[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 163 (Monday, September 21, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H4573-H4576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SAVANNA'S ACT
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (S. 227) to direct the Attorney General to review, revise, and
develop law enforcement and justice protocols appropriate to address
missing and murdered Indians, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 227
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as ``Savanna's Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to clarify the responsibilities of Federal, State,
Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies with respect to
responding to cases of missing or murdered Indians;
(2) to increase coordination and communication among
Federal, State, Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies,
including medical examiner and coroner offices;
(3) to empower Tribal governments with the resources and
information necessary to effectively respond to cases of
missing or murdered Indians; and
(4) to increase the collection of data related to missing
or murdered Indian men, women, and children, regardless of
where they reside, and the sharing of information among
Federal, State, and Tribal officials responsible for
responding to and investigating cases of missing or murdered
Indians.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Confer.--The term ``confer'' has the meaning given the
term in section 514 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act
(25 U.S.C. 1660d).
(2) Databases.--The term ``databases'' means--
(A) the National Crime Information Center database;
(B) the Combined DNA Index System;
(C) the Next Generation Identification System; and
(D) any other database relevant to responding to cases of
missing or murdered Indians, including that under the Violent
Criminal Apprehension Program and the National Missing and
Unidentified Persons System.
(3) Indian.--The term ``Indian'' means a member of an
Indian Tribe.
(4) Indian country.--The term ``Indian country'' has the
meaning given the term in section 1151 of title 18, United
States Code.
(5) Indian land.--The term ``Indian land'' means Indian
lands, as defined in section 3 of the Native American
Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act of
2000 (25 U.S.C. 4302).
(6) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the
meaning given the term ``Indian tribe'' in section 4 of the
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25
U.S.C. 5304).
(7) Law enforcement agency.--The term ``law enforcement
agency'' means a Tribal, Federal, State, or local law
enforcement agency.
SEC. 4. IMPROVING TRIBAL ACCESS TO DATABASES.
(a) Tribal Enrollment Information.--The Attorney General
shall provide training to law enforcement agencies regarding
how to record the Tribal enrollment information or
affiliation, as appropriate, of a victim in Federal
databases.
(b) Consultation.--
(1) Consultation.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in
cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior, shall
complete a formal consultation with Indian Tribes on how to
further improve Tribal data relevance and access to
databases.
(2) Initial confer.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in
coordination with the Secretary of the Interior, shall confer
with Tribal organizations and urban Indian organizations on
how to further improve American Indian and Alaska Native data
relevance and access to databases.
(3) Annual consultation.--Section 903(b) of the Violence
Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act
of 2005 (34 U.S.C. 20126) is amended--
(A) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
``(2) enhancing the safety of Indian women from domestic
violence, dating violence, sexual assault, homicide,
stalking, and sex trafficking;'';
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) improving access to local, regional, State, and
Federal crime information databases and criminal justice
information systems.''.
(c) Notification.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall--
(1) develop and implement a dissemination strategy to
educate the public of the National Missing and Unidentified
Persons System; and
(2) conduct specific outreach to Indian Tribes, Tribal
organizations, and urban Indian organizations regarding the
ability to publicly enter information, through the National
Missing and Unidentified Persons System or other non-law
enforcement sensitive portal, regarding missing persons,
which may include family members and other known
acquaintances.
[[Page H4574]]
SEC. 5. GUIDELINES FOR RESPONDING TO CASES OF MISSING OR
MURDERED INDIANS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date on
which the consultation described in section 4(b)(1) is
completed, the Attorney General shall direct United States
attorneys to develop regionally appropriate guidelines to
respond to cases of missing or murdered Indians that shall
include--
(1) guidelines on inter-jurisdictional cooperation among
law enforcement agencies at the Tribal, Federal, State, and
local levels, including inter-jurisdictional enforcement of
protection orders and detailing specific responsibilities of
each law enforcement agency;
(2) best practices in conducting searches for missing
persons on and off Indian land;
(3) standards on the collection, reporting, and analysis of
data and information on missing persons and unidentified
human remains, and information on culturally appropriate
identification and handling of human remains identified as
Indian, including guidance stating that all appropriate
information related to missing or murdered Indians be entered
in a timely manner into applicable databases;
(4) guidance on which law enforcement agency is responsible
for inputting information into appropriate databases under
paragraph (3) if the Tribal law enforcement agency does not
have access to those appropriate databases;
(5) guidelines on improving law enforcement agency response
rates and follow-up responses to cases of missing or murdered
Indians; and
(6) guidelines on ensuring access to culturally appropriate
victim services for victims and their families.
