[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 164 (Tuesday, September 22, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E867-E868]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             SAVANNA'S ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. SUZANNE BONAMICI

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 21, 2020

  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 227, Savanna's 
Act, a bill to combat the epidemic of missing and murdered Native women 
and girls.
  In the United States, Native women face tragically high rates of 
violence, sexual assault, and murder. According to the Department of 
Justice, 84 percent of Native and Alaska Native women have experienced 
violence in their lifetime, and the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention found that homicide is the third leading cause of death 
among Native women. These rates are ten times higher than the national 
average and reflect centuries of institutional racism and systemic 
inequalities that Native communities face.
  Too often families of missing and murdered Native women are left 
without answers. We cannot allow the experiences of Native and 
Indigenous communities continue to slip through bureaucracy. I am a 
cosponsor of Savanna's Act, which will create and improve procedures, 
communication, and cooperation among federal, state, Tribal, and local 
agencies that may share jurisdiction over investigating crimes against 
Native women.
  Our Nation's devastating history of colonization has left missing and 
murdered Native women invisible to law enforcement for centuries, but 
today, by passing Savanna's Act we can give a voice to this silent 
crisis. We must strive to better understand the institutional racism 
and systemic inequalities that Native communities face. And we must 
keep fighting for justice for those who are missing or murdered.
  I thank Congresswoman Torres for her leadership on this bill, and I 
urge all of my colleagues to support Savanna's Act.

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