Noujaim to Introduce Missing Persons Day Bill
Waterbury Legislator Hopes to Bring Awareness to
Missing Persons Cases
HARTFORD-
State
Representative Selim Noujaim (R-Waterbury) today announced that he would
introduce legislation in the 2006 Regular Session of the Connecticut
General Assembly which would have the governor designate August 24th
of each year as Missing Persons Day in the State of Connecticut. The
proposed bill aims at raising awareness of the plight of state citizens
who have been reported missing. The bill also asks the governor to
conduct suitable exercises in the State Capitol or elsewhere as the
Governor designates for the observance of that day.
Noujaim says that he
was encouraged to introduce the legislation after conferring with
friends and family of William Smolinski, Jr., a 32-year-old Waterbury
native who has been missing since August 24, 2004.
“The people of
Waterbury are very familiar with the sad circumstances surrounding the
disappearance of Billy Smolinski,” said Rep. Noujaim. “Every year in
Connecticut between 200 and 300 juveniles are reported missing,
including runaways and stranger abductions. This doesn’t even take into
consideration missing adults. I want to bring attention to the plight
of those missing people, and the families and friends they leave behind
who are tortured by not knowing the whereabouts or fate of those missing
individuals.”
Dawn Breen, a friend
of Billy Smolinski who worked at Durable Towing with him, said she was
pleased that the legislation would be introduced, and hoped it brought
particular attention to adult missing persons cases. “Missing adults
get little attention compared to missing children,” said Breen. “I am
hoping that a Missing Persons Day will also raise awareness for adult
missing persons cases.”
“We
strongly feel having a Missing Persons Day can help bring recognition to
a serious problem that the public in general does not realize unless it
is brought to their attention,” said William and Janice Smolinski,
parents of Billy Smolinski. “It is important to bring awareness that
every missing person has a story in every age group; male, female, young
and old. They all need to have their story told. Unfortunately the adult
male group seems to be ignored. We are working so hard not only to
find our Billy but to get this matter of the missing out one person at a
time.”
The legislature
convenes again in February of 2006 in Regular Session.
