Speaking of Native American women facing appallingly high levels of violence, the Senate is finally holding a hearing today to discuss 2 bills -- Savanna's Act + Not Invisible Act -- relating to missing and murdered indigenous women. #MMIW
Should be starting soon.
Should be starting soon.
It's a largely invisible crisis. 100s of Native American women are simply disappearing or being murdered.
There is next to no data available on what, exactly, is going on, either. huffpost.com/entry/lisa-mur…
There is next to no data available on what, exactly, is going on, either. huffpost.com/entry/lisa-mur…
Savanna's Act boosts coordination & data collection among tribal, local, state + federal law enforcement in cases involving missing & murdered Native women.
Sen. Murkowski told me her bill is a starting pt for addressing this. “We don’t even know what we don’t know with this."
Sen. Murkowski told me her bill is a starting pt for addressing this. “We don’t even know what we don’t know with this."
"Until we know the numbers, we're not able to defend he solution sets," Murkowski just said in a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing happening now, ahead of action on Savanna's Act.
The other bill finally getting attention today in the Senate, Not Invisible Act, would make the federal govt step up its response to the crisis of Native women going missing, being murdered or being forced into sex trafficking. huffpost.com/entry/violence…
Sen. Cortez Masto, the author of this bill and Nevada's former AG, told me Native women and girls are disproportionately likely to become victims of sex trafficking, which is partly why so many are going missing.
“We need to play catch up on this.”
“We need to play catch up on this.”
Savanna's Act is named for Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a Native woman who lived in ND. She was 22 years old and 8 months pregnant. Then she disappeared.
A neighbor later confessed to killing her, cutting the baby out of her womb and dumping her body into a river.
A neighbor later confessed to killing her, cutting the baby out of her womb and dumping her body into a river.
Savanna's Act *should* be one of the easiest bills Congress passes all year. It's badly needed. It's bipartisan. It doesn't cost any additional federal money.
We'll see if lawmakers can manage it.
We'll see if lawmakers can manage it.
Savanna's Act, amended, just cleared the Senate Indian Affairs Committee with zero opposition.
12 ayes, 0 nays, 1 not present.
12 ayes, 0 nays, 1 not present.
Not Invisible Act also just passed the Senate Indian Affairs Committee with zero opposition.
12 ayes, 0 nays, 1 not present.
12 ayes, 0 nays, 1 not present.
