2019 INDIAN COUNTRY SYMPOSIUM WILL FOCUS ON IMPLEMENTATION EFFORTS
The 2019 National AMBER Alert in Indian Country Symposium will focus on the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act to support states and tribes in work to integrate AMBER Alert plans. The symposium, to be held July 30-August 1 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will include tribal public safety and emergency management leaders, state AMBER Alert coordinators and federal officials.
The AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP) is responsible for implementing the 2018 legislation. The act requires AATTAP to provide resources and policies to develop AMBER Alert plans in tribal communities. At this year’s symposium, participants will:
- Learn about the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018;
- Discuss methods for improving the process of integration between state or regional AMBER Alert communication plans with federally recognized tribes from across the nation;
- Examine current resources, tools, and technologies to enhance the AMBER Alert network within Indian Country; and
- Increase collaboration with OJJDP, NCMEC, AATTAP, state AMBER Alert coordinators and other federal and state officials.
PROPOSED LAW SEEKS ACCOUNTABILITY FOR MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
The U.S. Senate is considering legislation that would commission a study on missing and murdered indigenous people. The bill was initiated after a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing on the epidemic of missing persons in Indian Country, including Ashley Loring Heavyrunner, a woman from the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana.
“In dealing with this tragedy of missing and murdered women, we must do better,” said Montana Senator Steve Daines, the bill’s cosponsor. “This legislation would hold federal agencies accountable and would help get the families and communities of these victims the answers they deserve.”