State-Tribal Relations Committee

State-Tribal Relations Committee Tweaks Legislative Proposals in May; Will Review Again in July

Committee: State-Tribal Relations Committee
Author: Hope Stockwell
Posted on May 18, 2018


Imae of a fence post and field and Montana sky

The State-Tribal Relations Committee (STRC) tweaked a package of legislative proposals at its May meeting in Great Falls and scheduled a conference call for July 6 to review them again.

The committee developed five proposals related to missing persons based on recommendations the Department of Justice (DOJ) made at the STRC’s March meeting for filling gaps in existing programs. They include:

  • clarifying that DOJ has authority to assist with all missing persons investigations, not just those involving children, and creating the position of a missing persons specialist at DOJ
  • providing guidance on which law enforcement authority should file a report when a person is reported missing
  • proposing a study of options to break the runaway cycle for the 2019-2020 interim
  • requiring a missing persons report to be filed if a child's location is unknown in a custodial interference case
  • allowing student directory photos to be collected by the Superintendent of Public Instruction so that a photo could be shared with law enforcement if a child goes missing

The STRC will also take another look in July at a proposal to create a cultural programming grant to support reentry programs that serve American Indian offenders via traditional practices to reduce recidivism and improve community reintegration rates. A second proposal would dedicate a percentage of supportive housing grants to programs serving American Indians. Both proposals grew out of the STRC’s Senate Joint Resolution 3 (2017) study discussion of increasing access to reentry resources from tribal members on parole and probation.

Another proposal to be discussed in July is a state match of federal funding for schools serving English Learners. These are students who struggle to read and write in English and have another language of impact spoken at home.  Nearly 70% of Montana’s roughly 3,000 English Learners are American Indian. Schools in Montana currently receive about $500,000 in federal funds for their work with these students. The STRC will look at options for a 1:1 or 1:2 match.

The STRC will also consider bill drafts to extend the Cultural Integrity and Commitment Act, which supports Indian language immersion programs at public schools, and the Montana Indian language preservation program, which funnels grants through the Department of Commerce to support tribes’ language preservation efforts. Both are scheduled to expire on June 30, 2019.

On May 9, the STRC met with representatives of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigations to discuss questions about criminal jurisdiction and enforcement in Indian Country related to drug abuse, missing persons, human trafficking, and violence against women. The committee agreed to draft a letter relating its concerns about enforcement to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which did not attend the meeting. The letter will be reviewed at the July meeting.

The committee approved sending a separate letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Chairman John Hoeven in support of S. 1870 and S. 1942. The first seeks to set aside 5% of the federal Crime Victims Fund for tribally run victim assistance programs. The latter directs the U.S. attorney general to improve data collection and sharing related to cases of missing and murdered Indian women and to review existing protocols and improve interjurisdictional cooperation, response rates, and follow-up to such cases.

Materials for the July 6 meeting will be available on the committee’s website approximately 2 weeks in advance. The public is invited to comment on any of the proposals. Persons wishing to comment may attend the meeting in person in Room 102 of the Capitol or e-mail their comments in advance to hstockwell@mt.gov.

Senate members of the STRC are Jen Gross (D-Billings), Steve Hinebauch (R-Wibaux), Jason Small (R-Busby), and Frank Smith (D-Poplar). House members of the STRC are Alan Doane (Vice Chair, R-Bloomfield), James O'Hara (R-Fort Benton), Rae Peppers (D-Lame Deer), and Sharon Stewart-Peregoy (Chair, D-Crow Agency).

For more information, visit the committee’s website or contact Hope Stockwell, committee staff.

Committee Website: www.leg.mt.gov/tribal
Committee Staff: hstockwell@mt.gov or 406-444-9280