SRES-606-116
Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S2700; text: CR S2699)
Sponsored by Steve Daines (R-MT)
What it does
This resolution designates May 5, 2020, as the "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls." It is a symbolic, non-binding Senate resolution and does not create new law, allocate funding, or establish any government program or enforcement mechanism.
Who benefits
Native American and Alaska Native communities, particularly families of missing or murdered Native women and girls, who may gain increased public visibility for this issue. Advocacy organizations focused on violence against Native women may benefit from the added platform a nationally recognized awareness day provides.
Who is hurt
No specific group is directly or materially harmed by this resolution. Because it is purely symbolic and carries no legal or financial obligations, it does not impose costs, restrictions, or burdens on any individual, organization, or government entity.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that designating a national day of awareness is a meaningful step toward acknowledging a documented public safety crisis affecting Native communities. Federal data and studies by organizations such as the Urban Indian Health Institute have found that Native women face disproportionately high rates of violence and go missing at rates far exceeding their share of the population. Supporters contend that formal congressional recognition elevates the issue in public discourse, encourages media coverage, and signals to Native communities that their concerns are heard at the federal level. They argue that awareness is a necessary precursor to policy action, and that symbolic recognition costs nothing while potentially catalyzing further legislative attention.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that a symbolic resolution without accompanying funding, enforcement mechanisms, or policy changes does little to materially improve the safety of Native women and girls. They contend that Congress may use awareness designations as a substitute for substantive action, allowing legislators to signal concern without committing resources or making difficult policy decisions. Some critics argue that the proliferation of commemorative days dilutes their meaning and that congressional time and attention would be better directed toward binding legislation. Others may question whether a single retroactive date designation — for a day already passed by the time the resolution was introduced — has any practical awareness-raising effect.