2
3
4
5
6
7 Cosponsors:
8 Patrice M. Arent
9 Joel K. Briscoe
10 Jennifer Dailey-Provost
11 Suzanne Harrison
12 Sandra Hollins
13 Brian S. King
Karen Kwan
Phil Lyman
Carol Spackman Moss
Stephanie Pitcher
Marie H. Poulson
Douglas V. Sagers
Rex P. Shipp
Andrew Stoddard
Keven J. Stratton
Elizabeth Weight
Mark A. Wheatley
Mike Winder
14
15 LONG TITLE
16 General Description:
17 This bill creates the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Task Force.
18 Highlighted Provisions:
19 This bill:
20 ▸ creates the task force; and
21 ▸ specifies duties of the task force.
22 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
23 This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2021:
24 ▸ to the Legislature - Senate as a one-time appropriation:
25 • from the General Fund, $3,200;
26 ▸ to the Legislature - House of Representatives as a one-time appropriation:
27 • from the General Fund, $3,200;
28 ▸ to the Legislature - Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel as a
29 one-time appropriation:
30 • from the General Fund, $2,800.
31 Other Special Clauses:
32 This bill provides a repeal date.
33 Utah Code Sections Affected:
34 ENACTS:
35 36-29-107, Utah Code Annotated 1953
36
37 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
38 Section 1. Section 36-29-107 is enacted to read:
39 36-29-107. Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Task Force --
40 Creation -- Membership -- Quorum -- Compensation -- Staff -- Vacancies -- Duties --
41 Interim Report.
42 (1) As used in this section, "task force" means the Murdered and Missing Indigenous
43 Women and Girls Task Force created in Subsection (2).
44 (2) There is created a Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Task Force
45 consisting of the following nine members:
46 (a) one member of the Senate appointed by the president of the Senate;
47 (b) one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the House
48 of Representatives;
49 (c) the following three members, appointed jointly by the president of the Senate and
50 the speaker of the House of Representatives:
51 (i) a member of a nonprofit organization primarily serving Utah's Native American
52 community;
53 (ii) a representative of a Utah Native American tribe; and
54 (iii) a representative of a victim advocate organization serving Utah's Native American
55 population;
56 (d) the director of the Division of Indian Affairs, or the director's designee;
57 (e) the executive director of the Department of Human Services, or the executive
58 director's designee;
59 (f) the attorney general, or the attorney general's designee; and
60 (g) the commissioner of public safety for the Department of Public Safety, or the
61 commissioner's designee.
62 (3) A vacancy in a position appointed under Subsection (2)(a), (b), or (c) shall be filled
63 by appointing a replacement member in the same manner as the member creating the vacancy
64 was appointed under Subsection (2)(a), (b), or (c).
65 (4) (a) The senator appointed under Subsection (2)(a) is a cochair of the task force.
66 (b) The member of the House of Representatives appointed under Subsection (2)(b) is
67 a cochair of the task force.
68 (5) (a) A quorum consists of five members.
69 (b) The action of a majority of a quorum constitutes an action of the task force.
70 (6) (a) Salaries and expenses of the members of the task force who are legislators shall
71 be paid in accordance with Section 36-2-2 and Legislative Joint Rules, Title 5, Chapter 3,
72 Legislator Compensation.
73 (b) A member of the task force who is not a legislator:
74 (i) may not receive compensation or benefits for the member's service associated with
75 the task force; and
76 (ii) may receive per diem and travel expenses incurred as a member of the task force at
77 the rates established by the Division of Finance in accordance with Sections 63A-3-106 and
78 63A-3-107 and rules made by the Division of Finance pursuant to Sections 63A-3-106 and
79 63A-3-107.
80 (7) The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel shall provide staff support
81 to the task force.
82 (8) The task force shall:
83 (a) conduct appropriate consultations with tribal governments on the scope and nature
84 of the issues regarding missing and murdered indigenous women and girls;
85 (b) develop model protocols and procedures to apply to new and unsolved cases of
86 missing or murdered indigenous women and girls, including the best practices for:
87 (i) improving the way law enforcement investigators and prosecutors respond to the
88 high volume of the cases, and to the investigative challenges that might be presented in cases
89 involving female victims;
90 (ii) collecting and sharing data among various jurisdictions and law enforcement
91 agencies; and
92 (iii) better use of existing criminal databases;
93 (c) seek input from multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional persons, including
94 representatives from tribal law enforcement and federal agencies, about how to review cold
95 cases involving missing and murdered indigenous women and girls; and
96 (d) address the need for greater clarity concerning roles, authorities, and jurisdiction
97 throughout the lifecycle of cases involving missing and murdered indigenous women and girls
98 by discussing:
99 (i) best practices in cases involving missing and murdered indigenous women and girls,
100 including best practices related to communication with affected families from initiation of an
101 investigation through case resolution or closure; and
102 (ii) education and outreach campaigns for communities that are most affected by crime
103 resulting in missing and murdered indigenous women and girls to identify and reduce the
104 crime.
105 (9) (a) On or before November 30, 2020, the task force shall provide a report to the
106 Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee.
107 (b) The report shall include a summary of the task force's findings under Subsection (8)
108 and recommendations for improvements in the criminal justice and social service systems for
109 preventing and addressing crimes involving missing and murdered indigenous women and girls
110 in Utah.
111 Section 2. Appropriation.
112 The following sums of money are appropriated for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
113 2020, and ending June 30, 2021. These are additions to amounts previously appropriated for
114 fiscal year 2021. Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures
115 Act, the Legislature appropriates the following sums of money from the funds or accounts
116 indicated for the use and support of the government of the state of Utah.
117 ITEM 1
118 To Legislature - Senate
119 From General Fund, One-time
$3,200
120 Schedule of Programs:
121 Administration $3,200
122 ITEM 2
123 To Legislature - House of Representatives
124 From General Fund, One-time
$3,200
125 Schedule of Programs:
126 Administration $3,200
127 ITEM 3
128 To Legislature - Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel
129 From General Fund, One-time
$2,800
130 Schedule of Programs:
131 Administration $2,800
132 The Legislature intends that an appropriation provided under these items be used for
133 expenses relating to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Task Force as
134 described in Section 36-29-107.
135 Section 3. Repeal date.
136 Section 36-29-107 is repealed on November 30, 2020.