(b) Consultation.--United States attorneys shall develop
the guidelines required under subsection (a) in consultation
with Indian Tribes and other relevant partners, including--
(1) the Department of Justice;
(2) the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
(3) the Department of the Interior;
(4) the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
(5) Tribal, State, and local law enforcement agencies;
(6) medical examiners;
(7) coroners;
(8) Tribal, State, and local organizations that provide
victim services; and
(9) national, regional, or urban Indian organizations with
relevant expertise.
(c) Compliance.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the United States attorneys shall
implement, by incorporating into office policies and
procedures, the guidelines developed under subsection (a).
(2) Modification.--Each Federal law enforcement agency
shall modify the guidelines, policies, and protocols of the
agency to incorporate the guidelines developed under
subsection (a).
(3) Determination.--Not later than the end of each fiscal
year beginning after the date the guidelines are established
under this section and incorporated under this subsection,
upon the request of a Tribal, State, or local law enforcement
agency, the Attorney General shall determine whether the
Tribal, State, or local law enforcement agency seeking
recognition of compliance has incorporated guidelines into
their respective guidelines, policies, and protocols.
(d) Accountability.--Not later than 30 days after
compliance determinations are made each fiscal year in
accordance with subsection (c)(3), the Attorney General
shall--
(1) disclose and publish, including on the website of the
Department of Justice, the name of each Tribal, State, or
local law enforcement agency that the Attorney General has
determined has incorporated guidelines in accordance with
subsection (c)(3);
(2) disclose and publish, including on the website of the
Department of Justice, the name of each Tribal, State, or
local law enforcement agency that has requested a
determination in accordance with subsection (c)(3) that is
pending;
(3) collect the guidelines into a resource of examples and
best practices that can be used by other law enforcement
agencies seeking to create and implement such guidelines.
(e) Training and Technical Assistance.--The Attorney
General shall use the National Indian Country Training
Initiative to provide training and technical assistance to
Indian Tribes and law enforcement agencies on--
(1) implementing the guidelines developed under subsection
(a) or developing and implementing locally specific
guidelines or protocols for responding to cases of missing or
murdered Indians; and
(2) using the National Missing and Unidentified Persons
System and accessing program services that will assist Indian
Tribes with responding to cases of missing or murdered
Indians.
(f) Guidelines From Indian Tribes.--
(1) In general.--Indian Tribes may submit their own
guidelines to respond to cases of missing or murdered Indians
to the Attorney General.
(2) Publication.--Upon receipt of any guidelines from an
Indian Tribe, the Attorney General shall publish the
guidelines on the website of the Department of Justice in 1
centralized location to make the guidelines available as a
resource to any Federal agency, State, or Tribal government.
SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Annual Reporting.--Beginning in the first fiscal year
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General
shall include in its annual Indian Country Investigations and
Prosecutions report to Congress information that--
(1) includes known statistics on missing Indians in the
United States, available to the Department of Justice,
including--
(A) age;
(B) gender;
(C) Tribal enrollment information or affiliation, if
available;
(D) the current number of open cases per State;
(E) the total number of closed cases per State each
calendar year, from the most recent 10 calendar years; and
(F) other relevant information the Attorney General
determines is appropriate;
(2) includes known statistics on murdered Indians in the
United States, available to the Department of Justice,
including--
(A) age;
(B) gender;
(C) Tribal enrollment information or affiliation, if
available;
(D) the current number of open cases per State;
(E) the total number of closed cases per State each
calendar year, from the most recent 10 calendar years; and
(F) other relevant information the Attorney General
determines is appropriate;
(3) maintains victim privacy to the greatest extent
possible by excluding information that can be used on its own
or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a
single person, or to identify an individual in context; and
(4) includes--
(A) an explanation of why the statistics described in
paragraph (1) may not be comprehensive; and
(B) recommendations on how data collection on missing or
murdered Indians may be improved.
(b) Compliance.--
(1) In general.--Beginning in the first fiscal year after
the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter,
for the purpose of compiling accurate data for the annual
report required under subsection (a), the Attorney General
shall request all Tribal, State, and local law enforcement
agencies to submit to the Department of Justice, to the
fullest extent possible, all relevant information pertaining
to missing or murdered Indians collected by the Tribal,
State, and local law enforcement agency, and in a format
provided by the Department of Justice that ensures the
streamlining of data reporting.
