U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) recently unveiled a bipartisan bill that would require federal law enforcement agencies to report on cases of missing or murdered Native American women and improve how the overall process to combat the crisis is handled.
“Native American communities and law enforcement agencies face an uphill battle investigating cases of missing and murdered indigenous women [MMIW] due to lack of access to coordinated federal crime data,” said Rep. Newhouse on March 2. “This legislation provides critical federal resources and access to criminal databases to tribal law enforcement so they can effectively investigate these cases and help end the MMIW crisis.”
The Bridging Agency Data Gaps and Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act, H.R. 1292, is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ). The legislation also would increase tribal access to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) by requiring tribal facilitators to conduct ongoing outreach and serve as a point of contact for tribes and law enforcement agencies, as well as conduct training and information gathering to improve the resolution of missing persons cases, according to a bill summary provided by Rep, Newhouse’s office.
Additionally, H.R. 1292 would allow the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to conduct its own background checks for law enforcement officer applicants toward improving officer recruitment, and would establish a grant program to support states, tribes, and tribal organizations in the coordination efforts related to missing and murdered persons cases and sexual assault cases, the summary says.
Among several other provisions, the bill would call for the evaluation of federal law enforcement evidence collection, handling, and processing, and ensure BIA officers and tribal police have access to culturally appropriate mental health and wellness programs, states the summary.
“For years, the federal government has failed to provide tribal communities the resources needed to adequately ensure public safety and properly support tribal law enforcement agencies,” Rep. Gallego said. “This is a widely supported bipartisan effort, and I look forward to finally getting this bill passed.”
The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, the National Congress of American Indians, the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, the Seattle Indian Health Board, Amnesty International USA, and the National Council of Urban Indian Health support the bill.