State Rep. Gina Mosbrucker will continue her quest for justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and People as part of a special state task force announced earlier this year.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced in May the formation of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force. This week, Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins appointed Rep. Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale to this new task force.
“I’ve been working on this issue for more than five years and I’m honored to be a part of this task force,” said Mosbrucker, who in the last six years has passed two MMIW bills, and introduced a third bill in 2021, with the goal of perfecting it during the 2022 session. “This issue is very close to me and my focus is to find a way to bring these individuals home.”
The 21-member task force within the Washington attorney general’s office will assess causes behind the high rate of disappearances and murders of Indigenous women and people.
The task force will include tribes and tribal organizations, as well as policymakers at local, state, and federal levels.
Mosbrucker introduced House Bill 2951 in 2018, which created a study to increase state resources for reporting and identifying missing Native American women throughout Washington state.
In 2019, the Legislature passed and the governor signed Mosbrucker’s House Bill 1713, a landmark measure that established two tribal liaison positions within the Washington State Patrol (WSP) to build relationships between governmental organizations and native communities.
Earlier this year, she introduced House Bill 1571, which focuses on bringing missing people home.
“I started this journey in 2017 and I’m ready to see it through to completion,” added Mosbrucker. “Hopefully, this task force will play a key role in seeing that happen. This is the final step in bringing justice and closure for so many people.”
Washington is home to 29 federally recognized tribes.