[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 199 (Wednesday, December 21, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H9954-H9955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 AMENDING THE NOT INVISIBLE ACT OF 2019

  Mrs. PELTOLA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 5087) to amend the Not Invisible Act of 2019 to extend, and 
provide additional support for, the activities of the Department of the 
Interior and the Department of Justice Joint Commission on Reducing 
Violent Crime Against Indians, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                S. 5087

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF, AND ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE 
                   ACTIVITIES OF, THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
                   AND THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE JOINT COMMISSION 
                   ON REDUCING VIOLENT CRIME AGAINST INDIANS.

       (a) Extension of Commission and Activities of the 
     Commission.--Section 4 of the Not Invisible Act of 2019 
     (Public Law 116-166; 134 Stat. 767) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (c)(2)(B), by striking ``18 months after 
     the enactment'' and inserting ``36 months after the date of 
     enactment''; and
       (2) in subsection (e), by striking ``2 years'' and 
     inserting ``42 months''.
       (b) Additional Support for Activities of Commission.--
     Section 4(b) of the Not Invisible Act of 2019 (Public Law 
     116-166; 134 Stat. 767) is amended--
       (1) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``; Operation'' 
     after ``Membership''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(7) Gifts.--The Commission may accept and use gifts or 
     donations of services or property from Indian tribes or 
     Tribal entities, academic institutions, or other not-for-
     profit organizations as it considers necessary to carry out 
     the duties of the Commission described in subsection (c).''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Alaska (Mrs. Peltola) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Alaska.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. PELTOLA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Alaska?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. PELTOLA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, the crisis of missing and murdered Native people and 
trafficked Native women has devastated families and communities and, 
unfortunately, has gone unaddressed throughout history.
  These losses are an open wound in our Tribal communities and add to 
the generational trauma facing Native American families that many of us 
have experienced.
  In 2019, Senator Cortez Masto of Nevada, along with Representatives   
Tom Cole, Sharice Davids, Markwayne Mullin, and Deb Haaland, introduced 
the Not Invisible Act, which passed last Congress, to assist in 
combating the longstanding missing and murdered indigenous people, or 
MMIP, crisis.
  The Not Invisible Act established an advisory committee on violent 
crime to make recommendations to the Department of the Interior and the 
Department of Justice on best practices to combat the epidemic of 
missing persons, murder, and trafficking of Native Americans and Alaska 
Natives.
  It also created a point person within the Bureau of Indian Affairs 
charged with improving the coordination of violent crime prevention 
efforts across Federal agencies.
  However, due to COVID-19 and a delayed transition between 
administrations, the Not Invisible Commission was delayed in organizing 
and action. S. 5087 will extend the duration of the commission and 
includes additional support for functions of the commission so they can 
continue to do their important work for Indian Country.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on S. 5087, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, S. 5087 would extend by an additional 18 months the 
sunset of the Department of the Interior and the Department of 
Justice's Joint Commission on Reducing Violent Crime Against Indians.
  It would also extend by 18 months the time available for the 
commission to submit its findings and recommendations to Congress, the 
Secretary of the Interior, and the Attorney General.
  This bill would clarify that the commission may accept and use gifts 
or donations of services or property from Indian Tribes, Tribal 
entities, academic institutions, or other not-for-profit organizations, 
as needed, to carry out its duties.
  Signed into law on October 10, 2020, the Not Invisible Act of 2019 
was intended to coordinate efforts to reduce violent crime within 
Indian lands and against Indians. The act required the Department of 
the Interior to designate a Bureau of Indian Affairs official to 
coordinate Federal prevention efforts, grants, and programs related to 
cases of Indians that were missing, murdered, or victims of human 
trafficking.
  The act required the Department of the Interior and the Department of

[[Page H9955]]

Justice to establish a joint commission on violent crime on Indian 
lands and against Indians.
  Within 18 months of enactment, the commission was required to develop 
and make publicly available recommendations to the Secretary of the 
Interior, the Attorney General, and Congress on actions the Federal 
Government can take to combat violent crime against Indians and on 
Indian lands, including recommendations for identifying, reporting, and 
responding to instances of missing persons, murder, and human 
trafficking.
  The Department of the Interior has reported that the commission was 
not fully established until April 2022 and has requested additional 
time to do its work.
  While I believe the findings and recommendations of the commission 
are warranted, I am disappointed in the process for this legislation.
  S. 5087 has no House companion bill, and Democrats failed to conduct 
regular order for this legislation before bringing it to the floor of 
the House.
  The authorization for the commission expired in October, yet this 
majority failed to prioritize extension of this authorization to 
address this important issue.
  Instead, we are here just days before the end of the 117th Congress, 
rushing this and other issues off the floor of the House and to the 
President for his signature.
  While I support the goals of this legislation, this is not how we 
should be conducting our business in the House.
  Madam Speaker, I support this legislation, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mrs. PELTOLA. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the 
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 Alaska (Mrs. Peltola) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 5087.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ROSENDALE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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