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                            Strengthening Indian Country
                            Not Invisible Act Commission


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  Not Invisible Act Commission

“*A lack of urgency, transparency, and coordination has hampered our country’s efforts to combat violence against American Indian and Alaska Native people. In partnership with the Justice Department and with extensive engagement with Tribes and other stakeholders, the Interior Department is marshalling our resources to finally address the crisis of violence against Indigenous peoples*.” 
—**Secretary Deb Haaland**
At the Department of the Interior, we believe that everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities, but American Indian and Alaska Native people are at a disproportionate risk of experiencing violence, murder, or going missing. For too long, the national crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples has been overlooked and underfunded.
On Oct. 10, 2020, the *Not Invisible Act of 2019*was signed into law as the first bill in history to be introduced and passed by four U.S. congressional members enrolled in their respective federally recognized Tribes, led by Secretary Deb Haaland during her time in Congress.
Secretary Haaland, in coordination with Attorney General Merrick Garland, is now working to implement the *Not Invisible Act*. They established the Not Invisible Act Commission, a cross jurisdictional advisory committee composed of law enforcement, Tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and most importantly — survivors.
The Commission’s purpose is to develop recommendations through the work of six subcommittees focused on improving intergovernmental coordination and establishing best practices for state, Tribal and federal law enforcement to bolster resources for survivors and victim’s families, and combatting the epidemic of missing persons, murder and trafficking of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples, as specified under the law.
Among its mission, the Commission will:
Identify, report and respond to instances of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) cases and human trafficking,
Develop legislative and administrative changes necessary to use federal programs, properties, and resources to combat the crisis,
Track and report data on MMIP and human trafficking cases,
Consider issues related to the hiring and retention of law enforcement offices,
Coordinate Tribal-state-federal resources to combat MMIP and human trafficking offices on Indian lands, and
Increase information sharing with Tribal governments on violent crimes investigations and other prosecutions on Indian lands.As part of the Commission’s final report to Secretary Haaland, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Congress, the subcommittees is holding public hearings in 2023 to hear directly from the public.
Members of the Commission:
Natasha Anderson, Chief Judge, Nez Perce Tribe
Deidra Williams Angulo, Sonder Mind Mental Health Services
Bazil-Lu Windy Boy, Officer, Yakama Nation Police Department
Eric Broderick, retired mental health professional
Ruth Ann Buffalo, former Legislator, 27th House District of North Dakota
Grace Bulltail, survivor or family member of missing or murdered person
Francisco Burrola, Special Agent in Charge for Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Kerri Colfer, National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
Christine Crossland, Senior Social Science Analyst, National Institute of Justice — U.S. Department of Justice
Amber Kanazbah Crotty, Council Delegate, The Navajo Nation Council
Janet Davis, former Tribal Leader, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe
Jordan Dresser, former Chairman, Northern Arapaho Tribal Business Council
Michelle Demmert, former Tribal Judge, Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska
Paul Etnire, Captain, Arizona Department of Public Safety
Dale Fine, Jr. Special Agent, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
Leanne Guy, survivor or family member of missing or murdered person
Jolene Hardesty, Michigan State Police, Missing Children’s Clearing House Analyst
Carmen Harvie, survivor or family member of missing or murdered person
Karen 'Kari' Hearod, Director, Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy; Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Admin—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Don Hedrick, Chief of Police, Rapid City Police Department
Tamra Truett Jerue, Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center
Vivian Korthuis, CEO of the Association of Village Council Presidents, Native Village of Emmonak
Hope MacDonald LoneTree, Deputy Commissioner, Administration for Native Americans—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Juana Majel-Dixon, Madam Secretary, National Congress of American Indians
Annita Lucchesi, survivor or family member of missing or murdered person
Gregg Peterman, First Assistant United States Attorney for District of South Dakota; US Attorney's Office—U.S. Department of Justice
Kimberly Poyer, Section Chief, Victim Services Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation — U.S. Department of Justice
Allison Randall, Acting Director, Office on Violence Against Women—U.S. Department of Justice
Shawnna Roach, Investigator, Cherokee Nation Marshal Service
Katherine Darke Schmitt, Deputy Director, Office on Victims of Crime—U.S. Department of Justice
Karen Stauss, Senior Policy Counsel, Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice
Sonya Tetnowski, National Council of Urban Indian Health
Karonienhawi Thomas, Detective Sergeant, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department
Kristin Welch, Waking Women Healing Institute
Patricia Whitefoot, survivor or family member of missing or murdered person
Cord Wood, Captain, Oregon State PoliceUpcoming Hearings:
Tribal Leader Invitation (ESB46-011929) NIAC Virtual Hearing (2023-06-30) Signed [pdf]Resources:
RELEASE: Secretary Haaland Continues Pursuit of Justice in Indian Country, Begins Implementation of ‘Not Invisible Act’
Department of Justice Murdered or Missing Indigenous Persons Webpage
Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Priority Page
BIA OJS Missing & Murdered Unit website
BIA OJS Victim Assistance Program website
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