Over the past two years, the Not Invisible Act Commission held seven in-person hearings across the United States and one virtual national hearing.
They received testimony from 260 individuals, including victims, survivors, and family members.
Tribal programs are “chronically underfunded” and the current federal funding for criminal justice is not enough, the commission said.
One of the recommendations is for federal agencies to declare a “Decade of Action and Healing,” which involves partnering with tribal entities with the goal of improving justice through increased funding, policy reform and training.
The report is valuable because it shares the experience of survivors, families and all entities, said commission member and former chairwoman of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Janet Davis.
The crisis of missing and murdered Native Americans is affecting her tribe, Davis said.
“We have an unsolved case right now, the young girl Anna Scott that was shot and burned in her vehicle, up on the 580 freeway. My niece was murdered in front of her children in her house. It affects a lot of people on a bunch of different levels and right here at home, where you would think in our small community, it wouldn't happen, but it's happened,” she said.
Many of these cases go unreported or there’s not enough data, she said.
Davis hopes the federal government will use these recommendations consistently to help protect Native communities across the country.
Federal agencies have 90 days to respond to the report and recommendations.
