GOP representative is only person blocking bill to address violence against Native American women
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Savanna’s Act, a federal bill named after a 22-year-old Native American woman who was killed at eight months pregnant, has the potential to dramatically help Native American women in the U.S. Native American women suffer from disproportionate rates of violeGOP representative is only person blocking bill to address violence against Native American women
Savanna’s Act, a federal bill named after a 22-year-old Native American woman who was killed at eight months pregnant, has the potential to dramatically help Native American women in the U.S. Native American women suffer from disproportionate rates of violence (including domestic violence, sexual abuse, and going “missing”), and this bill would help address that violence by improving responses from the federal government. Specifically, it would ensure that the Department of Justice trains law enforcement agencies on how to record tribal enrollment information in crime databases, as well as requiring the attorney general to get recommendations from tribes. This would improve access to federal, state, and local information databases, with the ultimate goal of creating guidelines for how to respond to the rampant violence against Native American women. So, in short, an all-around amazing (and much needed) step forward. The question is: Why is Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte so opposed to it? Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp, who is sponsoring the bill, recently called out Goodlatte on Twitter. Why? Because he’s the only (literally, only) person keeping this bill from progressing. Savanna’s Act has already passed in the Senate, and unanimously at that. Sadly, it’s currently stuck in the House. If it isn’t passed by the end of this year, it will have to be reintroduced in January. This isn’t unusual, of course, but given that Heitkamp is not returning to Congress (she lost her re-election bid in November), it’s a huge deal. Read more