Last month, we posted that the House Judiciary Finance & Civil Law Committee sends bill for MMIR office to Public Safety:
. . . The creation of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Task Force by the Minnesota Legislature was a starting place--and the release of its report to the legislature in December 2020 was another step.
Friday morning, Moorhead DFL state representative Heather Keeler's bipartisan bill--HF2124--to establish the first mandate in the report's Call to Action (p. 13)--was heard in the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee. The bill would create an office to coordinate efforts surrounding the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous relatives.
A first term lawmaker, Keeler is a citizen of the Yankton Sioux tribe.
After a short but robust discussion, which centered on data privacy, the bill passed 15-1 on a roll call vote . . .
In a community conservation now available on YouTube, former state representative Brad Tabke hosts Keeler and Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Secretary/Treasurer Rebecca Crooks-Stratton, who served on the MMIW Task Force, discuss the bill:
Worth a watch. We agree with Keeler that it's important to hear native leaders discuss and lead on issues indigenous communities face. Her presense in the Minnesota Legislature in this, her first term, is a welcome one.
Image: Shakopee Live Town Hall promotion.
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