I think it is interesting that that is the first thing they did to really hone their skills as a bureau.

Thank you. When you say that it is being rolled out to more tribes as we move forward, what is the application process like for tribes to participate in TAP each year?

It is ironic that the FBI, when they first became an agency, one of the first big cases that they solved were the Osage murders in Oklahoma Indian Country.

Will the information or notes collected from this listening session be made public?

BIA's Office of Justice Services (OJS) reports different data to both FBI and the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ) crime databases--violent crimes resulting in death get sent over to the FBI, while missing persons data are sent to NIJ.

Has your agency done any work to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis in urban locations with high populations of Native Americans?

Senator Udall, who has been a great lead on this issue in New Mexico, cited 'poor coordination, limited data, and insufficient resources' as barriers to solving these cases during that hearing.

Has BIA considered proposing and/or supporting the establishment of a single database for MMIW cases?

Statistics show that 8 in 10 Indigenous women will be raped, stalked, or abused in the course of their lifetimes.

On some Native lands, Indian women are murdered at more than 10 times the national average.

The Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety Act addresses the gaps in national MMIW data by requiring BIA direct-service officers and FBI agents with jurisdiction in Indian Country to report missing persons cases to the NamUs database.

It is imperative that we continue to work in partnership and create safe communities and arrest the trend of issues plaguing our Native communities.