Senate Resolution would designate a 2018 National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women

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On July 5, 2013, Hanna Harris, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, was reported missing by her family in Lame Deer, Montana.  When her body was found five days later, she had been raped and murdered. “Too often in Indian country and Alaska Native villages indigenous women are disappearing and nothing is done,” says Jana Walker, director of the Indian Law Resource Center’s Safe Women, Strong Nations project.  “These disapperances arent being responded to in a serious, timely way and there’s a lack of data about the numbers of indigenous women that are going missing.”

In February, Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced resolution to designate May 5, 2018 as the “National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.” The resolution, cosponsored by Senators Tester (D-MT), Udall (D-NM), Gardner (R-CO), Heitkamp (D-ND), Crapo (R-ID), and Rounds (R-SD), seeks to honor the memory of Hanna Harris, and seeks to commemorate other missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women in the United States. The Senate unanimously passed a similar resolution last year.

This year’s Senate Resolution 401, explicitly acknowledges a Department of Justice-commissioned study which found that in some tribal communities, American Indian women face murder rates more than 10 times the national average murder rate.  Further, the resolution also points to 2015 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finding that year homicide “ranged from the second to seventh leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native females between 1 and 39 years of age” and “remained a leading cause of death for most American Indian and Alaska Native women.

Senate Resolution 401 has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.  “If agreed to by the Senate, it will continue to build national awareness of these horrific crimes and support for criminal justice reforms to protect Native women,” Walker adds.

Click here to read the full text of the resolution.

 …http://indianlaw.org/story/senate-resolution-would-designate-2018-national-day-awareness-missing-and-murdered-native
S.Res.401 – A resolution designating May 5, 2018 as the “National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls”.
115th Congress (2017-2018) | Get alerts
RESOLUTIONHide Overview 
Sponsor:    Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (Introduced 02/12/2018)
Committees:    Senate – Judiciary
Latest Action:    Senate – 02/12/2018 Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.  (All Actions)
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IntroducedAgreed to in Senate
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Subject — Policy Area:
Crime and Law Enforcement
On July 5, 2013, Hanna Harris, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, was reported missing by her family in Lame Deer, Montana.  When her body was found five days later, she had been raped and murdered. “Too often in Indian country and Alaska Native villages indigenous women are disappearing and nothing is done,” says Jana Walker, director of the Indian Law Resource Center’s Safe Women, Strong Nations project.  “These disapperances arent being responded to in a serious, timely way and there’s a lack of data about the numbers of indigenous women that are going missing.”

In February, Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced resolution to designate May 5, 2018 as the “National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.” The resolution, cosponsored by Senators Tester (D-MT), Udall (D-NM), Gardner (R-CO), Heitkamp (D-ND), Crapo (R-ID), and Rounds (R-SD), seeks to honor the memory of Hanna Harris, and seeks to commemorate other missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women in the United States. The Senate unanimously passed a similar resolution last year.

This year’s Senate Resolution 401, explicitly acknowledges a Department of Justice-commissioned study which found that in some tribal communities, American Indian women face murder rates more than 10 times the national average murder rate.  Further, the resolution also points to 2015 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finding that year homicide “ranged from the second to seventh leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native females between 1 and 39 years of age” and “remained a leading cause of death for most American Indian and Alaska Native women.

Senate Resolution 401 has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.  “If agreed to by the Senate, it will continue to build national awareness of these horrific crimes and support for criminal justice reforms to protect Native women,” Walker adds.
Shown Here:
Introduced in Senate (02/12/2018)

115th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 401

Designating May 5, 2018 as the “National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls”.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 12, 2018
Mr. Daines (for himself, Mr. Tester, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Udall, Mr. Gardner, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. Crapo, and Mr. Rounds) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

RESOLUTION
Designating May 5, 2018 as the “National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls”.

Whereas, according to a study commissioned by the Department of Justice, in some tribal communities, American Indian women face murder rates that are more than 10 times the national average murder rate;

Whereas, according to the most recently available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2015, homicide—

(1) ranged from the second to seventh leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native females between 1 and 39 years of age; and

(2) remained a leading cause of death for most American Indian and Alaska Native females between 40 and 64 years of age;

Whereas little data exist on the number of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls in the United States;

Whereas, on July 5, 2013, Hanna Harris, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, was reported missing by her family in Lame Deer, Montana;

Whereas the body of Hanna Harris was found 5 days after she went missing;

Whereas Hanna Harris was determined to have been raped and murdered, and the individuals accused of committing those crimes were convicted;

Whereas the case of Hanna Harris is an example of many similar cases; and

Whereas Hanna Harris was born on May 5, 1992: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate—

(1) designates May 5, 2018, as 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 and girls whose cases are documented and undocumented in public records and the media; and

(B) to demonstrate solidarity with the families of the victims in light of those tragedies.