Dear Tribal Leader Letter: Not Invisible Act Commission Tribal Consultation

Dear Tribal Leader Letter

Dates: August 02, 2021 9:00pm to 9:00pm

Dear Tribal Leader:

The U.S. Department of the Interior (Department), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking Tribal and stakeholder input related to the implementation of the Not Invisible Act of 2019 (Act). The Act aims to increase intergovernmental coordination to identify and combat violent crime on Indian lands and against Indians. See Pub. L. No. 116-166, 134 Stat. 766 (2020).1 Section 4 of the Act requires the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the Attorney General, to establish a joint Commission on reducing violent crime against Indians.

The Department wishes to consult with Tribal governments to solicit input on the formation of the Commission and what the Commission should consider when developing recommendation s that will have lasting imp acts on Indian Country and further address the missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis. Consultation will increase transparency of the Commission' s work, solicit information from Tribal stakeholders and provide direction to the Commission as it addresses additional issues identified in the Not Invisible Act in an effort to combat the missing and murdered indigenous people crisis.

The questions enclosed with this letter will be presented to Tribal governments to facilitate discussion during consultation.

The Department will conduct four webinar consultation sessions and will accept both oral and written comments. Please register in advance for any consultation session you plan on attending. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. A public meeting will be held immediately following each consultation session. The consultation schedule is as follows:

Friday, September 10, 2021
2 p.m. - 4 p.m. ET Please register in advance at:
bia.gov/consultation-listening-session/not-invisible-act-implementation-1

You may provide your written input to consultation@ bia.gov by Friday, September 17, 2021. I look forward to speaking with you. If you have any questions regarding this effort, please feel free to contact Heidi Todacheene , Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs at heidi_todacheene@ios.doi.gov or (202) 208-7163.

Sincerely,
Bryan Newland
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs

Enclosure

Questions for Tribal Consultation on the Not Invisible Act of2019

1. The Act identifies recommendations that the Commission should provide to the Secretary and the Attorney General on actions the Federal Government can take to help combat violent crime against Indians and within Indian lands. See Sec. 4(c)(2)(A) of the Act.
   1. What, from these topics, is a priority that would most benefit your Tribe and/or community?
   2. Are there other topics related to the Commission's objectives that you wish the Commission to consider?
2. Implementation of the Act requires that the Commission include representation from and coordination across several federal agencies. 2
   1. Are there agencies, bureaus, offices, or programs you believe should be represented on the Commission that are not listed in the Act?
   2. Are there agencies, bureaus, offices, or programs that may not be represented on the Commission but that you believe the Commission should otherwise coordinate with or obtain input from?
   3. If so, please identify these agency, bureaus, offices, or programs.
3. The Act lists categories of individuals from outside the Federal Government to be represented on the Commission.3
   1. Are there other categories of individuals you believe should be represented on the Commission that are not listed in the Act?
   2. Do you have any recommendations on how best to identify and reach out to individuals from any of the listed categories?

2 The Act lists the following federal agencies and offices: the U.S. Department of the Interior (including the Office of Justice Services of the Bureau of Indian Affairs), the U.S. Department of Justice (including the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, the Office of Violence Against Women, the Office of Victims of Crime, a U.S. attorney's office with related experience, and the National Institute of Justice), the Victim Services Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Health and Human Services (including the Administration for Native Americans of the Office of the Administration for Children & Families, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Indian Health Service). See Section 4(b)(2)(B), (D)-(J), (R)-(S) of the Act.

3 The Act lists the following categories of individuals from outside the Federal Government: Tribal law enforcement; a Tribal judge with experience in cases related to missing persons, murder, or trafficking; not fewer than 3 national, regional, or urban Indian organizations focused on violence against women and children on Indian lands or against Indians; at least 2 Indian survivors of human trafficking; at least 2 family members of missing Indian people; and at least 2 family members of murdered Indian people. See Section 4(b)(2)(A),(K), (N)-(Q) of the Act. (Remaining categories will be selected based on Tribal nominations in accordance with the Act.)