Rep. Rae Peppers Unveils Bill Package to Seek Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

HELENA—Today, Rep. Rae Peppers (HD-82, Helena) was joined by Governor Steve Bullock, House Democratic leadership, and family members of missing and murdered Indigenous women to announce her bill package to seek justice for Native women in Montana.

Rep. Rae Peppers is the primary sponsor for Hanna’s Act, H.B. 21, which would require the Department of Justice to employ a missing persons specialist to assist county, state, municipal, and tribal law enforcement agencies in pursuing missing persons cases. Hanna’s Act is named for Hanna Harris, a member of the Cheyenne tribe, whose 2013 murder prompted a massive organizing effort and calls for justice for missing and murdered indigenous women.

“The lives and safety of Native women cannot be put on the back burner any longer,” said Rep. Rae Peppers. “Too many of our sisters, mothers, and daughters have been left behind by our legal system. This isn’t just an Indian Country problem, this is a Montana problem—and the time for action is now.”

Rep. Peppers is also sponsoring H.B. 20 and H.B. 54, which would make fixes to the missing persons report system and expedite the report process.

“The devastating epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women could not be more urgent,” said House Democratic Leader Rep. Casey Schreiner. “Getting justice for these missing Montanans and their families is one of our top priorities. Democrats in the Legislature will not stop working until we get these bills across the finish line and deliver on our promises to Indian Country.”

Hanna Harris’s mother, Malinda Limberhand, joined Rep. Peppers to talk about her painful experiences with the legal system when Hanna went missing.

“I’m just a regular person,” said Malinda Limberhand, mother of Hanna Harris. “I had to lose my daughter in order to get here for my voice to be heard. But now that I’m here, I’m standing here wanting justice—not just for my daughter, but for all the Native Americans in the state of Montana, whether they be on or off the reservation.”

Indian Caucus: “Native American women are more likely to go missing, more likely to be murdered..."

HELENA—This week, the Montana Legislature will be considering several bills that address the devastating epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women. In advance of Wednesday’s Judiciary Committee hearings on key legislation like Hanna’s Act, the Indian Caucus highlighted the urgency of seeking justice for Native American women and children in Montana.

Rep. Rae Peppers (HD-41) and Rep. Sharon Stewart-Peregoy (HD-42) have led the charge on introducing legislation to require municipal, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement to coordinate their efforts to find murdered and missing Indigenous women.

Read more below:

Great Falls Tribune: Indian Caucus seeks justice for Native women

Montana Indian Caucus

January 28, 2019

Highlights:

• “It’s not safe to be an Indian woman in Montana.”

• “It is our lived experience that Native American women are more likely to go missing, more likely to be murdered, and less likely to have justice in our state.”

• “The lack of reliable data, and the lack of formal studies on violence against women in Indian Country, has made it difficult to address this widespread epidemic.”

• “Sadly when this happens, our loved ones are treated as ‘just another Indian woman’ gone missing. Their cases become cold before they are ever properly investigated.”

• “That is why the Indian Caucus is leading the charge in the 2019 Legislative session on passing laws to protect and prioritize missing and murdered Indigenous women. It is a hidden epidemic that has permeated all aspects of our lives.”

Read full article here.

Judiciary Committee Considers Rep. Marilyn Ryan’s Bill to Crack Down on Non-Consensual Pornography

HELENA—Today, the Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Rep. Marilyn Ryan’s (HD-99, Missoula) bill to protect the privacy of Montanans and crack down on non-consensual pornography.

H.B. 192 would make it a felony to distribute or publish sexual images without the consent of the person in the images. This measure is a critical step towards combating the growing epidemic of “revenge porn,” where former sexual partners distribute sexually explicit images without the consent of the subject to violate their privacy and publicly embarrass them.

“What do you do when your image—however it was obtained—is suddenly put up on the internet, sent to your family members, and there’s nothing you can do to take it down?” said Rep. Marilyn Ryan of Missoula. “The people affected by this are affected for the rest of their life. It destroys your feeling of dignity, you feel vulnerable, and there’s no place to hide. This bill provides the tools to stop it.”

Montana is one of just a handful of states that does not criminalize the distribution and publication of non-consensual pornography.