September 21, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 163 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[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.

                          ____________________