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Senators host tribal leaders to mark Indian Child Welfare Act day and discuss Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Task Force
Summary
Arizona senators introduced tribal leaders and task force members in the gallery to commemorate the Indian Child Welfare Act and to spotlight the state Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Task Force and related policy work.
Senator Gonzales and Senator Hatatley introduced tribal leaders, council members and state partners to the Senate floor to mark the federal Indian Child Welfare Act and to highlight ongoing work by the state's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Task Force.
"I would like to introduce members of the Passkwayaki tribe who are actually taking the initiative to bring this group together," Senator Gonzales said, naming several attendees and thanking them for meeting with legislators. She said the group came to "start a dialogue with the legislature here on how we together can work together, the Arizona legislature with all 22 tribes, to really protect our indigenous children in the state of Arizona." Senator Gonzales also named tribal representatives in the gallery, including Rosa Alvarez, Gloria Alvarez, Sandra Gonzalez, Andrea Gonzalez, Rolando Flores and Jose Saldana.
Senator Hatatley said the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Task Force started as a study committee more than nine years ago and has since shaped laws and departmental procedures. "I'd like to bring to you your attention, something that I've been talking about for quite a while, which is the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Task Force at the state level," Hatatley said, and introduced Monica Anton, described on the floor as having served as Lieutenant Governor of the Gila River Tribe, and Rachel Hood, tribal liaison from the Arizona Attorney General's Office.
Speakers on the floor emphasized collaboration between the Legislature and tribal governments, the federal role of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in protecting indigenous children, and recent state efforts such as the Missing and Endangered Persons code that resulted in the turquoise alert. No formal legislative action on these items was recorded in this segment; the chamber's remarks were introductions, recognition and a call for continued intergovernmental work on indigenous child welfare and related task‑force recommendations.
