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8 LONG TITLE
9 Committee Note:
10 The Native American Legislative Liaison Committee recommended this bill.
11 Legislative Vote: 10 voting for 0 voting against 1 absent
12 General Description:
13 This bill amends provisions related to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women
14 and Girls Task Force.
15 Highlighted Provisions:
16 This bill:
17 ▸ changes the name of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Task
18 Force (task force) to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force;
19 and
20 ▸ extends from November 30, 2023, to November 30, 2024:
21 • the repeal date for the task force; and
22 • the deadline for the required report from the task force to the Law Enforcement
23 and Criminal Justice Interim Committee.
24 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
25 None
26 Other Special Clauses:
27 None
28 Utah Code Sections Affected:
29 AMENDS:
30 36-29-107.5, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2021, Chapter 250
31 63I-2-236, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapters 97, 141, 363, 437, and 458
32
33 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
34 Section 1. Section 36-29-107.5 is amended to read:
35 36-29-107.5. Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force -- Creation
36 -- Membership -- Quorum -- Compensation -- Staff -- Vacancies -- Duties -- Interim
37 report.
38 (1) As used in this section, "task force" means the Murdered and Missing Indigenous
39 [
40 (2) There is created the Murdered and Missing Indigenous [
41 Relatives Task Force consisting of the following nine members:
42 (a) one member of the Senate appointed by the president of the Senate;
43 (b) one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the House
44 of Representatives;
45 (c) the following three members, appointed jointly by the president of the Senate and
46 the speaker of the House of Representatives:
47 (i) a member of a nonprofit organization primarily serving Utah's Native American
48 community;
49 (ii) a representative of a Utah Native American tribe; and
50 (iii) a representative of a victim advocate organization serving Utah's Native American
51 population;
52 (d) the director of the Division of Indian Affairs, or the director's designee;
53 (e) the executive director of the Department of Human Services, or the executive
54 director's designee;
55 (f) the attorney general, or the attorney general's designee; and
56 (g) the commissioner of public safety for the Department of Public Safety, or the
57 commissioner's designee.
58 (3) A vacancy in a position appointed under Subsection (2)(a), (b), or (c) shall be filled
59 by appointing a replacement member in the same manner as the member creating the vacancy
60 was appointed under Subsection (2)(a), (b), or (c).
61 (4) (a) The member of the Senate appointed under Subsection (2)(a) is a cochair of the
62 task force.
63 (b) The member of the House of Representatives appointed under Subsection (2)(b) is
64 a cochair of the task force.
65 (5) (a) A quorum consists of five members.
66 (b) The action of a majority of a quorum constitutes an action of the task force.
67 (6) (a) Salaries and expenses of the members of the task force who are legislators shall
68 be paid in accordance with Section 36-2-2 and Legislative Joint Rules, Title 5, Chapter 3,
69 Legislator Compensation.
70 (b) A member of the task force who is not a legislator:
71 (i) may not receive compensation or benefits for the member's service associated with
72 the task force; and
73 (ii) may receive per diem and travel expenses incurred as a member of the task force at
74 the rates the Division of Finance establishes in accordance with:
75 (A) Sections 63A-3-106 and 63A-3-107; and
76 (B) rules the Division of Finance makes in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
77 Administrative Rulemaking Act, to carry out the provisions of Sections 63A-3-106 and
78 63A-3-107.
79 (7) The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel shall provide staff support
80 to the task force.
81 (8) The task force shall:
82 (a) conduct appropriate consultations with tribal governments on the scope and nature
83 of the issues regarding murdered and missing indigenous women and girls;
84 (b) develop model protocols and procedures to apply to new and unsolved cases of
85 murdered or missing indigenous women and girls, including the best practices for:
86 (i) improving the way law enforcement investigators and prosecutors respond to the
87 high volume of the cases, and to the investigative challenges that might be presented in cases
88 involving female victims;
89 (ii) collecting and sharing data among various jurisdictions and law enforcement
90 agencies; and
91 (iii) better use of existing criminal databases;
92 (c) seek input from multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional persons, including
93 representatives from tribal law enforcement and federal agencies, about how to review cold
94 cases involving murdered and missing indigenous women and girls; and
95 (d) address the need for greater clarity concerning roles, authorities, and jurisdiction
96 throughout the lifecycle of cases involving murdered and missing indigenous women and girls,
97 by discussing:
98 (i) best practices in cases involving murdered and missing indigenous women and girls,
99 including best practices related to communication with affected families from initiation of an
100 investigation through case resolution or closure; and
101 (ii) education and outreach campaigns for communities that are most affected by crime
102 resulting in murdered and missing indigenous women and girls, to identify and reduce the
103 crime.
104 (9) (a) On or before November 30, [
105 the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee.
106 (b) The report described in Subsection (9)(a) shall include a summary of the task
107 force's findings under Subsection (8) and recommendations for improvements in the criminal
108 justice and social service systems for preventing and addressing crimes involving murdered and
109 missing indigenous women and girls, in the state.
110 Section 2. Section 63I-2-236 is amended to read:
111 63I-2-236. Repeal dates: Title 36.
112 (1) Section 36-12-8.2 is repealed July 1, 2023.
113 (2) Section 36-29-107.5 is repealed on November 30, [
114 (3) Section 36-29-109 is repealed on November 30, 2027.
115 (4) Section 36-29-110 is repealed on November 30, 2024.
116 (5) Section 36-29-111 is repealed April 30, 2023.
117 (6) The following sections regarding the State Flag Task Force are repealed on January
118 1, 2024:
119 (a) Section 36-29-201;
120 (b) Section 36-29-202; and
121 (c) Section 36-29-203.
122 (7) Title 36, Chapter 29, Part 3, Mental Illness Psychotherapy Drug Task Force, is
123 repealed December 31, 2023.