remarks area) and click send ...

It truly does take a Village ... and that Village is where You Live!

Your Voice Counts for Missing Persons Change!

Tell the United States Senators to pass Billy's Law (S3019) NOW! ~ Sample Letter Here!

Please take just one short moment of your time to urge your senators to support and strengthen the Help Find the Missing Act ~ (S3019) Billy's Law. It is up to us to make our voices heard — for the dignity and sanctity of each missing loved one and nameless human life!

The following was written by Billy's Mother, Jan Smolinski ...



If anyone has watched the journey our family has taken to try and find a real person, disappeared, ignored by the authorities as a walk away, hurtful remarks made, evidence lost, entries wrong and incomplete, six years later and still the enormous up hill push just to bring my son home.

Please Help Find Our Missing Loved Ones

We are just a small example of the thousands of families who have to face the reality of a similar nightmare/silent crisis that faces our nation today.



Education is the key~~there is a centralized database that will help connect the dots possibly make matches or bring a loved one home called NamUs.



Imagine a person you love so dearly, a child perhaps (no matter the age they are always your child) go missing with very little attention ~ to then finally receive HOPE ... who would not stand up and say WAIT this is what we have been waiting for! ?? Perhaps a solution?



In our state of Connecticut, like most states, Billy has been missing for six years, but yet the state police ~ public safety ~ have not and will not put Billy as a missing person on their database because they say he is not their case. We questioned and were told Billy's case belongs in the lead agency database, ok, but the computers don't connect, so it will not work.



Our country is in desperate need of a new system, the disjointed, confusing process and tools currently available prior to the creation of NamUs were not working! And unfortunately, until more agencies are required to utilize NamUs (part of what Billy's Law would initiate) this broken, ineffective method will continue.



Now for the first time ever a centralized database is available and incentives are needed to help train law enforcement and medical examiners/coroners how to enter the information and take DNA samples, put into the proper databases, results that are much needed, a resolution for the family of a missing loved one may be possible, it is proven to have worked already.



A missing person DOES NOT have to be deceased for this to work.



Check your local or state clearinghouses, look at the disaster of information entered ... see for yourself the tangled web of missing pieces, entries here there and everywhere and dead ends ... it doesn't make sense.



You decide ... is this the kind of system you'd want to put the majority of your hopes for finding your missing loved one into??



If you say I don't have to worry about this it won't happen to my family, think again ~ NO ONE IS EXEMPT!!



It is time to wake up!



It is time to get the ball rolling and support the best database to date.



If law enforcement is here to serve and protect then lets educate them how to help serve and protect. It is not their fault if they are not trained, incentives are needed to help in the process.



It is 2010, this is why we in this country need S3019 ~ Help Find the Missing Act ~ Billy's Law.



Email each member on the Judiciary committee, ask each Senator to co sponsor the bill.



If it happened to one of theirs they would certainly want the best way to help achieve answers.





How to make your voice count ...

A sample letter/email for Senators that you can use is located at the following link ...

http://peace4missing.ning.com/forum/topics/sample-letter-to-senators-for

Contact page for United States Judiciary Committee Senators ...
http://judiciary.senate.gov/about/members.cfm

Additional details can be found by clicking on the following link ... http://peace4missing.ning.com/forum/topics/help-find-the-missing







Please join us at Peace4 the Missing

Missing Persons Awareness and Support Network

http://peace4missing.ning.com

Billy's Law: Making NamUs.Gov Happen

According to a recent Associated Press (AP) report, the free online database `NamUs' - short for the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System - is only being used by 6.5 percent, or 1,100, of the country's 17,000law enforcement agencies, for tracking missing persons.

The clearinghouse, which is designed to help identify over 40,000 sets of unknown remains that languish with the country's medical examiners, is not as widely used as it should be largely because either the lack of adequate publicity has resulted in hardly any awareness about it, or most law enforcement agencies are chary of using their already-limited staff resources to participate in the service.

Nonetheless, the AP report also specified that NamUs - which promises to solve almost 100,000 missing persons' cases of the country - has thus far helped crack 16 cases, after becoming fully operational last year.

Furthermore, the service is home to nearly 6,200 unidentified sets of remains, and 2,800 missing people; has, as per The Crime Report, been accessed by over 185,000 people, for missing persons' details, till January 2009.

To encourage a wider use of NamUs and seeking additional funding set aside for the service, a Cheshire, Connecticut-based woman Janice Smolinski is currently championing a bill in the Congress. The bill - "Billy's Law," named after Smolinski's 31-year-old son Billy, who went missing in 2004 - will mandate law enforcement agencies to database details about all the 21-or-over missing adults.