Skip to main content

Tribal Justice and Safety Home

Not Invisible Act

Overview

On Oct. 10, 2020, the Not Invisible Act of 2019 was signed into law as the first bill in history to be introduced and passed by four U.S. congressional members enrolled in their respective federally recognized Tribes, led by Department of the Interior Secretary, Deb Haaland, during her time in Congress.

As required in the Act, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary Haaland established the Not Invisible Act Commission, a cross jurisdictional advisory committee composed of law enforcement, Tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and survivors.

The Commission developed recommendations to address public safety challenges identified in the Act, including recommendations to:

  • Identify, report and respond to instances of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) cases and human trafficking;
  • Develop legislative and administrative changes necessary to use federal programs, properties, and resources to combat the crisis;
  • Track and report data on MMIP and human trafficking cases;
  • Consider issues related to the hiring and retention of law enforcement offices;
  • Coordinate Tribal-state-federal resources to combat MMIP and human trafficking offices on Indian lands; and  
  • Increase information sharing with Tribal governments on violent crimes investigations and other prosecutions on Indian lands.  

On May 5, 2022, Secretary Haaland announced the full membership of the Commission, composed of federal and non-federal members with a diverse range of experiences, expertise, and perspectives.  Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco offered remarks at the May 2022 announcement where she reiterated that “the federal government must be committed to working with Tribal nations to address the crisis of missing or murdered indigenous people, and I expect the Commission to play a major role in doing so. The Department of Justice is eager to support — and learn from — the Commission’s work.”

On June 14-15, 2022, the Not Invisible Act Commission held its first plenary meeting. The Commission held a series of field hearings to inform their work.  More information on the Commission may be found on the Department of the Interior’s website.

Commission Recommendations

The Not Invisible Act Commission submitted their recommendations to the Departments of Justice and the Interior and to Congress on November 1, 2023. As required in the Act, the Departments of Justice and the Interior have issued a response to the Commission’s recommendations.

Releases

Updated March 5, 2024