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MURDERED AND MISSING INDIGENOUS WOMEN, GIRLS,

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AND LGBTQ+ TASK FORCE

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2020 GENERAL SESSION

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STATE OF UTAH

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Chief Sponsor: Angela Romero

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Senate Sponsor: David P. Hinkins

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8     LONG TITLE
9     General Description:
10          This bill creates the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and LGBTQ+
11     Task Force.
12     Highlighted Provisions:
13          This bill:
14          ▸     creates the task force; and
15          ▸     specifies duties of the task force.
16     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
17          This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2021:
18          ▸     to the Legislature - Senate as a one-time appropriation:
19               •     from the General Fund, $20,000;
20          ▸     to the Legislature - House of Representatives as a one-time appropriation:
21               •     from the General Fund, $20,000.
22     Other Special Clauses:
23          This bill provides a repeal date.
24     Utah Code Sections Affected:
25     ENACTS:
26          36-29-107, Utah Code Annotated 1953
27     


28     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
29          Section 1. Section 36-29-107 is enacted to read:
30          36-29-107. Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and LGBTQ+ Task
31     Force -- Creation -- Membership -- Quorum -- Compensation -- Staff -- Vacancies --
32     Duties -- Interim Report.
33          (1) As used in this section, "task force" means the Murdered and Missing Indigenous
34     Women, Girls, and LGBTQ+ Task Force created in Subsection (2).
35          (2) There is created a Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and LGBTQ+
36     Task Force consisting of the following 15 members:
37          (a) three members of the Senate appointed by the president of the Senate, no more than
38     two of whom may be from the same political party;
39          (b) three members of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the
40     House of Representatives, no more than two of whom may be from the same political party;
41          (c) the following eight members, appointed jointly by the president of the Senate and
42     the speaker of the House of Representatives:
43          (i) a member of a nonprofit organization primarily serving Utah's Native American
44     community;
45          (ii) a representative of a Utah Native American tribe;
46          (iii) a representative of a victim advocate organization serving Utah's Native American
47     population;
48          (iv) A Utah Native American Tribal Judge;
49          (v) a Native American woman or Native American LGBTQ+ survivor of gender
50     violence;
51          (vi) a researcher from the University of Utah;
52          (vii) a sheriff of a county that:
53          (A) is not a county of the first or second class; and
54          (B) has, within its boundaries, a federally recognized Native American tribe; and
55          (viii) a representative of the Department of Public Safety; and
56          (d) a representative in Utah of a federal law enforcement agency invited to participate
57     by the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives.
58          (3) (a) A vacancy shall be filled by appointing or inviting a replacement member in the

59     same manner as the member creating the vacancy was appointed or invited under Subsection
60     (2).
61          (b) Each member of the task force shall serve until a successor is appointed or invited
62     and qualified.
63          (4) (a) The president of the Senate shall designate a member of the Senate appointed
64     under Subsection (2)(a) as a cochair of the task force.
65          (b) The speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate a member of the House
66     of Representatives appointed under Subsection (2)(b) as a cochair of the task force.
67          (5) (a) A quorum consists of:
68          (i) a majority of the legislator members from each chamber; and
69          (ii) a majority of the nonlegislator members.
70          (b) The action of a majority of a quorum constitutes an action of the task force.
71          (6) (a) Salaries and expenses of the members of the task force who are legislators shall
72     be paid in accordance with Section 36-2-2 and Legislative Joint Rules, Title 5, Chapter 3,
73     Legislator Compensation.
74          (b) A member of the task force who is not a legislator:
75          (i) may not receive compensation or benefits for the member's service associated with
76     the task force; and
77          (ii) may receive per diem and travel expenses incurred as a member of the task force at
78     the rates established by the Division of Finance in accordance with Sections 63A-3-106 and
79     63A-3-107 and rules made by the Division of Finance pursuant to Sections 63A-3-106 and
80     63A-3-107.
81          (7) The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel shall provide staff support
82     to the task force.
83          (8) The task force shall:
84          (a) identify the systemic causes behind violence that indigenous women, girls, and
85     LGBTQ+ experience, including patterns and underlying factors that explain why
86     disproportionately high levels of violence occur against indigenous women, girls, and
87     LGBTQ+, including underlying historical, social, economic, institutional, and cultural factors
88     which may contribute to the violence;
89          (b) identify gaps in local, state, and federal law enforcement agency data collection

90     related to missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and LGBTQ+;
91          (c) study an effective mechanism for law enforcement in Utah to collect uniform data
92     improvements for law enforcement in addressing the murdered and missing indigenous
93     women, girls, and LGBTQ+ crisis in Utah; and
94          (d) based on review and analysis of the collected data, recommend improvements in
95     the criminal justice and social service systems for preventing and addressing the murdered and
96     missing indigenous women, girls, and LGBTQ+ crisis in Utah.
97          (9) (a) On or before November 30, 2020, the task force shall provide a report, including
98     any proposed legislation, to the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee.
99          (b) The report shall include:
100          (i) existing or proposed institutional policies and practices that are effective in reducing
101     gender violence and increasing safety of indigenous women, girls, and LGBTQ+; and
102          (ii) recommendations for improvements in the criminal justice and social service
103     systems for preventing and addressing the murdered and missing indigenous women, girls, and
104     LGBTQ+ crisis in Utah.
105          Section 2. Appropriation.
106          The following sums of money are appropriated for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
107     2020, and ending June 30, 2021. These are additions to amounts previously appropriated for
108     fiscal year 2021. Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures
109     Act, the Legislature appropriates the following sums of money from the funds or accounts
110     indicated for the use and support of the government of the state of Utah.
111     ITEM 1
112          To Legislature - Senate
113               From General Fund, One-time
$20,000

114               Schedule of Programs:
115                    Administration                    $20,000
116     ITEM 2
117          To Legislature - House of Representatives
118               From General Fund, One-time
$20,000

119               Schedule of Programs:
120                    Administration                    $20,000

121          The Legislature intends that an appropriation provided under these items be used for
122     expenses relating to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and LGBTQ+ Task
123     Force as described in Section 36-29-107.
124          Section 3. Repeal date.
125          Section 36-29-107 is repealed on November 30, 2020.