Flagstaff, Ariz. • The U.S. Senate has approved a bill that expands a child abduction alert system to tribal land.
The bill is named for Ashlynne Mike, an 11-year-old girl who was lured into a van on the Navajo Nation in May 2016, sexually assaulted and killed. An Amber Alert wasn’t issued until the day after she was reported missing. Her body was found near Shiprock, New Mexico.
The bill cleared the Senate on Thursday. It now goes to President Donald Trump.
The bill gives tribes direct access to federal grants that law enforcement agencies use for Amber Alert systems. It also makes permanent a pilot program that offers training for tribes.
The U.S. Department of Justice would have a year to review any challenges tribes face in accessing state or regional systems.