(2) Disclosure.--The Attorney General shall disclose and
publish annually, including on the website of the Department
of Justice, the name of each Tribal, State, or local law
enforcement agency that the Attorney General has determined
has submitted the information requested under paragraph (1)
for the fiscal year in which the report was published.
(c) Inclusion of Gender in Missing and Unidentified Persons
Statistics.--Beginning in the first calendar year after the
date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Federal Bureau of Investigation shall include gender in its
annual statistics on missing and unidentified persons
published on its public website.
SEC. 7. IMPLEMENTATION AND INCENTIVE.
(a) Grant Authority.--Section 2101(b) of the Omnibus Crime
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10461(b)) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(23) To develop, strengthen, and implement policies,
protocols, and training for law enforcement regarding cases
of missing or murdered Indians, as described in section 5 of
Savanna's Act.
``(24) To compile and annually report data to the Attorney
General related to missing or murdered Indians, as described
in section 6 of Savanna's Act.''.
(b) Grants to Indian Tribal Governments.--Section 2015 of
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34
U.S.C. 10452(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (9), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (10), by striking the period at the end
and inserting a semicolon; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(11) develop, strengthen, and implement policies,
protocols, and training for law enforcement regarding cases
of missing or murdered Indians, as described in section 5 of
Savanna's Act; and
``(12) compile and annually report data to the Attorney
General related to missing or murdered Indians, as described
in section 6 of Savanna's Act.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon) and the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr.
Armstrong) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania.
General Leave
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania?
[[Page H4575]]
There was no objection.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, S. 227, Savanna's Act, responds to the epidemic of
missing and murdered Native Americans. This crisis is appalling and
threatens millions of innocent people living both on Tribal lands and
beyond.
This bill is a bipartisan effort introduced by Alaska Senator Lisa
Murkowski and passed by the Senate by unanimous consent last March.
{time} 1345
I want to especially commend the leadership of Representative Norma
Torres, who introduced the House companion in 2019 and has been a
constant champion for Savanna's Act here in the House.
The available data indicates that violence against Native Americans
is particularly high. In some Tribal communities, Native American women
experience murder rates that are more than 10 times the national
average. This is unacceptable.
Savanna's Act is named in honor of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a
member of the Spirit Lake Tribe, who vanished from her apartment in
Fargo, North Dakota, while 8 months pregnant. Eight days after she
disappeared, her body was found wrapped in plastic in the Red River.
This legislation empowers Tribal governments with the resources and
information necessary to respond to cases of missing or murdered Native
Americans like Savanna and to increase the collection of data in such
cases. It also increases coordination and communication among the
Federal, State, and Tribal officials responsible for investing these
cases in a variety of ways.
This legislation provides best practices in conducting searches for
missing persons on and off Native American land; establishes standards
on the collection, reporting, and analysis of data and information on
missing persons and unidentified human remains; and will lead to the
culturally appropriate identification and handling of human remains
identified as Native Americans.
Savanna's Act provides guidance on which law enforcement agency is
responsible for inputting information into databases, guidance on
improving agency response rates and followup to cases of missing and
murdered Native Americans, and guidance on ensuring access to
culturally appropriate victim services.
Lastly and most importantly, Savanna's Act adds two new purpose areas
to two existing grant programs administered by the Justice Department,
specifically, allowing grantees to use funds to implement policies,
protocols, and training for law enforcement regarding cases of missing
or murdered Native Americans, and to compile and report data to the
Attorney General.
In short, this important legislation will help address the alarming
cases of missing and murdered Native Americans in a robust and
effective way. I strongly urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 227, Savanna's Act.
Savanna's Act is named after Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a 22-year-
old member of the Spirit Lake Tribe, who was murdered in my district in
August of 2017. Her disappearance and murder devastated the community
and the entire State of North Dakota.
Tragically, Savanna was found dead 8 days after she was reported
missing. Thankfully, her baby was found alive, despite being cut from
Savanna's womb. Savanna's story brought to light the fact that the data
regarding missing and murdered indigenous people, particularly women
and girls, is scattered across various government databases, if it even
exists at all.
