The House Government and Veterans Affairs Committee convened on January 23, 2025, to address pressing issues surrounding the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) in North Dakota. The meeting featured testimony from tribal leaders, including Jamie Azure, Chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, who emphasized the alarming statistics and the urgent need for legislative action.

Chairman Azure highlighted that Native American and Alaskan Native communities face disproportionately high rates of violence, with Native women being more than twice as likely to experience sexual assault compared to women from other groups. He pointed out that on some reservations, murder rates for Native women exceed the national average by more than tenfold. Azure urged the committee to support House Bill 1199, which aims to establish a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force. This initiative seeks to enhance resources, improve data collection, and foster collaboration among various agencies to combat the ongoing crisis.

During the meeting, committee members raised questions regarding the solvability of cases related to MMIW. Azure acknowledged the challenges, stating that the percentage of solved cases is insufficient and that jurisdictional issues often hinder progress. He shared personal reflections on the impact of violence in his community, particularly concerning his daughters, and stressed the importance of community cooperation in addressing these issues.

Azure also discussed the need for clearly defined roles within task forces to improve effectiveness. He cited the success of a drug task force in the Turtle Mountains as a model for how collaboration between tribal, state, and federal entities can yield positive outcomes when jurisdictional boundaries are respected.

Chairwoman Lana Street of the Spirit Lake Nation also addressed the committee, reinforcing the importance of the proposed task force and the collective effort required to tackle the crisis of MMIW. The meeting concluded with a call for unity and action to protect Indigenous women and ensure justice for those affected by violence.

The committee's discussions underscored the critical need for legislative support to address the epidemic of violence against Indigenous women and the importance of collaborative efforts to create meaningful change in the community.