WC Chairwoman Philips called a Special Meeting of the Caucus to vote on a Resolution to Support LB 154 - Authorize A Study to Improve Reporting and Investigation of Missing Native American Women on January 21st. During the meeting, LB 154 passed unanimously. As such, the following letter was entered into the public hearing for LB 154 on January 24, 2019.
"Dear Senators of the Judicial Committee, We, the Douglas County Democratic Party (DCDP) Women’s Caucus, wish to express our full support for LB 154 to authorize a study to improve reporting and investigation of missing Native American women, as introduced by Senator Brewer. We ask this letter be included in the official hearing record. The DCDP Women’s Caucus mission includes advocating for women’s rights and working to end violence against women. Violence against indigenous women occurs at unprecedented levels. Four of every five indigenous women experience acts of violence, and one in two experience sexual violence at some point in their lives. This extremely important issue is the subject of the “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls” report from the Urban Indian Health Institute. This report studied 506 cases of missing or murdered indigenous women and girls, revealing that Nebraska has the 7th highest number of such cases among the states studied. In addition, Omaha ranked 8th highest (out of 71 cities) in the number of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. This is both heartbreaking and unacceptable. LB 154 calls for a collaborative effort amongst the Nebraska State Patrol, Commission on Indian Affairs, tribal and local law enforcement partners, federally recognized tribes, and urban Indian organizations in order to “determine the scope of the problem, identify barriers, and find ways to create partnerships to increase reporting and investigation of missing Native American women”. This effort will result in data and analysis that will help identify ways Nebraska can ensure Native American women are safe. As such, the DCDP Women’s Caucus encourages the Committee to move this bill forward. Respectfully, The DCDP Women’s Caucus" A copy of the WC Resolution can be found here. |
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February 2019
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