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Senate advances bill to align Kentucky missing‑persons reporting with 2022 federal 'Billy's Law'
Summary
Senate Bill 159, reported Feb. 18, 2026, would require law enforcement to enter missing‑person reports into national databases (NCIC and NamUs) in line with the 2022 federal 'Billy's Law'; the Senate recorded a unanimous roll call in favor.
The Kentucky Senate passed Senate Bill 159 on Feb. 18, 2026, adopting a measure supporters said will align state practice with the 2022 federal "Billy's Law" by requiring law enforcement to enter missing and unidentified persons data into national systems such as NCIC and NamUs.
Sponsor remarks explained the bill "simply aligns us with federal regulations from 2022" and said the change will help reunite families and aid cross‑jurisdictional investigations. The sponsor told the floor the Kentucky Chief of Police Association supported the measure. The sponsor also said "we've had 5,000 missing people in Kentucky in 1 year," a claim made on the floor and recorded in the transcript.
A senator from Laurel spoke as a cosponsor and recounted a constituent, Winter Wagner, who was abducted and later recovered with assistance from federal partners, underscoring the bill's proponents' emphasis on national database access.
The clerk called the roll for final passage; the transcript records 36 yays and no nays and the Senate declared Senate Bill 159 passed.
The transcript does not include bill text or a fiscal note; implementation details, including timing for required entries into NCIC/NamUs and any training or funding to support compliance, were not specified in the captured segments.
