BADGES for Native Communities Act

Summary

Bridging Agency Data Gaps and Ensuring Safety for Native Communities Act or the BADGES for Native Communities Act This bill revises federal policies and procedures related to information sharing, reporting, and investigating cases of missing, unidentified, or murdered Indians. Among other elements, the bill requires the Department of Justice to (1) establish a grant program for specified entities (e.g., tribes) to implement changes to enhance their responses to missing person cases and death investigations of interest to tribes, and (2) work with the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that federal training resources and culturally appropriate mental health and wellness programs are available to tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) law enforcement officers. The Department of the Interior must establish a five-year demonstration program for the purpose of conducting or adjudicating personnel background investigations for applicants for law enforcement positions in the BIA. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct specified studies, including a study on the evidence collection, handling, response times, and processing procedures and practices of federal law enforcement agencies.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 5 February 2025

   Introduced

   Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Natural Resources, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 5 February 2025

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 5 February 2025

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 12 May 2026

   Referred

   Referred to the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs.

   Source: Committee

5. 21 May 2026

   Committee

   Subcommittee Hearings Held

   Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

2 official files

• Introduced in House

  Introduced in House · EN · 5 February 2025

  DownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 5 February 2025

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Teresa Leger Fernandez · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4] · R · Sponsor
• Sharice Davids · D · Sponsor
• Sanford Bishop · D · Cosponsor
• Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] · D · Cosponsor
• Suzan DelBene · D · Cosponsor
• Mike Quigley · D · Cosponsor
• Gabe Vasquez · D · Cosponsor
• Adelita Grijalva · D · Cosponsor
• · hsii00 · Standing
• · hsgo00 · Standing
• · hsif00 · Standing
• · hsju00 · Standing

Related records

• related to → BADGES for Native Communities Act