Mullin Remains Committed to Addressing Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Press Release

Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) cosponsored a resolution marking today, May 5th the National Awareness Day for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, continuing his commitment to addressing the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women.

"The silent crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women is wreaking havoc on our families and our communities," said Mullin. "Our priority must be to protect native women and children and all parties have to work together to end this epidemic of violence. I will continue to work with my colleagues to raise awareness of this crisis and fight against it."

Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation, has introduced several pieces of legislation to combat the crisis. Last year, he joined the other Native American Members of Congress, Reps. Deb Haaland (Pueblo of Laguna), Tom Cole (Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma) and Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin), to introduce H.R. 2438, the Not Invisible Act. The bipartisan bill would establish an advisory committee on violent crime made up of law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, and survivors to make recommendations to the Department of Interior and Department of Justice and establish best practices for law enforcement on combatting the epidemic of missing persons, murder, and trafficking of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Additionally, this legislation will ensure that the unique challenges faced by tribal communities are considered when combatting crime, violence, and human trafficking. The Not Invisible Act has passed the House Judiciary Committee and currently awaits a vote on the House floor.

Mullin introduced H.R. 4289, the BADGES for Native Communities Act, which addresses barriers that stand in the way of improving the efficiency of law enforcement agency data sharing and officer recruitment and retention, both of which are imperative to address this crisis. It will also ensure tribes can continue important programs that currently work to increase public safety by making them permanent. He also introduced H.R. 2733, Savanna's Act, which requires the Department of Justice to make standardized law enforcement and justice protocols that serve as guidelines for law enforcement agencies with regard to missing and murdered Native Americans, develop protocols to investigate those cases, meet certain consultation requirements, and provide tribes and law enforcement agencies with training and technical assistance to develop and implement the law enforcement and justice protocols.

The Department of Justice has also released a national strategy to fight against the epidemic. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Initiative will establish MMIP coordinators in 11 states including Oklahoma, provide Specialized FBI Rapid Deployment Teams and perform comprehensive data analysis.

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