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Two Federal Bills Addressing Missing And Murdered Indigenous People Become Law

Flickr / Howl Arts Collective
Protestors march in support of justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women in Montreal, Canada in 2014.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump signed two bills into law to combat the problem of missing and murdered Indigenous people.

Savanna's Act and the Not Invisible Act were both were passed by Congress in September.

Savanna's Act was first introduced in 2017 by North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp and was named after Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a citizen of the Spirit Lake Tribe who was found murdered that year.

Savanna's Act will require the U.S. Department of Justice to create a task force and provide training to law enforcement, the FBI and tribal police. It will also ensure better data collection when it comes to finding missing and murdered Native Americans.

The Not Invisible Act creates an advisory committee on violent crime that will include survivors, tribal leaders and law enforcement.

Murder is the third-leading cause of death for Indigenous women and 84 percent of Indigenous women will experience some form of violence in their lifetime.

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Allison Herrera covered Indigenous Affairs for KOSU from April 2020 to November 2023.
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