LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would require better tracking of cases involving missing Native American women has advanced out of a Nebraska legislative committee.
Members of the Judiciary Committee voted 7-0 Wednesday to send the measure to the full Legislature.
The bill would require the Nebraska State Patrol to collect data on missing Native American women and organize meetings with law enforcement agencies, tribes and the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs. The patrol would report all of its findings to lawmakers by June 1, 2020.
Sen. Tom Brewer, of Gordon, is the bill’s lead sponsor. Brewer says communication failures among local, state and federal agencies can lead such cases to fall through the cracks.
Recent national studies have found that a disproportionally large number of Native American women have experienced violence.