State Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, offered praise on Thursday night for two recently passed laws that seek to increase safety for Native Americans. Earlier on Thursday, Gov. Inslee signed into law Substitute House Bill 1571 and Substitute House Bill 1725.
SHB 1571 will put new rules in place for officials to share the identities and locations of both living and deceased Native Americans with law enforcement and families, while SHB 1725 will establish an alert system, similar to the Amber Alert, that will focus on missing Native Americans.
In his statement, Sen. Braun said “Some issues, like human trafficking and domestic violence, transcend partisan differences.”
The bills’ final vote tallies in both houses speak to Braun’s statement. Both were passed unanimously by both houses of the Legislature. SHB 1571 was sponsored by State Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, a Republican whose district includes parts of the Yakama Indian Reservation, and SHB 1725 was sponsored by State Rep. Debra Lekanoff, a Democrat from northern Washington who is the only Native American member of the state Legislature.
Sen. Braun further stated that the two bills were in line with the Republican goal to “reestablish safety” in Washington state.
Braun said that in addition to the priority of restoring tools to law enforcement, Republicans “are equally concerned about the wave of mysterious disappearances of our tribal neighbors, and the other safety issues they face.”
