National Briefs: Senate Passes Missing Persons Bill; Barragán Affirms Fed Independence

Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Help Find Missing Persons on Federal Land

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) Sept. 4 applauded the Senate’s passage of their Tracking and Reporting Absent Community-Members Everywhere or TRACE Act. The TRACE Act is a bipartisan, bicameral bill that requires the U.S. Department of Justice  or DOJ to add a new category to the existing National Missing and Unidentified Persons Systems  or NamUs database so that the public and law enforcement can denote cases where a person went missing or was identified on federal land or U.S. territorial waters — including the specific location details of the incident.

The TRACE Act also requires the DOJ to submit an annual report to Congress on the number of persons who went missing or were suspected of going missing on public lands or territorial waters in the previous year. By improving public and law enforcement access to this information, the bill aims to strengthen national records and help families and agencies locate missing individuals more effectively.

Each year, over 600,000 people are reported missing in the United States. While most cases are resolved, tens of thousands remain unsolved each year. The federal government manages approximately 640 million acres of land, including 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 true number is likely much higher. Isolated or rugged terrain, limited cell coverage, and underreporting make it especially difficult to track these cases. Yet there is no functional system to identify when someone has gone missing on public lands, making coordinated search and rescue operations even harder.

NamUs is the primary system used by law enforcement, medical examiners, coroners, families, and the public to report and access information about missing persons and unidentified remains. The TRACE Act strengthens this tool by ensuring location-specific data on public lands is captured and made available.

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.

Details: Full text of the bill is available here.

Barragán Leads Resolution to Defend Federal Reserve Against Trump’s Attacks

Washington, D.C. — Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Sept. 4 introduced a resolution to affirm the independence of the Federal Reserve System, its Chairman Jerome Powell, and the Board of Governors.

The resolution comes as President Trump has escalated attacks on the Federal Reserve, attempting to undermine its authority by intimidating Chairman Powell and illegally seeking to remove Federal Reserve Board Member Lisa Cook.

The Federal Reserve plays a critical role in maintaining the stability of the U.S. financial system, managing inflation, promoting maximum employment, and safeguarding banking institutions. Attempts to interfere for short-term political gain risk undermining global confidence in the U.S. dollar and financial markets.

The resolution:

• Affirms support for the independence of the Federal Reserve in setting monetary policy free from political interference;
• Recognizes and maintains confidence in Chairman Powell and the Board of Governors;
• Urges the President to respect the legal independence of the Federal Reserve and refrain from further actions that compromise its integrity; and
• Reaffirms the Fed’s critical role in ensuring a stable economy that benefits all Americans.