MADISON – Today, Attorney General Josh Kaul announced Senator Jeff Smith (D – Brunswick) as a member of Wisconsin’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Task Force.

In July, Attorney General Kaul announced the creation of the MMIW Task Force with the mission of addressing the disparate rates of “abduction homicide, violence and trafficking of Indigenous women in Wisconsin.” This legislative session, Senator Smith co-authored a bipartisan bill to establish the MMIW Task Force; however, this legislation did not pass this session, prompting Attorney General Kaul to create the Task Force led by the Department of Justice and tribal leaders. The MMIW Task Force will include tribal leaders, crime victim advocates, law enforcement officials and elected officials.

In response to Attorney General Kaul’s announcement, Senator Smith released the following statement:

“I’m fortunate to be a member of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force, working alongside community leaders across Wisconsin to address this crisis. I look forward to listening and learning from all the other members of this Task Force to better understand the intersecting factors that have contributed to this issue.

“I applaud the tireless work of the advocates who have pushed so hard, for so long to help establish this Task Force. I understand the work does not stop once the Task Force meetings end – we must continue to press for answers and demand justice.”

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