The Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force (MMIWP) was created in 2021, and further expanded by the Legislature in 2023. The MMIWP is administered by the Washington State Attorney General?s Office to understand and address the systemic causes of violence against Indigenous people, and is charged with reviewing laws and policies related to the MMIWP, including:

• assessing the systemic causes of violence against Indigenous people, including historical, social, economic, and institutional factors;
• identifying ways to improve coordination between federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and tribes;
• assessing data tracking and reporting practices related to violence against Indigenous people;
• recommending improvements for collection and reporting of data by tribal, local, and state law enforcement to more effectively understand and reduce violence against Indigenous people;
• establishing best practices for improving jurisdictional and data sharing issues on tribal land and urban areas that impact violence against Indigenous people;
• reviewing prosecutorial trends and practices related to violence against Indigenous people in Washington;
• identifying barriers to providing more state resources to tracking cases of violence against Indigenous people;
• identifying barriers to reducing the incidence of violence against Indigenous people;
• assessing and identifying state resources to support programs and services for people impacted by the MMIWP and tribal and urban Indian service providers working with Indigenous people who have experienced violence; and
• identifying and recommending increased state resources for trainings for law enforcement agencies on culturally attuned best practices for working with Indigenous people and communities.

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The MMIWP?provided a status report including initial findings, recommendations, and progress updates to the?Governor and Legislature on August 1, 2022. Further updates were provided on December 1, 2023. A final report is due by June 1, 2025.

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In addition to full MMIWP meetings and the executive committee, the following five subcommittees of the MMIWP met regularly in 2023: MMIWP Families,?Tribes,?Data and Research,?Criminal Justice and Public Safety, and Community Services and Resources. The MMIWP also seeks community participation through family talking circles and public comment sessions.

To the extent allowed under federal law, upon written request?of a law enforcement officer from a state, local, or tribal law?enforcement agency, the Department of Social and Health Services or the Health Care Authority shall disclose to the law enforcement?officer whether the recipient has accessed their?public assistance benefits in the last 30 days, to assist the officer in confirming whether the recipient is alive if?the recipient is the subject of a missing person's report.