Savanna's Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. TORRES of California. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today in honor of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind and the Native American women missing and murdered with no justice in sight.

Savanna was just 22, a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe. She was 8 months pregnant and expecting her baby any day when she was murdered in August of 2017. A neighbor in her apartment building lured her next door and attacked her. When her body was found, the coroner could not determine if the cause of death was the loss of blood from the vicious wounds on her body or strangulation from the rope around her neck.

Instead of getting to hold her brand-new baby in her arms and imagining a bright future for herself and her little one, Savanna's future was cut short.

Savanna's death shines a light on a horrific reality in this country where Native American women face a murder rate 10 times higher than the national average.

The statistics should shock everyone listening to this debate. Eighty-four percent of Native women experience some form of violence in their lifetime--84 percent. Think of your 50 closest friends and family members, and now imagine 42 out of those 50 experiencing some type of violence.

We cannot stand silent. We stand together, heartbroken, disgusting, and horrified, but we cannot stand back and do nothing.

I introduced the House version of Savanna's Act to address the disturbing rates of missing and murdered Native American women, and I was very honored to have the opportunity to work with my good friend, Ms. Haaland, across the aisle with Mr. Newhouse, and with Senator Murkowski and Senator Cortez Masto on the Senate version. We came together as Democrats and Republicans. We met many, many, many times to ensure that this was a bill that all of our colleagues could stand for and support and right a wrong for Native American women.

To date, there is no reliable way of knowing how many Native women go missing each year because the databases that hold statistics of these cases are outdated. A lack of coordination between law enforcement agencies only adds to the confusion, and, as a result, murderers get away with killing Native American women.

This bill will finally ensure the Department of Justice, State and local law enforcement agencies, and our communities can work together to address this violence.

Because of this bill, the Department of Justice will develop regionally appropriate guidelines for response to cases of missing and murdered Native Americans, and the DOJ will provide training and technical assistance to Tribes and law enforcement agencies for implementation of the developed guidelines.

In addition, this bill will authorize grants to ensure that all members of our community are effectively working together to stop the kidnapping and murdering of Native women.

Native women have endured horrific rates of assault, rape, and murder for far too long, and I hope this bill brings some closure to Savanna's family and the countless family members in Native communities who live with the pain of a lost loved one every day.

Let me be clear: It is their unwavering advocacy that made this day a reality, and an untold number of lives will be saved as a result.

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