BADGES for Native Communities Act

The term 'Federal law enforcement agency' now means the Office of Justice Services of the Bureau of Indian Affairs instead of just BIA direct-service police, broadening which agency's activities are covered by the Act.

'Sexual assault case of interest to Indian Tribes' was renamed to 'sexual violence case of interest to Indian Tribes' and now uses a broader definition referencing 25 U.S.C. 1304(a) rather than specific felony chapters in title 18.

'Relevant Tribal organization' category (III) was changed from 'violence against Indian women and children' to the broader 'violence against Indians,' and a new category (IV) for 'missing or murdered Indigenous persons' was added.

The DOJ annual report on Indian country staffing was significantly expanded to include turnover rates, average years of experience, number of vacant positions, identification of needed expertise, estimates of employees needed, and hiring/retention/training strategies.

The detailed framework for accepting prior background investigations from State, local, Tribal, or BIA sources (including quality verification and additional investigation rules) was removed and replaced with a simpler provision allowing memoranda of agreement to expedite access to background information.

The Tribal facilitator's duty regarding reporting cases to NAMUS was softened from 'ensure' to 'encourage,' reducing the mandatory nature of that obligation. The annual report and public transparency requirements were simplified by removing specific data metrics on case counts and closure rates.

The missing or murdered response coordination grant program authorization was shifted from fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to fiscal years 2025 through 2029, delaying the funding window by two years.

The GAO study requirement on the background check demonstration program (both initial and final reports) was removed entirely.

The background check demonstration program report changed from an annual report to a one-time report due 3 years after program establishment, which must include whether the program should be reauthorized.

The GAO evidence study now includes 'response times' in its scope, and barriers are limited to those 'identified by the agencies' rather than any barriers. The word 'survey' was replaced with 'description.'

The grant program name changed from 'Missing and murdered' to 'Missing or murdered,' and eligible activities now include inputting data into the Missing Persons File in the National Crime Information Center in addition to NAMUS.

Throughout the bill, 'unclaimed remains' was renamed to 'unclaimed human remains,' and references to the Bureau of Indian Affairs were clarified to specifically mean the Office of Justice Services of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.