Savanna’s Act, a bill named for 22-year-old Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, passed the US House of Representatives on Monday after passing the Senate earlier this year. LaFontaine-Greywind, a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe, was abducted and killed in Fargo, North Dakota, in August 2017 while eight months pregnant.
The measure requires the Justice Department to develop guidelines for responding to cases of missing or murdered Native Americans and report statistics on those cases. The bill also instructs the department to provide trainings for law enforcement agencies and to work with tribes and tribal organizations in implementing its strategy.
Savanna’s Act initially passed the Senate in 2018 but was blocked in the House. Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, reintroduced the bill in 2019, with more than two dozen senators named as co-sponsors.
“We appreciate our House colleagues for passing the bill today and sending it on to the president to become law. At the same time, we continue working to advance more legislation like this to strengthen public safety in tribal communities and ensure victims of crime receive support and justice,” he continued.
