BREAKING: Cortez Masto’s Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Public Safety in Indian Country Unanimously Passes Senate

Washington, D.C. - Bipartisan legislation to strengthen Tribal public safety led by U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz), and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) 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).

"Since my time as Nevada's Attorney General, I have worked closely with law enforcement to keep families safe in every corner of the Silver State, including in Indian Country," said Senator Cortez Masto. "It is past time to get this bipartisan legislation across the finish line to provide Tribes with the resources they need to protect their communities. I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to quickly send this bill to the President's desk."

"The BADGES for Native Communities Act will help improve and increase resources for Tribal law enforcement," said Senator Hoeven. "By enabling the BIA to conduct its own background checks on law enforcement applicants, this legislation gives Tribes critical tools to address staffing shortages. This not only enhances public safety within Tribal communities but also helps ensure offenders are held accountable, empowering Tribes to better protect their citizens and uphold justice."

Specifically, the BADGES for Native Communities Act 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.

Senator Cortez Masto's Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation Water Rights Settlement Act also passed in the Senate yesterday. This bipartisan legislation will allow the Tribes to finally collect over $5 million in interest they are owed for their 2009 water rights settlement.

The BADGES for Native Communities Act is part of Senator Cortez Masto's response to the 2023 Not Invisible Act Commission Report, which gave recommendations to lawmakers and the federal government to combat the MMIW crisis. The commission's report was mandated by Cortez Masto's bipartisan Not Invisible Act, which was signed into law in 2020. Following the report, Cortez Masto has pushed her Tribal Warrant Fairness Act and her Tribal Access to Electronic Evidence Act, both of which contain Tribal public safety measures endorsed by the commission. The Not Invisible Act Commission Report was removed from the Department of Justice website more than 300 days ago by the Trump administration and has not been restored. Beyond public safety, Cortez Masto has pushed to better health care, maintain voting rights, and deliver tax parity for Tribes.

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