Criminal Justice (Tribal Nations)

HB 588 designates May 5 as an annual "Missing and Murdered American Indian and Alaskan Native Women and Girls Awareness Day" for the Governor to proclaim. It requires the Department of State Police to submit a report to the Maryland General Assembly by December 1, 2026, on whether law enforcement agencies collect sufficient data about violence against these communities. The report must include policy recommendations to improve data collection methods, coordinate with federal agencies during investigations, and raise public awareness. This bill directly affects state agencies and aims to address gaps in tracking violence against American Indian and Alaskan Native women and girls, who face disproportionately high rates of violence.