Nevada lawmakers propose alert system for missing Indigenous people

Nevada lawmakers are aiming to introduce a bill that would help address the ongoing crisis surrounding missing and murdered Indigenous people in the state.

Nevada state Assemblymember Shea Backus (D-Las Vegas), a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, on Monday announced a bill draft request she sponsored that would establish a statewide Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) Alert.

Bill draft requests (BDRs) are not official bills, they are requests by lawmakers for a draft of the proposed bill they can further amend and discuss during the legislative session.

The intent of the BDR is to create a coordinated statewide system to rapidly share information with law enforcement, Tribal Nations, media, and the public when an Indigenous person goes missing under qualifying circumstances. 

The alert would function similarly to existing alert systems, like Amber and Silver alerts. Colorado, Washington, New Mexico, and California have similar alert systems for missing Indigenous people.

The proposed bill was announced on Indigenous People’s Day in front of the welcome to Las Vegas sign.

“When someone goes missing, we know how important time is,” Backus said during a press conference. “When an Indigenous person is reported missing and meets the established criteria, an MMIP alert would help get critical information out to the public, so that more people can be on the lookout and share information that may help locate them.”

More than four out of five Indigenous people in the U.S. have experienced violent crime, according to national data. Those are some of the highest rates of violence for any demographic, with Indigenous women nearly three times more likely to be murdered than white women.

The proposed bill would also serve as an omnibus bill, said Backus, adding that it would address several issues affecting Native American communities, including cleanup language to protect Indian children subject to the Indian Child Welfare Act.

Native Voters Alliance Nevada helped author the bill and is making passage of the legislation a priority in 2027.

Barbara Hartzell, executive director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada, said Indigenous people are impacted by disproportionate rates of violent crime. Hartzell recalled growing up listening to her grandfather talk about aunts, sisters, and cousins who went missing without a proper investigation.  

“No family should have to become an investigator, an advocate, and a public relations campaign just to convince someone to look for the person they love, yet to many Indigenous families that is the reality of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples’ crisis,” Hartzell said. 

Nevada Democratic U.S. Reps. Steven Horsford and Dina Titus spoke at the event in favor of the proposed legislation. 

“Every missing loved one deserves an urgent response, and every family deserves answers,” Horsford said.