Senate File 114, a bill to standardize how Wyoming law enforcement agencies accept and report missing-person cases, was amended and passed by the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 14, 2025. The committee voted to add the words "without delay" to the bill and approved the amended measure by a 9-0 voice/roll call that recorded nineayes.

The bill seeks to require every Wyoming law enforcement agency to "accept without delay any credible report of a missing person made to a law enforcement agency," while carving out a short list of reasons an agency could decline to take a report. It also directs timely entry into national systems to speed cross-jurisdictional alerts, testimony and sponsor remarks said.

Supporters told the committee the bill responds to inconsistent practices around adults who go missing and to problems when multiple jurisdictions assume another agency is the primary reporting agency. "In a few instances law enforcement agencies in our state may believe another law enforcement entity to be the primary reporting agency and thus, they would decline to accept a report of a missing person," sponsor Senator Landen said, describing how the bill prioritizes which agency should accept the report. "This bill outlines a specific procedure for all Wyoming law enforcement agencies to follow."

The bill sets timeframes for database entry discussed during testimony: reports involving anyone under 21 must be entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) within two hours of receiving the report, while adults over 21 have an eight-hour window, the sponsor said. The measure also requires reporting to national clearinghouses such as the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), supporters said.

Advocates and practitioners urged the committee to pass the bill. Desiree Tonoco, director and founder of the nonprofit Missing People of Wyoming, said her group — which began as a Facebook community and now has about 35,000 members — sees cases denied to databases because of an individual's income, criminal history or lack of a physical address. "We have no protocols for missing people," Tonoco said in a written statement read by Kara Chambers of the Attorney General's Office. "This bill would provide guidance and accountability for agencies throughout the state."

Sheriff Blackburn (appearing by Zoom) described practical consequences when entries are delayed. He said a vehicle connected to a potential missing person was impounded in another state and no missing-person entry had been made; he said faster entry sometimes allows investigators to preserve evidence and bring in federal partners earlier. "The quicker it gets in our databases and the quicker it starts moving among the law enforcement communities, the faster we may be able to get a shred of evidence before it goes underground," Blackburn said.

Alan Thompson, executive director of WASCOP (the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police), said the measure resulted from a collaborative process with local chiefs and sheriffs and the Attorney General's Office, and that the exception list in the bill was intended to narrow reasons to refuse a report, not expand them. "We came into this with a perception from a law enforcement angle that this isn't a problem," Thompson said. "If we're not doing the right thing, we need to codify it, get it into law, make sure that all law enforcement understands what the expectation is in Wyoming."

Lena Deckert, an assistant research scientist at the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center at the University of Wyoming, presented a review commissioned by the Wyoming Division of Victim Services showing that 40 states and the District of Columbia require law enforcement to enter missing-adult cases into a state or federal database; she said Wyoming currently has no legislative requirement and relies on voluntary submissions to its clearinghouse. "This contrasts with states that have established mandatory protocols for database entry and alert activation," Deckert said.

Committee members questioned language in the bill about refusing a report if another agency "will accept" the report in the future; Representative Chastick and others pressed for adding "without delay" after the phrase "will accept" to avoid agencies relying on vague assurances and causing gaps. Representative Webb offered the amendment to insert the words "without delay" after the phrase "will accept"; members debated redundancy but agreed it would reduce the risk of delay. The amendment was approved and the committee later voted to pass the amended bill, with Chair Washington stating he would carry the bill to the House floor.

The governor's office and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force also expressed support. Kit Wintland, special counsel and policy adviser for Governor Mark Gordon, said public safety and addressing underreported missing tribal members are priorities for the governor. Wintland and James Sorrells, the governor's liaison, urged support for the bill and noted work with tribes and law enforcement on alerting systems such as Amber Alerts.

The committee recorded the final action as "do pass amended" and selected a floor sponsor. The bill will next be placed on the House floor calendar for further consideration.