[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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