{"id":11084,"date":"2020-10-01T16:48:55","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T21:48:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/celebrating-savannas-act-passage\/"},"modified":"2020-10-01T16:48:57","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T21:48:57","slug":"celebrating-savannas-act-passage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/celebrating-savannas-act-passage\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Savanna\u2019s Act passage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Western Native Voice Executive Director Marci McLean: \u201cIt will open up the conversation on a national level to address root causes of the widespread violence and injustice towards Indigenous women and all women of color. COURTESY \/ Northern Plains Resource Council<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Countless hours of tribal official and grassroots advocacy for missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) and their families paid off Sept. 21, when lawmakers here in the nation\u2019s capital sent Savanna\u2019s Act and the Not Invisible\u00a0Act\u00a0<\/em>of 2019 to the President for his signature.<\/p>\n

Savanna\u2019s Act, introduced in the Senate in 2017, spent years coming to the vote. It aims to makes law enforcement accountable for responding to MMIW cases, improving communication between federal, state, and tribal officials.<\/p>\n

It also increases data collection related to these cases by requiring the Department of Justice to maintain a nationwide database for MMIW.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is very personal to every Indigenous woman. Most Indigenous women have a story of a friend or relative who has gone missing or has been murdered,\u201d Marci McLean, executive director of Western Native Voice, responded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the passage of Savanna\u2019s Act, they are going to be seen and heard, and their stories will be told,\u201d she said in a written statement. \u201cThere is still so much work that needs to be done and when the bill is signed, it will open up the conversation on a national level to address root causes of the widespread violence and injustice towards Indigenous women and all women of color,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cA proactive and preventative approach for our communities is vital towards building a safer future with unity and human dignity upheld by all agencies involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joining her in the statement was Lisa Casarez, a member of North Dakota Native Vote\u2019s Board of Directors and the Mandan Hidatsa & Arikara Three Affiliated Tribes of the Ft. Berthold Indian Reservation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe passing of this bill would mean a lot to Indian country, and although it won\u2019t bring Savanna back, it can provide Savanna and her family some semblance of justice,\u201d Casarez said. \u201cThis can be one good thing that comes from a horrible murder that has happened right here in our own state and has affected Native communities across North Dakota and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

The act is named after Savanna Greywind, a pregnant 22-year-old North Dakota woman and member of the Spirit Lake Tribe who was brutally murdered in 2017<\/a>. Indigenous women face more violence than any other group.<\/p>\n

Savanna\u2019s Act is supported by the National Congress of American Indians, National Indigenous Women\u2019s Resource Center, Seattle Indian Health Board, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Washington, Alaska Native Women\u2019s Resource Center, Western Native Voice, Friends Committee on National Legislation, All Pueblo Council of Governors (representing 20 pueblos), Intertribal Association of Arizona (representing 21 tribal nations), United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund (representing 27 tribal nations), Muckleshoot Tribe of Washington, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and Navajo Nation.<\/p>\n

The Not Invisible\u00a0Act\u00a0<\/em>of 2019 also increases the coordination of efforts to reduce violent crime within Indian lands and against\u00a0Indians.<\/p>\n

Specifically, it mandates the designation by the Interior Department of an official within the Bureau of Indian Affairs to coordinate prevention efforts, grants, and programs related to missing Indians and the murder and human trafficking of Indians.<\/p>\n

In addition, Interior and the Department of Justice (DOJ) must establish a joint commission on violent crime within Indian lands and against Indian and submit a written response to the recommendations developed by the joint commission.<\/p>\n

The joint commission must make publicly available recommendations to Interior and DOJ on actions to combat violent crime against Indians and within Indian lands, including recommendations for identifying, reporting, and responding to instances of missing persons, murder, and human trafficking.<\/p>\n

The Senate unanimously approved both bills on March 11, and members of the House of Representatives unanimously followed suit in the Sept. 21 vote, celebrating the progress of the bi-partisan initiatives, which were part of a raft of five laws approved for Indian country that day.<\/p>\n

Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-CA), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) championed the passage announcement with statements of their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cNative women have endured horrific rates of assault, rape and murder for far too long, and innocent people like\u00a0Savanna\u00a0have been lost with too little effort spent on ending this scourge,\u201d Torres said.\u00a0\u201cThat shameful reality stops today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am incredibly grateful to the bipartisan group of lawmakers who joined forces with me to champion\u00a0Savanna\u2019s\u00a0Act\u00a0throughout the legislative process and usher it to a successful vote today.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we celebrate this victory, every one of us knows it\u2019s bittersweet. I hope this vote brings some closure to the countless family members in Native communities who live with the pain of a lost loved one every day. Their unwavering advocacy made this day a reality, and an untold number of lives will be saved as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. Murkowski recognized, \u201cThe issue of missing or murdered Indigenous women has been a crisis for such a painfully long time. Many tribal advocates and family members of those affected worked so tirelessly on this issue, and I am proud to have worked alongside them to elevate this crisis at the local, state, and national level.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bipartisan action we have seen, from tribal communities to the administration, has been significant. With the Senate\u2019s passage of\u00a0Savanna\u2019s\u00a0Act\u00a0now in both Congressional chambers, we are not just making headway, we are taking the necessary steps to make real, lasting change.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is a big victory in our fight to provide justice for victims, healing for their families, and protection for women and children across the nation,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Cortez Masto pointed out that earlier this year, the Senate took an important step forward in addressing the epidemic of missing and murdered Native women and girls.\u00a0\u201cI am proud to see the House following suit today by passing\u00a0Savanna\u2019s\u00a0Act\u00a0to give local and tribal law enforcement the federal resources they need to address this crisis,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s vote brings us one step closer to finally acting to protect our Native sisters, mothers and daughters\u2014and to honoring the memory of those taken.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haaland, who is a co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus, called Greywind\u2019s story \u201cheartbreaking,\u201d adding, \u201cThe fact that there are an unknown number of stories like hers is terrifying.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone deserves to feel safe in their communities, but Native American and Alaskan Native women continue to face murder and violence at rates that should make our country ashamed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis long-standing epidemic will take time, resources, and dedication to resolve it\u2014and today we\u2019re taking a major step by passing\u00a0Savanna\u2019s\u00a0Act\u00a0to improve data collection of missing and murdered indigenous women which is critical to solving this problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newhouse considered the legislation \u201clong overdue.\u201d\u00a0He said,\u00a0\u201cThroughout Central Washington and across the country, the families and loved ones of thousands of missing or murdered indigenous women are awaiting justice. This crisis has been going on for decades, and our Native communities have had enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is because of their voices and their strong advocacy that we are able to pass this legislation,\u201d he agreed.<\/p>\n

Savanna\u2019s Act was previously introduced in the 115th Congress by Torres and former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND). The Senate passed the bill, but it did not receive consideration in the House. In January 2019, Murkowski and Cortez Masto reintroduced the bill in the Senate, and in May 2019, Torres, Haaland and Newhouse reintroduced it in the House. It finally passed by unanimous vote in both chambers.<\/p>\n

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Chair John Hoeven (R-ND) issued a statement saying \u201cSavanna\u2019s Act addresses a tragic issue in Indian country and helps establish better law enforcement practices to track, solve and prevent these crimes against Native Americans.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appreciate our House colleagues for passing the bill today and sending it on to the president to become law. At the same time, we continue working to advance more legislation like this to strengthen public safety in tribal communities and ensure victims of crime receive support and justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to Hoeven, Murkowski and Cortez-Masto, Savanna\u2019s\u00a0Act\u00a0was introduced by Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tom Udall (D-NM), Jon Tester (D-MT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). Eighteen more senators were added as co-sponsors since introduction.<\/p>\n

South Dakota Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson, a co-sponsor of the bill, remarked that being a \u201crepresentative for a state with a large tribal population, I was proud to see legislation to combat the startling number of missing and murdered indigenous women pass unanimously.<\/p>\n

(Contact Talli Nauman at talli.nauman@gmail.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The post Celebrating Savanna\u2019s Act passage<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Western Native Voice Executive Director Marci McLean: \u201cIt will open up the conversation on a national level to address root causes of the widespread violence and injustice towards Indigenous women and all women of color. COURTESY \/ Northern Plains Resource Council \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Countless hours of <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a>
Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> October 1, 2020<\/p>\n

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