Tillis, Padilla Applaud Senate Passage of the TRACE Act

Sep 3 2025

Tillis, Padilla Applaud Senate Passage of the TRACE Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) applauded the Senate passage of the TRACE Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill that would require the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to include an additional category to the existing National Missing and Unidentified Persons Systems (NamUs) database so the public and law enforcement partners can denote cases where the person went missing or was identified on federal land or territorial waters of the United States -including by providing specific location details.

The bill also requires DOJ to submit an annual report to Congress on the number of cases of persons missing or suspected of going missing on public lands or territorial waters of the United States from the previous year. With this new feature, family and friends of people who have gone missing on public lands could more easily find and include this information in NamUs, while law enforcement agencies can simultaneously work to improve the national records of individuals missing on public lands.

"Every year, people go missing on public lands without being recorded in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System," said Senator Tillis. "This oversight is impeding law enforcement from keeping track of those who go missing to help search and rescue efforts. I applaud the Senate for passing this bipartisan, bicameral legislation so these cases can be added to the database and potentially save hundreds of lives in the future, and I urge my colleagues in the House to swiftly pass this critical legislation to ensure no missing person falls through the cracks."

"For too long, law enforcement officials have faced unnecessary barriers in tracking down people who go missing on federal lands," said Senator Padilla. "The Senate's passage of the TRACE Act brings us one step closer to saving lives and bringing peace of mind to affected families. I'm committed to working with my colleagues across the aisle to make sure this bill is signed into law."

Background:

According to a NamUs report, over 600,000 people go missing in the United States annually. While the majority of these cases are resolved, tens of thousands of people remain missing every year. There are approximately 640 million acres of federal land which include national parks, national forests, and Bureau of Land Management lands.

Estimates suggest that at least 1,600 people have gone missing on public lands, though the number is likely much higher, as isolated or rugged terrain on public lands can make it especially difficult to find or identify people who go missing. Despite this, there is no functional system to report people who have gone missing on public lands. Having accurate data on how many people go missing on our public lands every year is crucial to aid search and rescue efforts and resolve cases.

NamUs is the main system used by law enforcement, families and friends of missing persons, medical examiners, and coroners to report unidentified remains and missing persons, and is also used by the public.

The TRACE Act is endorsed by the Public Lands Solution, Jewish Women's Institute, Major County Sheriffs Association, Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA), NDAA, Raven, National Association to End Sexual Violence, and the Outdoor Industry Association.

Full text of the bill is available HERE.

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