Savanna's heartbreaking story, unfortunately, is not unique. A woman
named Olivia Lone Bear disappeared from the Fort Berthold Reservation
just a month later, in October of 2017. She was found in a submerged
truck in Lake Sakakawea in July of 2018.
These are just two recent examples from my State. There are hundreds
more across the Nation.
Savanna's Act will begin to help address this crisis of missing and
murdered indigenous people. The bill will establish guidelines and best
practices for law enforcement agencies across the country. It will also
improve coordination amongst those agencies. Finally, it will enhance
reporting, recordkeeping, and communication for law enforcement and
families of victims.
This legislation is needed because Native American and Alaska Native
women face a murder rate 10 times higher than the national average.
Shockingly, 84 percent of women in these communities experience some
form of violence in their lifetime.
The rural nature of most Native American communities, increased
levels of poverty and addiction, and other circumstances pose unique
challenges. Because of outdated databases and lack of coordination
between law enforcement agencies, there is no reliable way of knowing
how many indigenous women actually do go missing each year.
Savanna's Act addresses this disturbing increase in missing and
murdered Native American women by creating new guidelines for
investigation of these cases and by incentivizing the implementation of
these new guidelines.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 227, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Torres).
Mrs. TORRES of California. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today in honor
of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind and the Native American women missing
and murdered with no justice in sight.
Savanna was just 22, a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe. She was 8
months pregnant and expecting her baby any day when she was murdered in
August of 2017. A neighbor in her apartment building lured her next
door and attacked her. When her body was found, the coroner could not
determine if the cause of death was the loss of blood from the vicious
wounds on her body or strangulation from the rope around her neck.
Instead of getting to hold her brand-new baby in her arms and
imagining a bright future for herself and her little one, Savanna's
future was cut short.
Savanna's death shines a light on a horrific reality in this country
where Native American women face a murder rate 10 times higher than the
national average.
The statistics should shock everyone listening to this debate.
Eighty-four percent of Native women experience some form of violence in
their lifetime--84 percent. Think of your 50 closest friends and family
members, and now imagine 42 out of those 50 experiencing some type of
violence.
We cannot stand silent. We stand together, heartbroken, disgusting,
and horrified, but we cannot stand back and do nothing.
I introduced the House version of Savanna's Act to address the
disturbing rates of missing and murdered Native American women, and I
was very honored to have the opportunity to work with my good friend,
Ms. Haaland, across the aisle with Mr. Newhouse, and with Senator
Murkowski and Senator Cortez Masto on the Senate version. We came
together as Democrats and Republicans. We met many, many, many times to
ensure that this was a bill that all of our colleagues could stand for
and support and right a wrong for Native American women.
To date, there is no reliable way of knowing how many Native women go
missing each year because the databases that hold statistics of these
cases are outdated. A lack of coordination between law enforcement
agencies only adds to the confusion, and, as a result, murderers get
away with killing Native American women.
This bill will finally ensure the Department of Justice, State and
local law enforcement agencies, and our communities can work together
to address this violence.
Because of this bill, the Department of Justice will develop
regionally appropriate guidelines for response to cases of missing and
murdered Native Americans, and the DOJ will provide training and
technical assistance to Tribes and law enforcement agencies for
implementation of the developed guidelines.
In addition, this bill will authorize grants to ensure that all
members of
[[Page H4576]]
our community are effectively working together to stop the kidnapping
and murdering of Native women.
Native women have endured horrific rates of assault, rape, and murder
for far too long, and I hope this bill brings some closure to Savanna's
family and the countless family members in Native communities who live
with the pain of a lost loved one every day.
Let me be clear: It is their unwavering advocacy that made this day a
reality, and an untold number of lives will be saved as a result.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Newhouse).
Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, this is a monumental day. I am proud to
rise alongside my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to speak out in
support of our legislation, which aims to address a crisis afflicting
our Nation: that of missing and murdered indigenous women.
I hail from the State of Washington, and I am very familiar with how
Native American Tribes are deeply integrated into the culture of the
Pacific Northwest, as well as our whole country.
I was raised just across the river from the Yakama Nation reservation
in central Washington, but I have got to say, I, like many others, was
not aware of the disproportionate murder rate indigenous women suffer,
10 times the national average.
At the end of 2018, this crisis and the need for a solution was
brought to me by the Tribal communities that I represent, and I was
made aware of just how devastating the shortfalls of our justice system
are for Native American and Alaska Native women and girls.
