The Judiciary Committee heard testimony Jan. 24 on a bill that seeks to increase investigative resources dedicated to the state\u2019s Native American community.<\/p>\n
Native American women go missing at a higher rate nationally than any other demographic, according to Gordon Sen. Tom Brewer, who sponsored LB154. As introduced, the bill would direct the Nebraska State Patrol to conduct a study focusing on the scope of the problem, identifying barriers and creating partnerships to increase the reporting and investigation of missing Native American women.<\/p>\n
Brewer said Native American women are in a unique position because often there is little to no coordination between tribal, county and state law enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis failure to communicate between these agencies has left a \u2018no man\u2019s land\u2019 where people fall through the cracks and there\u2019s no ability to track the numbers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
An amendment to the bill proposed by Brewer would expand the study to include missing Native American children.<\/p>\n
The study would be conducted in conjunction with the state Commission on Indian Affairs, tribal and local law enforcement, federally-recognized tribes and urban Indian organizations. The Nebraska State Patrol would be required to submit a final report of its findings to the Executive Board of the Legislature by June 1, 2020.<\/p>\n
April Satchell of Lincoln spoke in support of the bill. She said the 2013 Violence Against Women Act gave tribal police criminal jurisdiction over non-indigenous people for crimes committed on tribal land. However, she said, this provision only applies if that perpetrator remains on tribal land, which rarely happens.<\/p>\n
\u201cA non-Native man can rape us, murder us, and as long as we don\u2019t know who that person is, the law right now does not protect us,\u201d Satchell said. \u201cWhy aren\u2019t we given the same rights? Why am I standing before this committee and asking for this protection when I\u2019m an American?\u201d<\/p>\n
Also speaking in support of the bill was Renee Sans Souci, a member of the Omaha tribe of Nebraska. She said there is an urgent need to gather data and develop a system that is coordinated between federal, state, tribal and urban organizations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI maintain a hypervigilance over my children and teach them how to protect themselves in any situation,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m sure I\u2019m not the only native mother who does this. It is exhausting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Representing the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, Scott Shafer said the state is in nothing short of a \u201cdata crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe issue of missing Native American women and children has long been perceived as a serious problem, but in far too many instances the information has been anecdotal,\u201d he said. \u201cIn short, it\u2019s hard to fix a problem if you don\u2019t have an adequate understanding of the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one testified in opposition to the bill and the committee took no immediate action on it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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