SM 38 — MISSING & MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN

SENATE MEMORIAL 38 54TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 2019 INTRODUCED BY John Pinto 6 8 10 A MEMORIAL SUPPORTING UNITED STATES CONGRESSWOMAN DEB HAALAND'S CALL FOR A NATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS.

156 WHEREAS, the alarming number of indigenous women and girls who disappear or are murdered each year is a national disgrace;

e t 17 and w l n d 18 WHEREAS, four out of five Native American women are = = 19 a l affected by violence today;

and i a e r 20 WHEREAS, the United States department of justice found a t m m 21 that Native American women face murder rates that are more than d r e 22 ten times the national average;

and c e s k 23 WHEREAS, out of seventy-one cities in the country, the e a n b 24 city of Albuquerque has one of the highest numbers of urban u [ Native American women and girls who have been reported missing .212859.1 or murdered, according to a recently published report by the urban Indian health institute;

and WHEREAS, the urban Indian health institute reported that the challenges and barriers in accessing data on this issue SM 38 Page 1 from law enforcement severely impede the ability of communities, tribal nations and policymakers to make informed decisions on how best to address the violence;

and WHEREAS, the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls is a priority of Congresswoman Deb Haaland, a e e 17 Pueblo of Laguna tribal member, who represents New Mexico's e e n d 18 first congressional district in the United States house of = = l ] 19 representatives;

and a l r i 20 WHEREAS, Congresswoman Haaland is one of two of the first t e a t Native American women to be elected to congress;

and m m 21 e d r e 22 WHEREAS, Congresswoman Haaland describes the number of c e r c 23 missing and murdered indigenous women as an epidemic and has e a n b 24 stated that she plans to seek justice for these women at the u [ national level;

and .212859.1 - 2 - WHEREAS, Congresswoman Haaland noted that missing and murdered indigenous women is a significant issue in Indian country, but that women care about the issue all over the country;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that United States Congresswoman SM 38 Page 2 Deb Haaland be supported in her call for a national investigation of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls;

and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to Congresswoman Deb Haaland, the New Mexico Municipal League, New Mexico Counties, Indian nation, tribal and pueblo leadership in New Mexico, the Secretary of Department of Public Safety, the Secretary of Indian Affairs, the United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, the mayors of Albuquerque, Farmington, Santa Fe, Gallup and Las Cruces and the other members of the New Mexico congressional delegation.

-SM 338 -Page e3 e25 17 e e n d 18 = = l ] 19 a l r i 20 t e a t m m 21 e d r e 22 c e r c 23 e a n b 24 u [ .212859.1