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SF0008 • 2020

Missing and murdered indigenous persons-agency cooperation.

AN ACT relating to administration of the government; specifying duties for the division of criminal investigation, Wyoming office of homeland security, division of victim services, highway patrol and others in the reporting, investigation, emergency alert and recovery of missing persons and other offenses; requiring state cooperation with federal, tribal and local law enforcement for alert systems and investigation and resolution of criminal activity; requiring reports; and providing for an effective date.

Crime
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Judiciary
Last action
2020-03-09
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
7/1/2020

Plain English Breakdown

The summary and explanation align well with the official bill text, but there are no specific details about victim services or highway patrol duties beyond what was provided.

Cooperation to Help Missing and Murdered Indigenous People

This law requires state agencies to work with federal, tribal, and local authorities to help find missing indigenous people and solve crimes against them.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to cooperate with tribal law enforcement in investigating crimes involving missing or murdered indigenous persons.
  • Directs the Office of Homeland Security to use an alert system to help recover missing endangered individuals, including cooperation with tribes if they set up their own alert systems.
  • Makes DCI responsible for collecting and sharing information about missing people from Wyoming through a clearinghouse database.
  • Requires annual reports on crime statistics and missing persons data submitted by federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies in Wyoming.

Who It Names or Affects

  • State agencies like the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Office of Homeland Security, and Highway Patrol
  • Federal, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies

Terms To Know

Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI)
A state agency that investigates crimes.
Integrated Public Alert and Warning System
A system used to warn the public about emergencies or threats.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify how much funding will be provided for these new responsibilities.
  • It is unclear if all tribes in Wyoming will choose to establish their own alert systems.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SF0008SS001

Standing Committee • Senate Judiciary Committee

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the bill's title to include 'indigenous' before 'persons' and replaces 'American' with 'Indian' in a specific section of the text.

  • Adds the word 'indigenous' after 'murdered' in the catch title, changing it from 'Missing and murdered indigenous persons-agency cooperation.' to 'Missing and murdered indigenous persons-agency cooperation.'
  • Replaces 'American' with 'Indian' on page 5, line 3 of the bill.
  • The amendment does not provide context for why these specific changes are being made beyond the text provided.

Bill History

  1. 2020-03-09 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 19

  2. 2020-03-09 Governor

    Governor Signed SEA No. 0005

  3. 2020-03-06 House

    H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0005

  4. 2020-03-05 Senate

    S President Signed SEA No. 0005

  5. 2020-03-04 LSO

    Assigned Number SEA No. 0005

  6. 2020-03-04 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 59-1-0-0-0

  7. 2020-03-03 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  8. 2020-03-02 House

    H COW:Passed

  9. 2020-02-28 House

    H Placed on General File

  10. 2020-02-28 House

    H01 - Judiciary:Recommend Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0

  11. 2020-02-25 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H01 - Judiciary

  12. 2020-02-25 House

    H Received for Introduction

  13. 2020-02-24 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 30-0-0-0-0

  14. 2020-02-21 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  15. 2020-02-20 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  16. 2020-02-17 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  17. 2020-02-17 Senate

    S01 - Judiciary:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0

  18. 2020-02-11 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S01 - Judiciary 29-0-1-0-0

  19. 2020-02-10 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  20. 2019-12-10 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 20LSO-0052
Bill No.:

SF0008

Effective:

7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM

LSO No.:

20LSO-0052

Enrolled Act No.:

SEA No. 0005

Chapter No.:

19

Prime Sponsor:

Joint Judiciary Interim Committee

Catch Title:

Missing and murdered indigenous persons-agency cooperation.

Subject:

Agency cooperation to recover missing indigenous persons.

Summary/Major Elements:

The act requires state cooperation with federal, tribal, local and other entities to provide alert systems, investigations and the resolution of criminal activity regarding missing and murdered indigenous persons. Specifically:
The act clarifies that the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) must cooperate with tribal law enforcement agencies in investigating crimes and exchanging information;
The act requires the Office of Homeland Security to assist and coordinate to use the integrated public alert and warning system to help safely recover missing and endangered persons and work with the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes if they choose to establish and operate their own alert system.

The act
requires DCI to act as a central repository for information and operate a clearinghouse database on missing persons.

