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Native missing persons bill passes Assembly committee

Assemblywoman Shea Backus, D-Las Vegas, seen Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, in Carson City. Backus spons ...
Assemblywoman Shea Backus, D-Las Vegas, seen Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, in Carson City. Backus sponsored Assembly Bill 125 which would allow tribal reservations to submit missing persons reports to law enforcement. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
By Jessica Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
April 12, 2023 - 12:26 pm
 

Law enforcement agencies could accept missing persons reports from trial reservations and forward that information to the National Crime Information Center, under a bill approved by an Assembly committee Wednesday.

Assembly Bill 125, sponsored by Assemblywoman Shea Backus, D-Las Vegas, will now advance to the Assembly floor.

At the bill’s first hearing, Native community representatives supported the measure, while representatives of law enforcement associations expressed concerns about technical reporting issues. As a result, the bill was amended to allow accepting of missing person reports, rather than requiring it.

The amendment also added elements to the report, including whether the person has a physical or mental disability or is missing under suspicious circumstances.

The bill passed with three members opposed — Toby Yurek, R-Henderson, Danielle Gallant, R-Las Vegas, and Ken Gray, R-Dayton.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on Twitter.

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