{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=B80A2612-BA2E-4B76-91A2-BFD1F6111AD9", "Heitkamp Shines Light on Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women with #NotInvisible during Native American Heritage Month", "2017-11-29", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today recognized Native American Heritage Month and launched a social media campaign to raise awareness about the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and bring it out of the shadows.\r\nHeitkamp is encouraging Native women, their families, advocates, and others to show their support and help raise awareness about this epidemic by posting a photo holding a sheet of paper with #NotInvisible. Click here for video of Heitkamp discussing the initiative.\r\nAcross the country, 84 percent of Native American women experience some kind of violence in their lifetime, and on some reservations, Native American women are murdered at 10 times the national average. 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\u2019t officially collected.\u00a0\r\n\u201cNative American Heritage Month is a time to reflect on the history and traditions of Native Americans, and it\u2019s also a reminder that indigenous populations face many challenges that urgently require awareness and solutions,\u201d Heitkamp said. \u201cFolks in Indian Country across our nation know all too well about the epidemic of missing and murdered Native women as so many of them are directly impacted by it every day. But outside those communities and reservations, the issue lacks the awareness it deserves. With this effort, we\u2019re standing with Native women, their families, advocates, and supporters to bring this crisis out of the shadows and say that Native women are not invisible. Only once we raise awareness about this epidemic can we then help implement solutions to stop these tragedies from occurring. This is a crisis that requires more federal resources and attention, which is why I\u2019ve introduced Savanna\u2019s Act to keep our Native women and girls \u2013 and all of our communities \u2013 strong and safe.\u201d\r\nHeitkamp introduced Savanna\u2019s Act in October. It has received bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate and already received a hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.\u00a0 Click here for a fact sheet on Savanna\u2019s Act.\u00a0\r\nToday, U.S. Representatives Norma Torres (D-CA) and Tom Cole (R-OK) will introduce companion legislation in the House of Representatives.\r\nHeitkamp launched a website with key resources and information on missing and murdered indigenous women, including offering steps to take if you know or suspect a person has gone missing by force. Click here for more information.\u00a0\r\nHeitkamp has also featured the stories of missing and murdered women on her Facebook page to raise awareness about the crisis. Click here to read their stories.\r\nEarlier this month, Heitkamp released the latest episode of her podcast, \u201cThe Hotdish,\u201d interviewing two experts and advocates who have dedicated their lives to helping indigenous women overcome obstacles and hardship. Click here for details. \u201cThe Hotdish\u201d is available on iTunes and SoundCloud, as well as on Heitkamp\u2019s Senate website. Click here to subscribe to \u201cThe Hotdish\u201d on iTunes. \u00a0\r\nBackground\r\nHeitkamp has long worked to stop violence, exploitation, and trafficking of Native women and children by:\r\n\r\n \r\nCombating human trafficking in Indian Country.\u00a0Heitkamp held an initial Senate hearing in\u00a0September 2013\u00a0on stopping human trafficking with a focus on Indian Country. She has worked closely with Cindy McCain, a global leader in the effort to stop human trafficking. McCain testified at a Senate hearing earlier this month on human trafficking in Indian Country and highlighted Heitkamp\u2019s work on the issue. In 2015, Heitkamp brought Cindy McCain\u00a0to Fort Berthold, to talk about how to combat human trafficking. In September, Heitkamp\u00a0called forfederal agencies and organizations to provide specific training on human trafficking to federal government employees in Indian Country. Heitkamp also played a key role in passing\u00a0bipartisan legislation\u00a0in 2015 to fight human trafficking, and introduced\u00a0multiple\u00a0other\u00a0bills on the issue.\r\n \r\n \r\nCalling for a permanent federal law enforcement presence in Indian Country.\u00a0When she served as North Dakota\u2019s Attorney General and now as a U.S. senator, Heitkamp has worked to raise awareness about the need for a permanent federal law enforcement presence across Indian Country. In 2016, she\u00a0brought then-Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James B. Comey to Fort Berthold\u00a0to press him on the issue. Just a few weeks ago, Heitkamp spoke with the current FBI director about law enforcement challenges in Indian Country and pressed the agency to make these issues a priority.\r\n \r\n \r\nProtecting Native women from violence.\u00a0In the U.S. Senate, Heitkamp has built on her work as North Dakota\u2019s Attorney General to combat domestic violence. The first bill she cosponsored was the\u00a0reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which she then played a major role in passing in 2013. Heitkamp worked to include a key provision in the bill to address the continuing crisis of violence against women in tribal communities. The provision strengthens the existing programs and provides tribal governments the force they need to prosecute non-Indian perpetrators who commit these crimes on tribal land.\r\n \r\n \r\nKeeping communities strong and safe.\u00a0Through her\u00a0Strong & Safe Communities Initiative, which Heitkamp\u00a0launched\u00a0in September 2014, she has worked to address the emerging challenges in North Dakota as a result of the state\u2019s population boom, including crime, exploitation, and trafficking issues in Indian Country.\r\n \r\n\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=B80A2612-BA2E-4B76-91A2-BFD1F6111AD9"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2090490199625492, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}