North Dakota bills address MMIP crisis with interagency task force, new ‘Feather Alert’
Rep. Jayme Davis: ‘We need to have everybody at the table and have the resources’
Contributing Editor
Bills working their way through the North Dakota Legislature would fortify endeavors to end the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. The first committee hearings took place on the MMIP proposals Jan. 23 and 24 at the Bismarck Statehouse.
The public hearings were on HB 1199, which calls for an initial $250,000 to formalize an interagency task force filling the communication gaps between federal, state, tribal and local justice procurement channels.
“I was really thankful for a bill that talks about the communication and building a task force,” Rep. Jayme Davis told Buffalo’s Fire. The bill modifies Statute 15-12 of the North Dakota Century Code, which pertains to the state Attorney General’s responsibilities.
“Feather Alert” system would mirror Amber Alerts
Davis, a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, has also introduced another proposal to create and fund a “Feather Alert” notice system. HB 1535 would be like the federal Amber Alert emergency missing persons broadcast program, but tailored to the needs of North Dakota’s five tribal Nations, she said.
North Dakota University of Mary alum Rep. Dawson Holle, the youngest legislator in state history, introduced the task force bill, which is now before the House Government and Veterans Affairs Committee.
Native lawmakers find bipartisan support
Davis said she is thankful for the initiative coming from Holle, a non-Native legislator. “You know it affects our people, but everybody needs to care,” she said.
She is offering an amendment to HB 1199 to specifically include tribal police on the task force. “We need to have everybody at the table and have the resources,” she said.
My hopes are to get it passed for the families that lost Murdered and Missing Indigenous People. We need some correlation between the law enforcement – federal, state and tribal – to coordinate a task force for these incidents that are happening, not only on the reservation, but off the reservation.”
-Sen. Richard Marcellais
Like Holle, the vast majority of North Dakota lawmakers are Republican. Only four are Native American and all of them serve as Democrats. “We’ve got some good supports across the aisle, and so I’m excited,” Davis said. Most of the HB 1199 co-sponsors are Republicans.
The other two Indigenous House members are Collette Brown, from the Spirit Lake Nation, and Lisa Finley-DeVille of the Mandan, Arikara and Hidatsa Nation. Both are HB 1199 co-sponsors.
“We need action,” Finley-DeVille of District 4 told Buffalo’s Fire. In written testimony, she said: “The task force will identify and address the jurisdictional issues that prevent effective cooperation between federal, state, local, and tribal agencies. This will streamline investigations and improve outcomes for missing persons cases.
“We must also understand why this is such a critical issue in North Dakota’s Native communities. By tracking the number of missing Indigenous people and their recovery, the bill will provide essential data that will guide future policies and resource allocation. This data will help us understand the characteristics of missing Indigenous individuals and the underlying causes, allowing us to target solutions more effectively.”
As of Jan. 23, the Legislature had published 16 testimonials on the bill. All were in favor.
In the Senate, Richard Marcellais, citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, has written a companion task force bill yet to be introduced. He based it on a successful bill in the Montana legislature, he told Buffalo’s Fire.
Marcellais and Davis said this action is a way to achieve Senate agreement with the House bill.
“My hopes are to get it passed for the families that lost Murdered and Missing Indigenous People,” he said. “We need some correlation between the law enforcement – federal, state and tribal – to coordinate a task force for these incidents that are happening, not only on the reservation, but off the reservation.”
AG data shows 20 Indigenous North Dakotans missing
North Dakota’s Attorney General lists 20 Missing Indigenous Persons, mostly teens. Nationally, women living on reservations experience a murder rate 10 times higher than the U.S. average, and murder is the third leading cause of death for Native women. However, data gaps related to crime reporting barriers can result in under-representation of the problem’s magnitude, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In need of help? You may call the StrongHearts Native Helpline at 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483) or use the chat through their website at strongheartshelpline.org/. This is a 24/7, confidential, and anonymous culturally appropriate domestic and sexual violence resource for Native Americans.