Savanna’s Act Hearing Held in Washington, D.C.

If is named for Savanna Greywind of Fargo

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Savanna’s Act gets a hearing at the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C.

The bipartisan bill was introduced by Senator Heidi Heitkamp to help address the epidemic of missing and murdered Native American women.

If is named for Savanna Greywind of Fargo.

The eight months pregnant woman was kidnapped and killed in August.

Two of her neighbors are charged in her death after Savanna’s baby was found in their apartment.

The executive director of the Native Women’s Society of the Great Plains talked about the need for new laws to protect Native women and girls.

“These bills remove certain barriers and they increase the ability of Indian tribes to respond to these crimes and provide new options for federal law enforcement agencies to respond to violence against Native women,” said Carmen O’Leary, who is the executive director of the Native Women’s Society of the Great Plains.

In 2016, North Dakota had 125 reported cases of missing Native women according to the National Crime Information Center, but numbers are likely much higher as cases are often under reported and data isn’t officially collected.