[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 148 (Thursday, August 5, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42878-42879]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16698]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[212A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900 253G]
Office of the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs; Not Invisible
Act of 2019
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of public meetings.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of the Interior (Department), in
coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice, is hosting public
meetings to obtain stakeholder input related to implementation of the
Not Invisible Act of 2019, which was enacted to increase
intergovernmental coordination to identify and combat violent crime on
Indian lands and against Indians.
DATES: Comments from stakeholders must be submitted no later than
Friday, September 17, 2021. Please see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section of this notice for the dates of the public meetings.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Heidi Todacheene, by any of the
following methods:
Preferred method by email to: [email protected];
Mail, hand-carry or use an overnight courier service to
Heidi Todacheene, Office of the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs,
U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Mail Stop 4660,
Washington, DC 20240.
Please see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for
links to register for the public meetings.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heidi Todacheene, Senior Advisor to
the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs at [email protected]
or (202) 208-7163.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Congress enacted the Not Invisible Act (Act), Public Law 116-166,
134 Stat. 766 (2020), to increase intergovernmental coordination to
identify and combat violent crime within Indian lands and against
Indians. Section 4 of the Act requires that the Secretary of the
Interior (Secretary), in coordination with the United States Attorney
General, establish and appoint members to a Joint Commission on
Reducing Violent Crime Against Indians (Commission) to develop
recommendations on actions the Federal Government can take to identify,
coordinate, and combat violent crime against Indians.
Section 4(c)(2)(A) of the Act requires the Commission to develop
recommendations on actions the Federal Government can take to help
combat violent crime within Indian lands and against Indians, including
recommendations for:
(i) Identifying, reporting, and responding to instances of missing
persons, murder, and human trafficking on Indian lands and of Indians;
(ii) legislative and administrative changes necessary to use
programs, properties, or other resources funded or operated by the
Department of the Interior and Department of Justice to combat the
crisis of missing or murdered Indians and human trafficking on Indian
lands and of Indians;
(iii) tracking and reporting data on instances of missing persons,
murder, and human trafficking on Indian lands and of Indians;
(iv) addressing staff shortages and open positions within relevant
law enforcement agencies, including issues related to the hiring and
retention of law enforcement officers;
(v) coordinating Tribal, State, and Federal resources to increase
prosecution of murder and human trafficking offenses on Indian lands
and of Indians; and
(vi) increasing information sharing with Tribal governments on
violent crime investigations and prosecutions in Indian lands that were
terminated or declined.
II. Public Meetings
A. Purpose of the Public Meetings
The Department is holding public meetings to receive input from
stakeholders on the formation of the Commission and what the Commission
should consider when developing recommendations that will have lasting
impacts on Indian Country and further address the missing and murdered
Indigenous peoples crisis. The Department particularly seeks input from
stakeholders who are diverse with expertise on the subject area, and
those who are directly affected by violent crime against American
Indians and Alaska Natives, including those in Tribal leadership, law
enforcement, the judicial system, health care and mental health
practitioners, counselors, national/regional/urban Indian
organizations, and survivors and family members of individuals affected
by violent crime. The Department is hosting separate Tribal
consultations on this topic and has invited Tribal leaders by letter.
The Department will consider the comments received during both the
public meetings and Tribal consultation to inform formation of the
Commission, development of the priorities and goals of the Commission
and the scope of its duties, and to identify existing information
related to the Commission's objectives. In addition, the information
will guide the structure and topics for hearings, the process for
gathering testimony and receiving such evidence the Commission
considers to be necessary to carry out its duties.
B. Questions for Stakeholder Consideration
The following questions are presented for stakeholder
consideration:
(1) What, from the topics listed in Section 4(c)(2)(A) of the Act
and repeated above, is a priority that would most benefit your
community? Are there other topics related to the Commission's
objectives that you wish the Commission to consider?
(2) The Act requires that the Commission include representation
from and coordination across several federal agencies. Are there
agencies, bureaus, offices, or programs you believe should be
represented on the Commission that are not listed in the Act? Are there
agencies, bureaus, offices, or programs that may not be represented on
the Commission but that you believe the Commission should otherwise
coordinate with or obtain input from? If so, please identify these
agencies, bureaus, offices, or programs.
(3) The Act lists categories of individuals from outside the
Federal Government to be represented on the Commission.\1\ Are there
other categories
[[Page 42879]]
of individuals you believe should be represented on the Commission that
are not listed in the Act? Do you have any recommendations on how best
to identify and reach out to individuals from any of the listed
categories?
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\1\ Tribal law enforcement; a Tribal judge with experience in
cases related to missing persons, murder, or trafficking; not fewer
than 3 national, regional, or urban Indian organizations focused on
violence against women and children on Indian lands or against
Indians; at least 2 Indian survivors of human trafficking; at least
2 family members of missing Indian people; and at least 2 family
members of murdered Indian people. See Section 4(b)(2)(A),(K), (N)-
(Q) of the Act. (Remaining categories will be selected based on
Tribal nominations in accordance with the Act.)
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(4) What are the unique challenges that your community wants the
Commission to consider when developing recommendations for prevention
efforts, grants, and programs of federal agencies related to murder of,
trafficking of, and missing Indians?
(5) The Commission may hold hearings and take testimony to assist
in carrying out its duties. Do you have specific recommendations on how
hearings and testimony will best work to identify the challenges in
combating violent crime within Indian lands and of Indians, including
unique jurisdictional complexities on or near Indian lands?
(6) What suggestions do you have about how the Commission's
recommendations can be most impactful? What other questions or comments
do you wish to raise regarding implementation of the Not Invisible Act?
C. Public Meeting Schedule and Registration Links
The Department will conduct four public meetings by webinar and
will accept both oral and written comments. Please register in advance
for any session you plan on attending. After registering, you will
receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the
meeting. The public meeting schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, August 31, 2021, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. ET. Please register in
advance at: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItcOivrzouG3KN7DL5sPE_iJO2nDEFQo0
Thursday, September 2, 2021, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. ET. Please register
in advance at: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdeyqrD8uEueD_SSCIfVmlRIfExnwsiY
Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. ET. Please
register in advance at: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItfu-tqzMtGO5RBgQX5yNVpOXBsdtHhc4
Friday, September 10, 2021, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. ET. Please register
in advance at: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIscuuuqD4pGto5l8YHNrNA3zifJ__Q6Gg
The Not Invisible Act of 2019 can be viewed at https://www.congress.gov/116/plaws/publ166/PLAW-116publ166.pdf.
III. Comments
The comments received from the Tribal consultation sessions and
public meetings will help to identify the priorities and goals that
will outline a framework for the Commission. You may submit your
comments by any one of the methods listed in ADDRESSES. Before
including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal
identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your
entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be
made publicly available at any time. While you can ask the Department
in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from
public view, the Department cannot guarantee that we will be able to do
so.
Bryan Newland,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2021-16698 Filed 8-4-21; 8:45 am]
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