Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 25 (2023GS)

Sponsor

Rep. Romero, A.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/14/2023

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Spencer J. Cox

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• changes the name of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Task Force (task force) to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force; and
• extends from November 30, 2023, to November 30, 2024:
• the repeal date for the task force; and
• the deadline for the required report from the task force to the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

MURDERED AND MISSING INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND
GIRLS TASK FORCE SUNSET EXTENSION
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Angela Romero
Senate Sponsor: 
David P. Hinkins
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill amends provisions related to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women
and Girls Task Force.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ changes the name of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Task
Force (task force) to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force;
and
▸ extends from November 30, 2023, to November 30, 2024:
• the repeal date for the task force; and
• the deadline for the required report from the task force to the Law Enforcement
and Criminal Justice Interim Committee.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
36-29-107.5
, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2021, Chapter 250
63I-2-236
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapters 97, 141, 363, 437, and 458
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
36-29-107.5
 is amended to read:
36-29-107.5.
Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force -- Creation
-- Membership -- Quorum -- Compensation -- Staff -- Vacancies -- Duties -- Interim
report.
(1) As used in this section, "task force" means the Murdered and Missing Indigenous
[
Women and Girls
] 
Relatives
 Task Force created in Subsection (2).
(2) There is created the Murdered and Missing Indigenous [
Women and Girls
]
Relatives
 Task Force consisting of the following nine members:
(a) one member of the Senate appointed by the president of the Senate;
(b) one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the House
of Representatives;
(c) the following three members, appointed jointly by the president of the Senate and
the speaker of the House of Representatives:
(i) a member of a nonprofit organization primarily serving Utah's Native American
community;
(ii) a representative of a Utah Native American tribe; and
(iii) a representative of a victim advocate organization serving Utah's Native American
population;
(d) the director of the Division of Indian Affairs, or the director's designee;
(e) the executive director of the Department of Human Services, or the executive
director's designee;
(f) the attorney general, or the attorney general's designee; and
(g) the commissioner of public safety for the Department of Public Safety, or the
commissioner's designee.
(3) A vacancy in a position appointed under Subsection (2)(a), (b), or (c) shall be filled
by appointing a replacement member in the same manner as the member creating the vacancy
was appointed under Subsection (2)(a), (b), or (c).
(4) (a) The member of the Senate appointed under Subsection (2)(a) is a cochair of the
task force.
(b) The member of the House of Representatives appointed under Subsection (2)(b) is
a cochair of the task force.
(5) (a) A quorum consists of five members.
(b) The action of a majority of a quorum constitutes an action of the task force.
(6) (a) Salaries and expenses of the members of the task force who are legislators shall
be paid in accordance with Section 
36-2-2
 and Legislative Joint Rules, Title 5, Chapter 3,
Legislator Compensation.
(b) A member of the task force who is not a legislator:
(i) may not receive compensation or benefits for the member's service associated with
the task force; and
(ii) may receive per diem and travel expenses incurred as a member of the task force at
the rates the Division of Finance establishes in accordance with:
(A) Sections 
63A-3-106
 and 
63A-3-107
; and
(B) rules the Division of Finance makes in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
Administrative Rulemaking Act, to carry out the provisions of Sections 
63A-3-106
 and
63A-3-107
.
(7) The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel shall provide staff support
to the task force.
(8) The task force shall:
(a) conduct appropriate consultations with tribal governments on the scope and nature
of the issues regarding murdered and missing indigenous women and girls;
(b) develop model protocols and procedures to apply to new and unsolved cases of
murdered or missing indigenous women and girls, including the best practices for:
(i) improving the way law enforcement investigators and prosecutors respond to the
high volume of the cases, and to the investigative challenges that might be presented in cases
involving female victims;
(ii) collecting and sharing data among various jurisdictions and law enforcement
agencies; and
(iii) better use of existing criminal databases;
(c) seek input from multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional persons, including
representatives from tribal law enforcement and federal agencies, about how to review cold
cases involving murdered and missing indigenous women and girls; and
(d) address the need for greater clarity concerning roles, authorities, and jurisdiction
throughout the lifecycle of cases involving murdered and missing indigenous women and girls
,
by discussing:
(i) best practices in cases involving murdered and missing indigenous women and girls,
including best practices related to communication with affected families from initiation of an
investigation through case resolution or closure; and
(ii) education and outreach campaigns for communities that are most affected by crime
resulting in murdered and missing indigenous women and girls
,
 to identify and reduce the
crime.
(9) (a) On or before November 30, [
] 
, the task force shall provide a report to
the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee.
(b) The report described in Subsection (9)(a) shall include a summary of the task
force's findings under Subsection (8) and recommendations for improvements in the criminal
justice and social service systems for preventing and addressing crimes involving murdered and
missing indigenous women and girls in the state.
Section 2. Section 
63I-2-236
 is amended to read:
63I-2-236.
Repeal dates: Title 36.
(1) Section 
36-12-8.2
 is repealed July 1, 2023.
(2) Section 
36-29-107.5
 is repealed on November 30, [
] 
.
(3) Section 
36-29-109
 is repealed on November 30, 2027.
(4) Section 
36-29-110
 is repealed on November 30, 2024.
(5) Section 
36-29-111
 is repealed April 30, 2023.
(6) The following sections regarding the State Flag Task Force are repealed on January
1, 2024:
(a) Section 
36-29-201
;
(b) Section 
36-29-202
; and
(c) Section 
36-29-203
.
(7) Title 36, Chapter 29, Part 3, Mental Illness Psychotherapy Drug Task Force, is
repealed December 31, 2023.