Bill > S560

This bill establishes a Task Force on Missing Women and Girls who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to address systemic issues surrounding missing and murdered BIPOC women and girls in North Carolina. The task force will consist of 9 members, including state agency representatives and at-large members who are representative of the impacted communities, with a focus on cultural competency and diversity. The task force's duties include developing policy changes to improve care and concern for missing BIPOC women and girls, advancing community knowledge about the issue, creating strategies for data collection, recommending preventive programming, identifying high-risk areas for abduction, and launching a statewide awareness campaign. The group will seek public input through hearings across the state and is required to submit a comprehensive report to legislative leaders within two years of its formation. The task force will have access to legislative meeting spaces and funding, and members will receive travel and subsistence expenses. The bill acknowledges significant disparities in how law enforcement and society respond to missing BIPOC women and girls, citing statistics that highlight the disproportionate impact on Black, Native American, and Latinx communities, such as 64,000-75,000 missing Black women and girls and underreporting of cases due to systemic racism and cultural insensitivity. The task force will terminate three years after its effective date.

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/S560