Minnesota is home to many Tribes, and it is our duty to hear their needs and make investments to ensure they have the resources and support they deserve. It’s why as Lt. Governor Tina convened the Tribal-State Opioid Summit, so the state could hear directly from Tribal leaders about what resources were needed to address the opioid epidemic in their communities.
Tina successfully fought for a seat on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to make sure that Minnesota’s tribal communities have a partner in Congress. In the Senate, Tina introduced a bill to help address the opioid crisis by making sure resources are available to tackle the epidemic in ways that work for tribal communities. She also recognizes that the federal government has failed Native survivors of sexual violence, which is why she introduced legislation to increase security on tribal land by holding non-Native people accountable when they commit crimes on tribal land.
Tina introduced the Strengthening Services for Native Elders Act, which is a bipartisan bill that helps tribal organizations provide more options for health services for American Indian and Alaska Native elders. This broadens the home and community-based services available, such as transportation, case management, and health and wellness programs. Tina enacted this bill into law as part of the Older Americans Act earlier this year.
And today, there is a tremendous crisis of Indigenous women being murdered or going missing – yet many of these deaths and disappearances go unresolved. We’ve got to address this crisis, which is why Tina co-sponsored the Studying the Missing and Murdered Indian Crisis Act of 2019 that would produce a report on what law enforcement agencies are doing to address the crisis.