44-2-412. (Temporary) Looping in native communities network grant program. (1) There is a looping in native communities network grant program. The program is established to create a network in support of efforts by Montana tribes to identify, report, and find Native American persons who are missing. The grant program is administered by the missing indigenous persons task force established in 44-2-411.

(2) The grant program includes a competitive grant to be awarded to a tribal entity to create and administer a central administration point for the looping in native communities network. The missing indigenous persons task force shall develop the application and the criteria to award the grant to a tribal entity. The criteria must include:

(a) policies and standards for technology and equipment, including data storage and security of information entered into the network;

(b) standards for data verification;

(c) job qualifications and requirements for a data specialist to administer the network;

(d) development of a system to provide automatic initial alerts to law enforcement agencies and tribal and community organizations when a missing indigenous person report is made, including determining which law enforcement agencies will receive the automatic initial alert;

(e) development of a standard reporting form that includes space to provide the information specified in subsection (4) to be used by the data specialist; and

(f) administrative rights for a designee at each participating tribal agency.

(3) The grant program may include additional smaller, noncompetitive grants to be awarded to a qualifying tribal agency at each reservation that submits a complete application. The purpose of the grants awarded under this subsection is to provide matching funds for some or all of the costs required for the tribal agency to set up and maintain access to the looping in native communities network.

(4) The standard reporting form required under subsection (2)(e) must allow a data specialist to enter information about the missing indigenous person, including but not limited to the missing person's:

(a) name and any aliases or nicknames;

(b) gender, age, height, weight, and other physical descriptive characteristics;

(c) last known location and related information, including the date of last contact with the missing indigenous person and the person with whom the missing indigenous person last made contact; and

(d) photographs, including photographs obtained from an online or social media profile. (Terminates June 30, 2033--sec. 2, Ch. 624, L. 2023, sec. 3, Ch. 624, L. 2023.)