KVRR: US Senate Passes Savanna’s Act
Work continues on capitol hill this morning to finally get Savanna’s Act passed through Congress.
The bill named for Savanna Greywind, the 22-year-old Fargo woman who was killed for her unborn baby, has passed both the Senate and the House Judiciary Committee.
Greywind was a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe.
Savanna’s Act would require the Justice Department to develop protocols to address missing and murdered Native Americans, including information sharing and training for law enforcement.
In the senate it was originally introduced by former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. It was re-introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Sen. John Hoeven and Sen. Kevin Cramer were both listed as co-sponsors of Savanna’s Act and made statements following the act getting passed.
“Savanna’s Act is about empowering law enforcement to better respond to causes of missing and murdered Native Americans to prevent similar tragedies and bring offenders to justice. This is part of our broader efforts to improve public safety and victim services for tribal members, both on and off the reservation. We welcome Senate passage of Savanna’s Act and will continue our efforts to advance the measure into law” Sen. Hoeven said.
Sen. Cramer presided over the senate as the bill passed and later said, “Senate passage of Savanna’s Act is long overdue. I thank my colleagues for supporting our legislation which seeks to combat violence against the most vulnerable members of the Native American community. I urge my colleagues in the House to move swiftly and make this the law of the land soon.”
By: Kendra Johnson
Source: KVRR
