{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=F7A2992A-20AF-4C85-8047-BA8CF57261A7", "New Heitkamp Podcast Tackles Issue of Missing and Murdered Native Women", "2017-11-02", "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 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. They focused on tackling the problem of missing and murdered Native American women, which has plagued indigenous communities in North Dakota and across the country.\r\nHeitkamp first interviewed Lisa Brunner, Co-Director of Indigenous Women's Human Rights Collective Inc., and Policy Consultant to Sacred Spirits First Nations Coalition. Lisa advocates for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking, and has worked in the field for more than 17 years. Lisa is a member of the White Earth Ojibwe Nation and lives on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Minnesota. Their conversation focused on the historical factors that led to today\u2019s crisis, and explored policy options to address it.\r\nHeitkamp then interviewed Sadie Young Bird, Director of Three Affiliated Tribes Victim Services which empowers individuals who are abused, victimized, in economic distress, and in need of resources or emotional support. Sadie is an enrolled member of the MHA Nation and lives on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota and shared her personal experiences with women who have gone missing and been murdered, and the struggle to bring them justice.\r\n\u201cThere is a hidden epidemic of missing and murdered Native American women in America, and it doesn\u2019t get nearly enough attention or resources to combat it,\u201d said Heitkamp, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. \u201cEvery day I come to work in the U.S. Senate, I think about women and girls like Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, who were so needlessly and tragically lost. One idea I\u2019ve put forward is a bill called Savanna\u2019s Act, which aims to help tackle these challenges and improve cooperation among law enforcement agencies at all levels. We must raise awareness about this horrible epidemic to create change and fight for justice and to keep our Native communities \u2013 and every community \u2013 strong and safe.\u201d\r\n\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\u00a0\r\nOn some reservations, Native women are murdered at\u00a010 times the national average, and\u00a084 percent of Native women have experienced violence\u00a0in their lifetime. 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.\r\nIn the podcast, Lisa Brunner called for a national inquiry - similar to what the Canadian government undertook to look at this issue among women and children from their First Nations - with listening sessions and field hearings to get a holistic view of jurisdictional challenges and other barriers to keeping Native populations safe. When federal laws and policies prevent tribal law enforcement from holding non-Natives accountable, she said, it sends the wrong signal to would-be criminals.\r\nSadie Young Bird discussed her personal experience with violence against indigenous women. Sadie\u2019s best friend went missing and was later found murdered, motivating Sadie\u2019s fight to help other women and their families. Sadie called for greater cooperation between tribal and non-tribal law enforcement agencies, an issue that is addressed in Heitkamp\u2019s legislation, Savanna\u2019s Act.\u00a0\r\nNamed for Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, who was abducted and tragically killed in Fargo in August, Savanna\u2019s Act builds on a bill Heitkamp introduced earlier this year to\u00a0expand Amber alert warnings\u00a0in Indian Country \u2013 where such alerts often do not exist or are not tied in to statewide or regional alert systems \u2013 to help stop abductions. Savanna\u2019s Act received a hearing in the Indian Affairs committee last week. Click here\u00a0for a fact sheet on the legislation.\r\nHeitkamp also\u00a0launched 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.\r\nHeitkamp kicked off her podcast in February with an episode on her efforts to combat human trafficking, interviewing anti-human trafficking leader Cindy McCain and North Dakota journalist Kevin Wallevand. Since then, Heitkamp\u2019s podcast has covered a wide range of topics, including negotiations for the next Farm Bill, the role of moderates in Congress, U.S.-Russia relations, health care, her bipartisan bill that would promote carbon capture, the role of refugees and immigrants in our communities, and the threat posed by North Korea.\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\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=F7A2992A-20AF-4C85-8047-BA8CF57261A7"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4534499496221542, "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"}