Assigned to HHS                                                                                                               AS PASSED BY COW

 

 

 

 


ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Fourth Legislature, First Regular Session

 

AMENDED

FACT SHEET FOR H.B. 2570

 

study committee; murdered indigenous women.

Purpose

            Establishes the Study Committee on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (Study Committee) and outlines Study Committee membership and requirements.

Background

            The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. A 2016 NIJ report that examined violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women and men concluded: 1) most American Indian and Alaskan Native adults are victims of violence; 2) men and women are victimized at similar rates but in different ways; 3) victimization rates are higher for American Indians and Alaska Natives;
4) American Indian and Alaska Native female victims are more likely to need services, but are less likely to have access to those services; and 5) for American Indian and Alaska Natives, interracial violence is more prevalent than intraracial violence (NIJ report).

            There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.              

Provisions

1.      Establishes the Study Committee consisting of:

a)      four members of the House of Representatives, who are appointed by the Speaker of the House (Speaker), and who are of indigenous descent or who attend meetings and actively work on issues relating to indigenous peoples;

b)      four members of the Senate, who are appointed by the President of the Senate (President), who are of indigenous descent or who attend meetings and actively work on issues relating to indigenous peoples;

c)      the Attorney General or their designee;

d)      the Director of the Department of Public Safety or their designee;

e)      the following Speaker-appointed members:

i.        one county attorney and one sheriff from a county with a population of 850,000 or more;

ii.      one victim advocate;

iii.    one peace officer who works and resides on a federally-recognized American Indian reservation in Arizona;

iv.    one representative who is from the Southwest Indigenous Women's Coalition, a tribal statewide organization that provides advocacy or counseling to indigenous women and girls who have been victims of violence;

v.      one member who works with the Phoenix Indian Center or Tucson Indian Center; and

vi.    one member who works in the Phoenix Area Indian health services; and

f)       the following President-appointed members:

i.        one county attorney and one sheriff from a county with a population of less than 850,000;

ii.      one representative of a tribal government;

iii.    one chief of police from a tribal police department;

iv.    one social worker who is from a tribal, statewide or local organization that provides services to indigenous women and girls; and

v.      one representative who is from a tribal, statewide or local organization that provides legal services to indigenous women and girls.

2.      Directs the House of Representatives members to select, by a majority vote, one Representative to serve as chairperson of the Study Committee.

 

3.      Directs the Senate members to select, by a majority vote, one Senator to serve as vice chairperson of the Study Committee.

 

4.      Requires the Study Committee to:

a)      conduct a comprehensive study to determine how to reduce and end violence against indigenous women and girls in Arizona;

b)      establish methods for tracking and collecting data on violence against indigenous women and girls;

c)      review policies and practices that impact violence against indigenous women and girls, such as child welfare policies and practices;

d)      review prosecutorial trends and practices relating to crimes of gender violence against indigenous people;

e)      gather data on violence against indigenous women and girls in Arizona;

f)       determine the number of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Arizona;

g)      identify barriers to providing more state resources in tracking violence against indigenous women and girls and reducing the incidences of violence;

h)      propose measures to ensure access to culturally-appropriate victim services for indigenous women and girls who have been victims of violence; and

i)       propose legislation to address issues identified by the Study Committee.

5.      Requires the Study Committee to meet quarterly or more frequently as the chairperson deems necessary.

6.      Prohibits Study Committee members from receiving compensation.

7.      Directs the Study Committee to submit a report, by November 1, 2020, regarding the Study Committee's activities and recommendations for administrative or legislative action to the Governor, President and Speaker.

8.      Requires the Study Committee to provide a copy of the report to the Secretary of State.

9.      Repeals the Study Committee on October 1, 2021.

10.  Becomes effective on the general effective date.

Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole

1.      Requires the presiding officer in each legislative chamber, rather than the Governor, to appoint certain Study Committee members.

2.      Requires the presiding officer is each legislative chamber to appoint four Study Committee members who are of indigenous descent or who work on issues relating to indigenous people.

3.      Directs the legislative members to select one member to serve as chairperson and one member to serve as vice chairperson of the Study Committee.

4.      Makes conforming changes.

House Action                                                           Senate Action

HHS                2/21/19      DP       9-0-0-0               HHS                3/27/19      DP          7-0-1

3rd Read          3/11/19                  60-0-0                

Prepared by Senate Research

April 11, 2019

CRS/AG/kja