Supporting federal missing and murdered persons efforts.

20LSO-0166

ORIGINAL House

JOINT RESOLUTION
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HJ0003

ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 1,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2020 Budget Session

A JOINT RESOLUTION requesting Congress to enact legislation expanding and improving efforts to coordinate reporting, investigation and pursuit of justice for missing and murdered Native Americans and other persons.

WHEREAS, in some tribal communities, Native Americans are murdered at more than ten (10) times the national average; and

WHEREAS, Native American and Alaska Native women and girls are at least two (2) times more likely to experience rape or sexual assault and two and one-half (2½) times more likely to experience violent crimes compared to women and girls of all other races, and those factors often are tied to cases involving a disappearance or murder; and

WHEREAS, the National Crime Information Center reported five thousand seven hundred twelve (5,712) cases of missing Native American and Alaska Native women and girls in 2016, yet the United States Department of Justice's federal missing persons database only logged one hundred sixteen (116) cases; and

WHEREAS, Wyoming reported to the National Crime Information Center one hundred seven (107) missing Native Americans in 2018 and ninety-three (93) missing Native Americans through the end of July 2019, and it is likely that many cases go unreported; and

WHEREAS, populations that experience chronic unemployment, homelessness, substance abuse, severe poverty and high rates of sexual violence and other crimes including Native American and Alaska Native communities are at a higher risk of human trafficking; and

WHEREAS, violence against children and crimes associated with dating violence and domestic violence has immediate and long term effects, including increased rates of altered neurological development, poor physical and mental health, poor school performance and substance abuse. Exposure to this violence increases the instances of trauma in tribal communities, which affects health outcomes, reduces educational attainment, hinders economic growth and undermines public safety; and

WHEREAS, investigation into cases of missing and murdered Native Americans and domestic violence calls, which are amongst the most dangerous calls that law enforcement receives, is made difficult for tribal law enforcement agencies due to a lack of necessary training, equipment or funding, complicated jurisdictional structures, a lack of interagency cooperation and a host of inadequate laws; and

WHEREAS, no federal agency has comprehensive data on how many Native Americans are murdered or missing; and

WHEREAS, the Urban Indian Health Institute reported that the challenges and barriers in accessing data on these issues from law enforcement severely impede the ability of communities, tribal nations and policymakers to make informed decisions on how best to address this violence; and

WHEREAS, Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, for whom federal legislation is named, was a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe and was murdered when she was eight (8) months pregnant; and

WHEREAS, Savanna's Act (2019 S. 227/H.R. 2733) will improve tribal access to federal crime information databases on missing persons and cooperation among tribal, federal, state,
and local law enforcement, and will mandate the United States Attorney General to consult with tribes and submit a report to Congress on how to resolve the barriers tribes face and to review, revise and develop law enforcement and justice protocols appropriate to address missing and murdered Native Americans; and

WHEREAS, the Not Invisible Act (2019 S. 982/H.R. 2438) will establish an advisory committee on violent crime composed of law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers and survivors to recommend actions to the Department of Interior and Department of Justice. The bill will also establish best practices for law enforcement on combatting the epidemic of missing persons, murder and trafficking of Native Americans and Alaska Natives, and coordinate prevention efforts, grants and programs across offices within the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Department of Justice and other agencies of the federal government related to the murder of, trafficking of, and missing Native Americans and Alaska Natives; and

WHEREAS, the Bridging Agency Data Gaps and Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act (2019 S. 1853/H.R. 4289) will bridge agency data gaps by requiring federal law enforcement databases to report on cases of missing or murdered Native Americans, to coordinate with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System liaisons, to share data with the tribes and to establish a background check demonstration program to ensure safety for Native American communities; and

WHEREAS, the Native Youth and Tribal Officer Protection Act (2019 S. 290/H.R. 958) will build on the Violence Against Women Act by allowing tribes to charge offenders for dating
violence, domestic violence, child violence and violence committed against members of the tribal justice system and by coordinating federal domestic violence training and hotline resources; and

WHEREAS, the Studying the Missing and Murdered Indian Crisis Act of 2019 (2019 S. 336/H.R. 2029) will direct the Comptroller General of the United States to report on law enforcement agencies' responses to reports of missing or murdered Indians; and

WHEREAS, other proposed legislation will continue and grow existing endeavors to support Native Americans and other persons, including the Justice for Native Survivors of Sexual Violence Act (2019 S. 288/H.R. 3977), which amends the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 to extend the jurisdiction of tribal courts to cover crimes involving sexual violence; the Securing Urgent Resources Vital to Indian Victim Empowerment (SURVIVE) Act (2019 S. 211/H.R. 1351), which amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 and the Native American Child Protection Act (H.R. 4957), which amends the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 (S. 2843/H.R. 1585), which reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act of 1994.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING:

Section 1.
That the Wyoming Legislature requests that Congress swiftly enact legislation providing for

justice for missing and murdered Native Americans and other persons, including enacting Savanna's Act, the Not Invisible Act, the BADGES for Native Communities Act, the
Native Youth and Tribal
Officer Protection Act, the Studying the Missing and Murdered Indian Crisis Act of 2019 and other legislation that amends and reauthorizes existing protections
.

Section 2.
That the Secretary of State of Wyoming transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress and to the Wyoming Congressional Delegation.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.

Chief Clerk

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