Title: Expressing support for the designation of May 5, 2020, as the "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls".
Policy area: Native Americans

Summary:
This resolution expresses support for the designation of the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 950 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 950

     Expressing support for the designation of May 5, 2020, as the 
 ``National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women 
                              and Girls''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 5, 2020

   Ms. Haaland (for herself, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Mr. Kilmer, Mrs. 
 Napolitano, Mr. Cole, Ms. Kendra S. Horn of Oklahoma, Mr. O'Halleran, 
Mr. Stanton, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Ms. Bass, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, Mr. 
 Kind, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Gallego, Ms. Moore, Mr. Cook, 
 Mr. Hastings, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Torres Small of New Mexico, Mr. Pocan, 
  Ms. DelBene, and Ms. McCollum) submitted the following resolution; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Expressing support for the designation of May 5, 2020, as the 
 ``National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women 
                              and Girls''.

Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives are 2.5 times more likely to 
        experience violent crimes and at least 2 times more likely to experience 
        rape or sexual assault crimes compared to any other group of people in 
        the United States;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined that 
        homicide is the third leading cause of death among American Indian and 
        Alaska Native women between 10 and 24 years of age and the fifth leading 
        cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native women between 25 
        and 34 years of age;
Whereas in some Tribal communities, American Indian women face murder rates that 
        are more than 10 times the national average;
Whereas there is little data that exists on the number of missing and murdered 
        Native women and girls in the United States due to complex 
        jurisdictional issues at the Tribal, State, and Federal levels;
Whereas investigation into cases of missing and murdered Native women and girls 
        is made difficult for Tribal law enforcement agencies due to a lack of 
        resources and the complex jurisdictional scheme that exists in Indian 
        country;
Whereas violence as a lived experience of Native women exists in less pressing 
        times, and it is expected that the COVID-19 pandemic will increase the 
        prevalence of violence that is experienced by Native women by 
        exacerbating already existing issues including: lack of safe housing for 
        victims, lack of space in shelters for victims to maintain safe social 
        distancing, lack of personal protective equipment for staff of Tribal 
        shelters and victim services programs, limited transportation for 
        victims, and lack of access to adequate health care;
Whereas the Administration for Native Americans reports that American Indian, 
        Alaska Native, and Pacific Islander women and girls have a heightened 
        risk for sex trafficking, and Native women continue to go missing and 
        murdered across the country at disproportionate rates, and COVID-19 is 
        likely to exacerbate this national injustice due to the virus' impact on 
        already limited justice, health, and advocacy responses;
Whereas the current funding available in Indian country is inadequate to address 
        the needs of victims, from the provision of basic, emergency services 
        and responses to more comprehensive, long-term services in normal times, 
        and even less so during a pandemic such as COVID-19; and
Whereas without recognition of this crisis and adequate Federal assistance and 
        improved distribution of lifesaving resources for Indian Tribes, 
        Indigenous women will continue to experience disproportionate rates of 
        violence, and go missing and be murdered at the highest rates in the 
        country: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses support for the designation of the ``National 
        Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and 
        Girls''; and
            (2) calls on the people of the United States and interested 
        groups--
                    (A) to commemorate the lives of missing and 
                murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women whose 
                cases are documented and undocumented in public records 
                and the media; and
                    (B) to demonstrate solidarity with the families of 
                victims in light of these tragedies.
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