State-Tribal Relations Elects New Chair and Moves Toward Several Potential Bill Drafts

Committee: State-Tribal Relations Committee
Author: Hope Stockwell
Posted on April 16, 2018

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Rep. Sharon Stewart-Peregoy (D-Crow Agency) is the new chair of the State-Tribal Relations Committee. House Speaker Austin Knudsen appointed Stewart-Peregoy to the committee recently after Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy (D-Box Elder) resigned due to work-related commitments.

The STRC elected Stewart-Peregoy chair at the start of its March 29-30 meeting in Helena. Stewart-Peregoy previously served on the committee from 2009 to 2012.

The STRC also made moves to develop several potential bill drafts related to missing persons, Indian student achievement, and reducing recidivism among American Indian offenders on state parole and probation.

The Department of Justice offered multiple recommendations for statutory changes that would improve its work, and that of other law enforcement agencies, on missing persons cases. The ideas include:

• Clarifying that the Montana Missing Persons Clearinghouse collects information about missing adults as well as children
• Increasing/improving public outreach such as a “Don’t Wait to Call 9-1-1” campaign
• Options to improve access by law enforcement to school photos of missing children
• Providing state direction that the first agency to receive a missing persons report should be the agency that files the report
• Requiring a missing persons report to be filed in custodial interference cases
• Stopping the runaway cycle by following up with children about why they ran away and addressing those issues
• Establishing a missing persons specialist at DOJ to act as a liaison between families and law enforcement and conduct public outreach. The specialist would be required to take cultural competency training.

The STRC asked staff to work with DOJ to flesh out the concepts and bring additional information and potential bill draft language for review in May.

The committee also wants to follow up on recommendations made during the Senate Joint Resolution 3 study discussion about ways to increase access to reentry resources for American Indian offenders under state supervision with an eye toward reducing recidivism. Ideas the committee selected for further study include developing an American Indian reentry program, greater use of peer support specialists, and increased cultural programming.

The STRC may also develop legislation to provide state funding for English Learners. These are students who have another language of impact spoken at home and have difficulty speaking, reading, writing, or understanding English. Nearly 70% of Montana’s roughly 3,000 English Learners are American Indian.

The STRC asked for a cost analysis of three funding options presented to, but not acted upon, by the Education Interim Committee at its March meeting. These include matching federal funding for English Learners (about $500,000/year) with state dollars; creating an English Learner component in the school funding formula, similar to the American Indian Achievement Gap payment; or providing additional funding through the existing formula by weighting the student count for identified English Learners.

The STRC will be on the road for its May meeting, traveling to Fort Belknap on May 8 and Great Falls on May 9 and 10. Additional information about the meeting will be posted approximately 2 weeks in advance on the committee’s website.

Senate members of the STRC are Jen Gross (D-Billings), Steve Hinebauch (R-Wibaux), Jason Small (R-Busby), and Frank Smith (D-Poplar). House members of the STRC are Alan Doane (Vice Chair, R-Bloomfield), James O'Hara (R-Fort Benton), Rae Peppers (D-Lame Deer), and Chair Stewart-Peregoy.

For more information, visit the committee’s website or contact Hope Stockwell, committee staff.

Committee Website: www.leg.mt.gov/tribal
Committee Staff: hstockwell@mt.gov or 406-444-9280