# 117-hr-8960: BADGES for Native Communities Act

117-hr-8960, BADGES for Native Communities Act, is a 117th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ] (D-AZ); status Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-8960
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 117-hr-8960
- Congress: 117
- Title: BADGES for Native Communities Act
- Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Introduced: 2022-09-22
- Sponsor: Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ] (D-AZ)
- Cosponsors: 9
- Policy area: Native Americans
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## 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 experiencing occupational stress. 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, and processing procedures and practices of federal law enforcement agencies.

## Cosponsors (9)

- Rep. Cole, Tom [R-OK-4] (R-OK), 2022-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3] (D-KS), 2022-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4] (R-WA), 2022-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2022-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. O'Halleran, Tom [D-AZ-1] (D-AZ), 2022-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-8] (D-PA), 2022-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kildee, Daniel T. [D-MI-8] (D-MI), 2022-10-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2022-10-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2022-11-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 117-hr-1842: Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 117-hr-6015: Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 117-hr-5577: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the "John R. Lewis Post Office Build…
- 117-hr-3630: Lymphedema Treatment Act
- 117-hr-3173: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2022
- 117-hr-1916: Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act

## Sources
- [117-hr-8960 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8960)

## Related
- [117-hr-1842: Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1842)
- [117-hr-6015: Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-6015)
- [117-hr-5577: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 C…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-5577)
- [117-hr-3630: Lymphedema Treatment Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-3630)
- [117-hr-3173: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2022](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-3173)
- [117-hr-1916: Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1916)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-8960 (as of 2025-11-18).