While the statistics we have are absolutely staggering--and you have
heard them--the fact of the matter is we don't even know the full
extent of the crisis.
In my home State of Washington, Native Americans make up about 2
percent of the State's 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. The families of dozens
of women still await answers as cases of missing or murdered indigenous
women remain open or turn cold.
Yet this crisis has gone on for decades, with little to no action by
the Federal Government. Complicated law enforcement jurisdictions have
caused many problems throughout these investigations, and far too many
Tribal law enforcement agencies lack the resources or access to
critical databases to help solve these cases, which is why, when
Savanna's Act failed to receive a vote on the House floor in the 115th
Congress, I was determined to bring forward solutions in order to get
this bill signed into law.
I was very proud to work with Representatives Torres and Haaland and
others, in collaboration with Tribes, the Department of Justice, and
many others, to improve upon that legislation. The product is a broadly
bipartisan bill that has passed unanimously in both the House Judiciary
Committee as well as the United States Senate.
We worked to create legislation that will bring focus to this crisis
and improve the coordination between Federal, State, local, and Tribal
law enforcement agencies.
This legislation aims to provide a sense of hope to the loved ones of
these women by developing guidelines and best practices for Tribes and
law enforcement agencies across the country, by enhancing reporting and
recordkeeping of crimes against indigenous women, and by improving
communication between law enforcement and the families of these
victims.
This bill and this effort to bring awareness to the missing and
murdered Native women across the country will go a long way to finally
delivering justice to our communities.
Tribes across the country, including those that I represent, have
thrown their support behind this legislation. In fact, last year, I
walked alongside the then-chairman of the Yakama Tribe, as well as
Councilwoman Lottie Sam, through the Halls of Congress, visiting
Chairman Grijalva, Subcommittee Chairman Gallego, as well as
Subcommittee Chairwoman Bass. These Yakama Nation officials traveled
across the country, Mr. Speaker, more than 2,500 miles, to advocate for
the passage of Savanna's Act and other legislation to address this
crisis.
The bill is named, as you have heard the story, in honor of Savanna
LaFontaine-Greywind, who was a 22-year-old member of the Spirit Lake
Tribe, pregnant with her first child, who was murdered in August of
2017.
Since the introduction of Savanna's Act in the House, the remains of
a Yakama Nation woman, Rosenda Strong, were found on the reservation.
Her horrific murder, today, remains unsolved.
Thankfully, justice was served upon Savanna's murderers. We owe the
same justice to Rosenda and all of the missing and murdered indigenous
women across this country.
The passage of this bill today will demonstrate a long-awaited and
necessary change. As I mentioned, this crisis has been going on for
decades. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have promised action
and failed to deliver.
{time} 1400
I have been asked: What is different now? Why do you think progress
can be made?
And I can honestly tell you, the main difference I have seen is that
our Native communities are leading the charge. They have had enough,
and they no longer will suffer in silence.
Throughout central Washington and across the country, the families of
loved ones of thousands of missing or murdered indigenous women are
awaiting justice.
It is because of their voices and their strong advocacy that I am
here today, urging my colleagues throughout this legislative body to
support passage of Savanna's Act. And, finally, Mr. Speaker, we can
send this legislation to President Trump's desk to be signed into law.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Torres, Mr. Newhouse, and my colleagues in
the Senate, Senator Cramer and Senator Hoeven. This is not the first
time in my short time in Congress that I have been on the floor talking
about this bill, and I think it is also important to remember people
who came before us. Senator Heitkamp was a champion of this in the last
Congress. And through this process we have gotten a more targeted and
workable solution.
This bill allows U.S. Attorneys in Indian Country more autonomy and
authority that is important to law enforcement, and that is
particularly important in missing cases. And I think it is also
important to recognize that these don't always happen in rural areas or
actually on the reservation.
Savanna Greywind, while a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe, was in
Fargo, North Dakota, the largest city in my State when this incident
occurred.
So this is a good bill, it has been a long time coming, and I really
appreciate everybody's hard work. With that, I recommend we pass it,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, Savanna's Act is an important measure to ensure the
safety of Native American women and men in communities across the
United States, for all of the reasons discussed here today.
We are so grateful to Representative Torres, Representative Newhouse,
Representative Armstrong, and Representative Haaland, for moving this
legislation forward.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this
bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, S. 227.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________