[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 104 (Thursday, June 20, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H4921-H4922]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Newhouse) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NEWHOUSE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on a crisis that 
affects communities across our Nation. That crisis is that of missing 
and murdered indigenous women.
  Native American and Alaska Native women throughout the country face a 
murder rate 10 times that of the national average, with 84 percent 
experiencing some kind of violence in their lifetime.
  In my home State of Washington, Native Americans make up about 2 
percent of the population, but a recent report by the Washington State 
Patrol shows that indigenous women account for 7 percent of the State's 
reported missing women.
  My congressional district in Central Washington sits at the epicenter 
of this crisis. In the past 5 years alone, seven women have been 
murdered or have gone missing on or near the Yakama Nation reservation.
  These women are not just statistics in a database. They are mothers, 
daughters, sisters, neighbors, and friends. There are those who are 
missing, like 25-year-old Alillia Minthorn, or Lala as her friends 
called her, who was last seen in Toppenish and has been missing since 
May 5; 31-year-old Rosenda Strong, who was last seen in Wapato on 
October 2 of last year; 
34-year-old Freda Gun, who went missing in Kennewick in 2016; and 18-
year-old Rosalita Longee, who was last seen in Wapato in 2015.
  Then there are the unsolved murders, including 23-year-old Linda 
Dave, whose remains were found in Toppenish in February of 2017; 31-
year-old Minnie Andy, who was assaulted by an unknown assailant in 
Wapato, and later died of her injuries in July of 2017; and 23-year-old 
Destiny Lloyd, who was reported missing on Christmas Day 2017, only to 
be found days later, murdered, on the side of the road.
  To reiterate, Madam Speaker, these are just seven cases from the last 
5 years. There are currently 71 open cases like this in Washington 
State; 31 of them occurring on or near the Yakama Nation reservation.
  The local community has been working to tackle this crisis. Tribal 
and community leaders have held multiple rallies and community forums 
to raise awareness and demand action.
  The diligent reporting of the Yakima Herald-Republic has highlighted 
the community response and activism on the ground, creating an online 
hub to list open cases involving missing and murdered Yakama Nation 
women and providing resources for the community to report 
disappearances.
  Recently passed State laws, spearheaded by State Representative Gina 
Mosbrucker in Olympia, have enhanced data collection and improved 
communication between Tribal leaders and various State agencies.
  I absolutely applaud these efforts, and I am inspired by the progress 
being made at the local and State level; however, this is a national 
problem that requires a national response. That is why I, along with my 
colleagues, Representatives Torres and Haaland, introduced Savanna's 
Act.
  Our legislation aims to address and bring awareness to the crisis of 
missing and murdered indigenous women at the Federal level by improving 
coordination between Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement 
agencies. The bill would develop guidelines and best practices for 
Tribes and law enforcement agencies across the country to enhance the 
reporting and recordkeeping of crimes against indigenous women and 
improve communication between law enforcement and families of victims.
  Now, this bill may sound familiar. Last Congress, the Senate 
unanimously passed a version of Savanna's Act that stalled in the 
House. Representatives Torres, Haaland, and I worked with Tribes, 
advocacy groups, law enforcement, and Senators Murkowski and Cortez 
Masto to improve the legislation and introduce a bill that can--and 
should--be signed into law.
  The bill is named in honor of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a 22-year-
old member of the Spirit Lake Tribe, pregnant with her first child, who 
was murdered in August of 2017. Her murder

[[Page H4922]]

brought long-overdue national attention to missing and murdered 
indigenous women.
  After meeting with local families of victims, State and local law 
enforcement, and regional Tribes, it has become clear to me that 
central Washington has a unique perspective on this crisis.
  The stories about these women are heartbreaking. It is with these 
stories and mine that I have urged both House Judiciary and Natural 
Resources Committees to hold a field hearing on the Yakama Nation 
reservation to learn firsthand how this crisis is plaguing our 
communities.
  I am pleased to have gained the support of local Tribes and the YWCA 
in Yakima in calling for a field hearing, and I am eager to have 
committee members hear their stories as well.
  Thankfully, justice was served upon Savanna's murderers. We owe the 
same justice for the many murdered, missing, indigenous women.

                          ____________________