House Engrossed

missing and murdered indigenous peoples

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-fifth Legislature

First Regular Session

2021

HOUSE BILL 2099

AN ACT

amending laws 2019, chapter 232, section 1; appropriating monies; relating to the study committee on missing and murdered indigenous peoples.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.  Laws 2019, chapter 232, section 1, is amended to read:

Section 1. Study committee on missing and murdered indigenous peoples; membership; duties; report; delayed repeal

A. The study committee on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls peoples is established consisting of the following members:

1. Four Three members of the house of representatives who are of indigenous descent or who attend meetings and actively work on issues relating to indigenous peoples. The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint these members. The appointed representatives shall select by a majority vote one representative to serve as chairperson of the study committee.

2. Four Three members of the senate who are of indigenous descent or who attend meetings and actively work on issues relating to indigenous peoples.  The president of the senate shall appoint these members. The appointed senators shall select by a majority vote one senator to serve as vice chairperson of the study committee.

3. The attorney general or the attorney general's designee.

4. The director of the department of public safety or the director's designee.

5. The following members who are appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives:

(a) One county attorney and one sheriff from a county with a population of eight hundred fifty thousand persons or more.

(b) One victim advocate.

(c) One peace officer who works and resides on a federally recognized American Indian reservation in this state.

(d) One representative who is from the southwest indigenous women's coalition, a tribal statewide organization that provides advocacy for or counseling to indigenous women and girls who have been victims of violence.

(e) (c) One member who works with the Phoenix or Tucson Indian center.

(f) (d) One member who works in the Phoenix area Indian health services.

6. The following members who are appointed by the president of the senate:

(a) One county attorney and one sheriff from a county with a population of less than eight hundred fifty thousand persons.

(b) (a) One representative of a tribal government.

(c) One chief of police who is from a tribal police department.

(b) One attorney general or judge from a tribal jurisdiction.

(d) (c) One social worker who works with a tribal, statewide or local organization that provides services to indigenous women and girls peoples.

(e) One representative who works with a tribal, statewide or local organization that provides legal services to indigenous women and girls.

B. The study committee shall meet quarterly or more frequently as the chairperson deems necessary.

C. Committee members are not eligible to receive compensation, but members who are appointed by the governor are eligible for reimbursement of expenses under title 38, chapter 4, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes.

D. The study committee shall:

1. Conduct a comprehensive study to determine how this state can reduce and end violence against indigenous women and girls peoples in this state.

2. Establish methods for tracking and collecting Continue to work with law enforcement to track and collect data on violence against indigenous women and girls peoples, including data on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls peoples.

3. Continue to review policies and practices that impact violence against indigenous women and girls peoples, such as child welfare policies and practices.

4. Continue to review prosecutorial trends and practices relating to crimes of gender violence against indigenous people peoples.

5. Continue to gather data on the prevalence and contextual characteristics of violence against indigenous women and girls in this state peoples, including variations by gender, age and sexual identity.

6. Determine the number of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in this state.

7. Identify barriers to providing more state resources in tracking violence against indigenous women and girls and reducing the incidences of violence.

8. 6. Propose measures to ensure access to culturally appropriate victim services for indigenous women and girls peoples who have been victims of violence.

7. Gather information to understand the lived experiences among indigenous peoples surrounding missing and murdered indigenous peoples in an effort to ensure policy recommendations are culturally accurate.

9. 8. Propose legislation to address issues identified by the study committee.

10. 9. Submit a report regarding the study committee's activities and recommendations for administrative or legislative action on or before November 1, 2020 December 1, 2022, December 1, 2023 and December 1, 2024 to the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives and provide a copy of this report to the secretary of state.

E. This section is repealed from and after September 30, 2021 2025.

Sec. 2. Appropriation; attorney general; exemption

A. The sum of $40,000 is appropriated from the consumer protection-consumer fraud revolving fund established by section 44-1531.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, in fiscal year 2021-2022 to the attorney general for the purposes of this act.

B. The appropriation made in subsection A of this section is exempt from the provisions of section 35-190, Arizona Revised Statutes, relating to lapsing of appropriations.