Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
Floor Speech
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Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following letter regarding the Special Order on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women on October 17, 2019. Nez Perce, Tribal Executive Committee, Lapwai, ID, September 18, 2019. Hon. Jerrold Nadler, Chairman, House Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC. Hon. Raul Grijalva, Chairman, House Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC. Hon. Doug Collins, Ranking Member, House Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC. Hon. Rob Bishop, Ranking Member, House Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairmen Nadler and Grijalva and Ranking Members Collins and Bishop: As Congressman Newhouse stated in his June 6 letter, Native American and Alaska Native women face a murder rate ten times higher than the national average, with 84% experiencing some form of violence in their lifetime. Still, the tools and resources to document and address this issue are severely lacking in Indian Country due to outdated databases and a lack of coordination between law enforcement agencies. In addition to the Violence Against women Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585), legislation such as Savanna's Act (H.R. 2733), the Native Youth and Tribal Officer Protection Act (H.R. 958), and the Bridging Agency Data Gaps and Ensuring Safety for Native Communities Act (H.R. 4289) are each distinctly designed to provide an array of solutions to some of these unique problems.
To fully understand the need for this type of legislation and the federal resources and programs necessary to combat violence against women and the resulting issues, it is important to hear directly from communities to learn how reservations, families, and law enforcement are impacted by this crisis. The Nez Perce Tribe has suffered the loss of a number of our tribal citizens as a result of violence. It is for this reason, and because Washington State encompasses some of the Tribe's treaty-reserved homelands, that the Nez Perce Tribe supports Congressman Newhouse's request that either one or both of your committees host field hearings in the state of Washington to examine issues relating to missing and murdered Indian women.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. Sincerely, Shannon F. Wheeler, Chairman.
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