Savanna's Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 227, Savanna's Act, a bill to combat the epidemic of missing and murdered Native women and girls.

In the United States, Native women face tragically high rates of violence, sexual assault, and murder. According to the Department of Justice, 84 percent of Native and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that homicide is the third leading cause of death among Native women. These rates are ten times higher than the national average and reflect centuries of institutional racism and systemic inequalities that Native communities face.

Too often families of missing and murdered Native women are left without answers. We cannot allow the experiences of Native and Indigenous communities continue to slip through bureaucracy. I am a cosponsor of Savanna's Act, which will create and improve procedures, communication, and cooperation among federal, state, Tribal, and local agencies that may share jurisdiction over investigating crimes against Native women.

Our Nation's devastating history of colonization has left missing and murdered Native women invisible to law enforcement for centuries, but today, by passing Savanna's Act we can give a voice to this silent crisis. We must strive to better understand the institutional racism and systemic inequalities that Native communities face. And we must keep fighting for justice for those who are missing or murdered.

I thank Congresswoman Torres for her leadership on this bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to support Savanna's Act.

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