Problem Solving

The Not Invisible Act of 2020 Legislation

H.R. 2438, the ‘‘Not Invisible Act of 2020,’’ is a congressional act designed to address the crisis of violence and sexual violence committed against American Indian and Alaska Native men and women. The Act brings together a committee of law enforcement, tribal authorities, federal partners, and more to study and discuss solutions to the crisis of murdered and missing Indigenous women and to establish better systems of coordination.

Specifically, the Act directs BIA to appoint a federal effort coordinator to combat violence against Native people and establishes, within the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), a Joint Commission on Reducing Violent Crime Against Indians. It also creates a new position within the Interior Department dealing specifically with murder, trafficking, and missing Native Americans, and forms a new joint advisory committee between the Interior and Justice Departments to solve those issues.

The Not Invisible Act appoints BIA to coordinate prevention efforts, grants, and programs relating to murder of, trafficking of, and missing Native Americans, across various federal agencies. The coordinator reports to the Secretary of the Interior, and is directed to take into consideration the unique challenges faced by Tribal communities and works in cooperation with outside organizations to train Tribal law enforcement, Indian Health Service (IHS) providers, and other Tribal community members on identifying, responding to, and reporting on cases of missing persons, murder, and human trafficking. The coordinator also reports to Congress annually on these efforts and provides recommendations for improving coordination.