Savanna’s Act Gains Traction
MMIW Bill Passes House
Savanna’s Act, bipartisan legislation to address the nation’s crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women, unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives Sept. 21. The measure, which Congressman Greg Gianforte introduced with a bipartisan group of lawmakers, will go to President Trump’s desk.
“Montana faces a tragic crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women. They are our daughters and sisters, and they deserve justice,” Gianforte said. “Passage of Savanna’s Act brings us one step closer to ending this epidemic by upgrading critical data and improving communication among law enforcement. I look forward to President Trump signing our bipartisan bill into law.”
The bill is named in honor of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a 22-year-old pregnant member of the Spirit Lake Tribe who was tragically murdered in August 2017.
Native American women face a murder rate 10 times higher than the national average, and 84 percent experience some form of violence in their lifetime. There is no reliable way of knowing how many Native women go missing each year. The databases that hold statistics of these cases are outdated, and there is a lack of coordination among law enforcement agencies.
Savanna’s Act requires federal agencies to update the current federal database and creates standardized protocols to serve as guidelines for law enforcement agencies.
Gianforte introduced the bill in 2019 with 20 Democratic and Republican lawmakers. The measure unanimously passed the U.S. Senate in March 2020.
