Enrolled Copy H.B. 25
1 MURDERED AND MISSING INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND
2 GIRLS TASK FORCE SUNSET EXTENSION
3 2023 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Chief Sponsor: Angela Romero
6 Senate Sponsor: David P. Hinkins
7
8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This bill amends provisions related to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women
11 and Girls Task Force.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This bill:
14 < changes the name of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Task
15 Force (task force) to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force;
16 and
17 < extends from November 30, 2023, to November 30, 2024:
18 C the repeal date for the task force; and
19 C the deadline for the required report from the task force to the Law Enforcement
20 and Criminal Justice Interim Committee.
21 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
22 None
23 Other Special Clauses:
24 None
25 Utah Code Sections Affected:
26 AMENDS:
27 36-29-107.5, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2021, Chapter 250
28 63I-2-236, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapters 97, 141, 363, 437, and 458
29
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30 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
31 Section 1. Section 36-29-107.5 is amended to read:
32 36-29-107.5. Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force -- Creation
33 -- Membership -- Quorum -- Compensation -- Staff -- Vacancies -- Duties -- Interim
34 report.
35 (1) As used in this section, "task force" means the Murdered and Missing Indigenous
36 [Women and Girls] Relatives Task Force created in Subsection (2).
37 (2) There is created the Murdered and Missing Indigenous [Women and Girls]
38 Relatives Task Force consisting of the following nine members:
39 (a) one member of the Senate appointed by the president of the Senate;
40 (b) one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the House
41 of Representatives;
42 (c) the following three members, appointed jointly by the president of the Senate and
43 the speaker of the House of Representatives:
44 (i) a member of a nonprofit organization primarily serving Utah's Native American
45 community;
46 (ii) a representative of a Utah Native American tribe; and
47 (iii) a representative of a victim advocate organization serving Utah's Native American
48 population;
49 (d) the director of the Division of Indian Affairs, or the director's designee;
50 (e) the executive director of the Department of Human Services, or the executive
51 director's designee;
52 (f) the attorney general, or the attorney general's designee; and
53 (g) the commissioner of public safety for the Department of Public Safety, or the
54 commissioner's designee.
55 (3) A vacancy in a position appointed under Subsection (2)(a), (b), or (c) shall be filled
56 by appointing a replacement member in the same manner as the member creating the vacancy
57 was appointed under Subsection (2)(a), (b), or (c).
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58 (4) (a) The member of the Senate appointed under Subsection (2)(a) is a cochair of the
59 task force.
60 (b) The member of the House of Representatives appointed under Subsection (2)(b) is
61 a cochair of the task force.
62 (5) (a) A quorum consists of five members.
63 (b) The action of a majority of a quorum constitutes an action of the task force.
64 (6) (a) Salaries and expenses of the members of the task force who are legislators shall
65 be paid in accordance with Section 36-2-2 and Legislative Joint Rules, Title 5, Chapter 3,
66 Legislator Compensation.
67 (b) A member of the task force who is not a legislator:
68 (i) may not receive compensation or benefits for the member's service associated with
69 the task force; and
70 (ii) may receive per diem and travel expenses incurred as a member of the task force at
71 the rates the Division of Finance establishes in accordance with:
72 (A) Sections 63A-3-106 and 63A-3-107; and
73 (B) rules the Division of Finance makes in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
74 Administrative Rulemaking Act, to carry out the provisions of Sections 63A-3-106 and
75 63A-3-107.
76 (7) The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel shall provide staff support
77 to the task force.
78 (8) The task force shall:
79 (a) conduct appropriate consultations with tribal governments on the scope and nature
80 of the issues regarding murdered and missing indigenous women and girls;
81 (b) develop model protocols and procedures to apply to new and unsolved cases of
82 murdered or missing indigenous women and girls, including the best practices for:
83 (i) improving the way law enforcement investigators and prosecutors respond to the
84 high volume of the cases, and to the investigative challenges that might be presented in cases
85 involving female victims;
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86 (ii) collecting and sharing data among various jurisdictions and law enforcement
87 agencies; and
88 (iii) better use of existing criminal databases;
89 (c) seek input from multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional persons, including
90 representatives from tribal law enforcement and federal agencies, about how to review cold
91 cases involving murdered and missing indigenous women and girls; and
92 (d) address the need for greater clarity concerning roles, authorities, and jurisdiction
93 throughout the lifecycle of cases involving murdered and missing indigenous women and girls,
94 by discussing:
95 (i) best practices in cases involving murdered and missing indigenous women and girls,
96 including best practices related to communication with affected families from initiation of an
97 investigation through case resolution or closure; and
98 (ii) education and outreach campaigns for communities that are most affected by crime
99 resulting in murdered and missing indigenous women and girls, to identify and reduce the
100 crime.
101 (9) (a) On or before November 30, [2023] 2024, the task force shall provide a report to
102 the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee.
103 (b) The report described in Subsection (9)(a) shall include a summary of the task
104 force's findings under Subsection (8) and recommendations for improvements in the criminal
105 justice and social service systems for preventing and addressing crimes involving murdered and
106 missing indigenous women and girls in the state.
107 Section 2. Section 63I-2-236 is amended to read:
108 63I-2-236. Repeal dates: Title 36.
109 (1) Section 36-12-8.2 is repealed July 1, 2023.
110 (2) Section 36-29-107.5 is repealed on November 30, [2023] 2024.
111 (3) Section 36-29-109 is repealed on November 30, 2027.
112 (4) Section 36-29-110 is repealed on November 30, 2024.
113 (5) Section 36-29-111 is repealed April 30, 2023.
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114 (6) The following sections regarding the State Flag Task Force are repealed on January
115 1, 2024:
116 (a) Section 36-29-201;
117 (b) Section 36-29-202; and
118 (c) Section 36-29-203.
119 (7) Title 36, Chapter 29, Part 3, Mental Illness Psychotherapy Drug Task Force, is
120 repealed December 31, 2023.
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Statutes affected: Introduced: 36-29-107.5, 63I-2-236, 36-12-8.2, 36-29-109, 36-29-110, 36-29-111
Enrolled: 36-29-107.5, 63I-2-236, 36-12-8.2, 36-29-109, 36-29-110, 36-29-111