BADGES for Native Communities Act
Sponsored By: Representative Leger Fernandez
Introduced
Summary
Improve missing and unidentified persons reporting and tribal-federal coordination for Native communities. This bill would create Tribal facilitators in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System to coordinate reporting, provide training, and publish public updates.
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- Families and Native communities: Would make missing persons, unidentified remains, and unclaimed remains cases of interest to Indian Tribes easier to report and track by adding Tribal facilitators in NMUS. Facilitators must do outreach, technical assistance, and publish annual reports for a 3-year period.
- Tribal justice systems and courts: Would require annual federal reports listing unmet staffing, replacement/repair, infrastructure, and public safety communications needs for Tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs justice agencies. Those reports must include metrics like vacancy counts, five-year turnover rates, average experience, and estimated staffing needs.
- BIA and Tribal law enforcement officers: Would authorize demonstration and grant programs for background checks and missing/murdered response coordination and direct the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate culturally appropriate mental health and wellness services for officers.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Faster hiring and wellness for Tribal police
If enacted, HHS and the Attorney General would work with BIA to make culturally appropriate mental health and wellness programs available to BIA and Tribal law enforcement, and check eligibility for Federal Occupational Health support. The Interior Secretary would test a program to run background checks and security clearances for BIA law‑enforcement applicants, with agreements to speed records access. Clearances from the demo would count for other federal needs. The Secretary would report within 3 years, and the demo would end 5 years after it starts.
More help tracking missing Native people
If enacted, the Justice Department would name Tribal facilitators to help Tribes report missing and unidentified people into national systems and to train partners. The bill would add clear definitions so everyone knows which cases tied to Tribal lands must be tracked. It would also create a grant program for Tribes, Tribal groups, and some State-Tribal consortia to run tracking centers, coordination commissions, and rapid alerts. Grants would total $1 million each year for 2026 through 2030, with data‑sharing MOUs required for certain State uses. The Attorney General would publish annual updates for three years on the facilitators’ work.
More transparency on Tribal public safety
If enacted, the Attorney General would send an annual report on Justice Department staffing and needs for Indian country, including vacancies, turnover, and needed skills. The Interior report would also list unmet public safety needs at Tribal and BIA justice agencies, like staffing, jail repairs, facilities, and communications gear. GAO would review unmet DOJ staffing and report to Congress within 18 months after the first DOJ report. GAO would also study evidence handling by BIA and FBI in Indian country and report within 18 months after enactment.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Leger Fernandez
NM • D
Cosponsors
Newhouse
WA • R
Sponsored 2/5/2025
Davids (KS)
KS • D
Sponsored 2/5/2025
Bishop
GA • D
Sponsored 11/4/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 11/4/2025
DelBene
WA • D
Sponsored 12/12/2025
Quigley
IL • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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