Gianforte addresses Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons crisis

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 4/21/21

Gov. Greg Gianforte on April 19 signed two bills that address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons in Montana crisis in Montana. House Bill 35 is sponsored by Rep. Sharon Stewart-Peregoy of the Crow Agency, and establishes the Missing Indigenous Persons Review Commission at the Montana Department of Justice. HB 98 is sponsored by Rep. Stewart-Peregoy and extends the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force and the Looping in Native Communities grant program. In Montana, Native Americans make up about 7 percent of the population, but they account for about 26 percent of missing persons. Native American women face a murder rate 10 times higher than the national average, and 84 percent experience some form of violence in their lifetime.