Comments:

Requires annual reports:
DCI shall make a report publicly available on information compiled from the missing person clearinghouse and shall include information submitted by federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies located in Wyoming;
DCI shall make a report publicly available on Wyoming crime statistics and shall include crime statistics submitted by federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies in addition to sexual assault and domestic violence information they are already required to report;
The Highway Patrol shall report to DCI the number of times and dates that the alert system under the integrated public alert and warning system was used, the age, race and gender of the abducted person, whether the abduction was thwarted and whether the alert system assisted in resolving the abduction.
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent. While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
20LSO-0052

ORIGINAL Senate

File No
.
SF0008

ENROLLED ACT NO. 5,

SENATE

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

AN ACT relating to administration of the government; specifying duties for the division of criminal investigation, Wyoming office of homeland security, division of victim services, highway patrol and others in the reporting, investigation, emergency alert and recovery of missing persons and other offenses; requiring state cooperation with federal, tribal and local law enforcement for alert systems and investigation and resolution of criminal activity; requiring reports; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 9
‑
1
‑
616(a), 9
‑
1
‑
624(a) by creating new paragraphs (v) and (vi) and (b), 9
‑
1
‑
627(a)(iii), 9
‑
1
‑
638(a) by creating a new paragraph (viii), 19
‑
13
‑
105(c)(v), (vi) and by creating a new paragraph (vii) and 24
‑
12
‑
102 by creating a new subsection (c) are amended to read:

9
‑
1
‑
616.

Cooperation with other law enforcement agencies; concurrent jurisdiction.

(a)

The division shall cooperate with federal, state
, tribal
and local law enforcement agencies and officers for the efficient investigation of criminal activity and swift apprehension of persons suspected of violating the criminal laws of this state.

9
‑
1
‑
624.

Division of criminal investigation; uniform procedures and forms for collecting and disseminating identification data; missing persons repository; annual crime statistics report; agencies to cooperate.

(a)

The division shall:

(v)

Act as a central repository of information and operate a clearinghouse database on missing persons from Wyoming. As a function of the central repository:

(A)

The division shall prepare and make publicly available an annual report on information compiled from the missing person clearinghouse. The report shall include biographical information collected on missing persons and include information submitted by federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies located in Wyoming;

(B)

The division may make publicly available information about ongoing missing person investigations to aid the efficient investigation and swift recovery of missing persons or when otherwise in the public interest.

(vi)

At least annually, compile a report on Wyoming crime statistics and make the report publicly available. The report shall include crime statistics submitted by federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies in addition to the information received pursuant to W.S. 7
‑
19
‑
407 and 7
‑
20
‑
107.

(b)

All law enforcement agencies within the state shall cooperate with the division in establishing and maintaining an efficient and coordinated system of identification
and in reporting missing persons information to the division
.

9
‑
1
‑
627.

Authority to compile, disseminate and exchange information; immunity; access to information limited; security precautions.

(a)

Any law enforcement officer, the attorney general and his deputies and assistants, and any prosecuting attorney may:

(iii)

Disseminate and exchange criminal identification data and criminal intelligence information among themselves and among law enforcement agencies of other states
, tribes
or of the federal government.

9
‑
1
‑
638.

Division of victim services; duties and responsibilities.

(a)

The division of victim services shall:

(viii)

Review division of criminal investigation reports from the missing person clearinghouse, as provided in W.S. 9
‑
1
‑
624(a)(v), and coordinate with members of the judiciary, prosecutors, defense counsel, law enforcement and others to provide training on crimes related to missing and murdered persons in the state of Wyoming, including Indian missing and murdered persons.

19
‑
13
‑
105.

Homeland security program.

(c)

The director is the administrative head of the Wyoming office of homeland security. In addition to the duties described in W.S. 19
‑
13
‑
104(d) the director:

(v)

Shall have additional authority, duties and responsibilities authorized by this act as may be prescribed by the governor or the director;
and

(vi)

May prescribe reasonable qualifications for officers and employees of local programs and reasonable regulations for the administration of local programs
;
.

and

(vii)

Shall assist and coordinate with local, state, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies to employ
the integrated public alert and warning system or successor system to notify residents of imminent threat by natural disaster or manmade event or to aid in the safe recovery of missing or endangered persons, which adheres to United States department of justice criteria.

24
‑
12
‑
102.

Duties generally; emergencies; coordination.

(c)

The state highway patrol shall coordinate with local, tribal, state and federal law enforcement agencies, the Wyoming office of homeland security and any other appropriate entity to operate an alert system under the integrated public alert and warning system or successor system, adhering to the United States department of justice criteria. The state highway patrol shall report annually to the division of criminal investigation the number of times and dates that the alert system was used, the age, race and gender of the abducted person, whether the abduction was thwarted and whether the alert system assisted in resolving the abduction. In addition:

(i)

If the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes:

(A)

Operate or seek to operate an alert system under the integrated public alert and warning system or successor system on the Wind River Reservation, adhering to the United States department of justice criteria, the Wyoming office of homeland security and state highway patrol shall assist and coordinate with any tribal agency in establishing or operating that system;

(B)

Report missing or endangered persons to the state highway patrol, the state highway patrol shall
employ the alert system under this subsection to aid in the protection of persons and safe recovery of the reported missing or endangered persons.

(ii)

The state highway patrol may also use or manage other alert systems to aid in the safe recovery of missing or endangered persons.

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2020
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

1