Gallego Applauds Senate Passage of Bill to Strengthen Public Safety in Indian Country

WASHINGTON - Bipartisan legislation to strengthen Tribal public safety led by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) unanimously passed the Senate. The Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act would support the recruitment and retention of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) law enforcement officers, bolster federal missing persons resources, and give Tribes and states tools to combat the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW).

"Too often, cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women go unsolved because Tribal law enforcement lacks the staffing and resources they need to investigate these cases. The BADGES for Native Communities Act provides Tribal police with more tools to recruit, train, and retain officers and solve this crisis," said Senator Gallego. "I'm proud to work with my colleagues across the aisle to get this bill passed in the Senate, and I urge the House to move quickly so that Tribal communities can get the resources they need to keep communities safe."

Then-Representative Gallego led the BADGES for Native Communities Act in the House. The legislation would:

• Increase Tribal access to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) by requiring Tribal facilitators to conduct ongoing Tribal outreach and serve as a point of contact for Tribes and law enforcement agencies, as well as conduct training and information gathering to improve the resolution of missing persons cases;
• Require a comprehensive report on Tribal law enforcement needs;
• Allow the BIA to conduct its own background checks for law enforcement officer applicants to speed up and improve officer recruitment;
• Establish a grant program to help states, Tribes, and Tribal organizations coordinate efforts related to missing and murdered persons cases and sexual assault cases; and
• Ensure BIA officers and Tribal police have access to culturally appropriate mental health and wellness programs.

12/15/25