United States Senator Mike Crapo - Idaho
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**DROPPING IN THIS ISSUE:**
- Providing for the Common Defense:
Fiscal Year 2021 NDAA
- Justice for Missing, Murdered Native
Women
- Police Reform
- A Look Ahead
*Providing for the
Common Defense*
July 23, 2020, marked the 60th consecutive year that
Congress has fulfilled its constitutional duty to "provide for the
common defense."
The Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act,
which the Senate passed in a vote of 84-16, will support military
personnel and their families and strengthen our national defense
strategy.
The United States' many economic and democratic successes continue
to draw the ire of our foreign adversaries.
The bipartisan NDAA
signals to our nation's heroes in the Armed Forces that the country has
their back as they defend our republic against the throes of ongoing
threats by authoritarian regimes.
This NDAA provides them the vital tools
and support necessary to continue defending our great country both at
home and abroad.
This year's NDAA included:
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A three percent
pay raise for our troops;
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Additional support for family
readiness, including spouse employment opportunities and child care;
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Funding for direct energy counter-drone systems, in which Idaho
industry plays a key role;
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And repairs to the gaps and weaknesses in
the supply chain that the ongoing pandemic has exposed and
exacerbated.
Fellow Senator Jim Risch and I secured a number of provisions
important to the State of Idaho in passage of the Senate's NDAA, and you
can read more about those provisions by *accessing my website here*
[link 1].
The House of Representatives passed its version of the bill
on July 21, 2020, by a vote of 295-125, and the House and Senate will
work through negotiations on a final bill to send to the
President.
*Justice for Missing, Murdered Native Women*
A 2016 report from the
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indicates that more than four in
five American Indian and Alaska Native women and men experience violence
in their lifetimes.
American Indian and Alaska Native women are also
two times more likely than other groups to experience rape or sexual
assault, and they are two and a half times more likely to experience
violent crimes in their lifetimes.
While recognizing information on
the number of missing Native Americans in the United States is limited,
the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs included these alarming
statistics in a report [link 2] on S. 227, Savanna's Act.
The legislation
is named for Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a 22-year-old member of the
Spirit Lake Tribe of North Dakota murdered in 2017.
The Committee
reported, "While Savanna's tragic death became widespread news, many other
Native Americans go missing or are murdered each year."
However, DOJ
and the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Office of Justice Services
(BIA-OJS) told the Committee that many of those cases go unreported or
unresolved.
I co-sponsored Savannah's Act to improve response to cases
involving missing or murdered Native Americans.
Similarly, I
co-sponsored S.Res. 606, which emphasizes national awareness of Missing and
Murdered Native Women and Girls.
Improving the response to cases
involving missing or murdered Native Americans will remain an important issue
as work continues to enable justice for those missing and murdered and
their families.
You can read more about these legislative actions
by *accessing my website here* [link 3].
*Police Reform*
The
vast majority of law enforcement officers are hard-working Americans
who put their lives on the line every day to keep their communities
safe.
Unfortunately, we have seen several instances of horrific and
inexcusable conduct by some very bad actors under the guise of law
enforcement.
It is clear reforms are needed, as well as greater
accountability and transparency, to help eliminate racial inequality and rebuild
the trust all Americans deserve to have in the institutions designed for
the purposes of keeping the communities in which they live and work
safe.
Earlier this summer, the Senate considered the Just and
Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act,
which focuses on three areas of long-term solutions, including reform,
accountability and transparency.
Although the bill has not had a final
vote on the Senate Floor, I remain committed to passing sensible
legislation that helps rebuild the lost confidence in law enforcement
communities.
To read more about the JUSTICE Act and to watch my portion of
a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing examining police use of force,
click the image below, or *visit my website here* [link 4].
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*In the Next Edition:*
Americans across the country
continue to weather the many impacts of the global coronavirus
pandemic.
The Senate is hard at work on a fourth legislative relief effort.
In
my next newsletter, I will share details about Congress's action on the
Health, Economic, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act, as
well as information on the types of coronavirus relief already sent
directly to Idaho.
*STILL NEED HELP? Contact me.*
Have any lingering
questions or still need help with a federal agency? You can do so by
submitting THIS FORM on my website [link 6].
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Contact Information:
Website:
Offices:
239 Dirksen Senate
Building
Washington D.C., 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6142
Idaho Falls
410 Memorial Drive
Suite 205
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Phone: (208)
522-9779
Boise
251 East Front Street
Suite 205
Boise, ID 83702
Phone: (208) 334-1776
Lewiston
313 'D' Street
Suite 105
Lewiston, ID 83501
Phone: (208) 743-1492
Caldwell
524 East
Cleveland Blvd.
Suite 220
Caldwell, ID 83605
Phone: (208) 455-0360
Pocatello
275 South 5th Avenue
Suite 100
Pocatello, ID 83201
Phone: (208) 236-6775
Coeur d' Alene
610 Hubbard Street
Suite 209
Coeur d' Alene, ID 83814
Phone: (208) 664-5490
Twin Falls
202 Falls Avenue
Suite 2
Twin Falls, ID 83301
Phone: (208) 734-2515
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