H.R.1924 - Tribal Law and Order Act of 2009 Sponsor: Stephanie Herseth Sandlin / 111th Congress

Title
111th Congress - To amend the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act, the Indian Tribal Justice Act, the Indian Tribal Justice Technical and Legal Assistance Act of 2000, and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to improve the prosecution of, and response to, crimes in Indian country, and for other purposes. hidemore...
Summary
To amend the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act, the Indian Tribal Justice Act, the Indian Tribal Justice Technical and Legal Assistance Act of 2000, and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to improve the prosecution of, and response to, crimes in Indian country, and for other purposes. (by CRS)
Status
The bill has been introduced.

Customize

Customize the interests supporting and opposing this bill

To remove an interest, click the Remove button next to its name below this box.

To add an interest, choose one from this list:

To add an interest, click Support or Oppose.

You can share your customized pages with other people by sending them the URL for pages about this bill. Other MAPLight.org users will not see your customizations unless they use the URL you send them. To save your customizations for your next visit, create a free New Account, then Sign In.

Done

Interests who did want this bill to become law included these interests and specific groups:

Interests who did not want this bill to become law included these interests and specific groups:

(None found)

Contribution data provided by the Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets.org)

Comments RSS feed

Addressing the Public Safety Crisis on Tribal Lands by Karen Chung, Jun 29, 2009 (7:30pm)

The Tribal Law and Order Act of 2009 (111th) addresses the jurisdictional complexity of federal Indian law and its consequences. Public Law 280, passed in 1953, removed federal jurisdiction over tribal lands across the country. The removal of federal jurisdiction has left these lands without the federal resources to maintain an effective justice system. Meanwhile, state and municipal law enforcement forces have not filled the gap. Complex tribal, state, and federal laws coupled with the lack of adequate law enforcement have transformed Indian Country into a dangerous environment in which people can commit violent crimes and evade justice. For example, U.S. Department of Justice statistics indicate that Native American women are two and a half times more likely to be raped than other women in the U.S.

The Tribal Law and Order Act responds to these issues. If passed, the bill would bring the federal government back into the equation and encourage mutual aid and cross-jurisdictional cooperation. The bill would establish the Indian Law and Order Commission to conduct a study of law enforcement and criminal justice in tribal communities. The legislation would also allow tribal law enforcement personnel to obtain the training and certification to act as federal law enforcement agents within Reservation boundaries and increase funding for the construction of tribal detention and treatment centers along with halfway houses. The bill would provide tribes with expanded sentencing authority. Furthermore, it would provide for the implementation of standardized procedures to respond to victims of sexual assault and violence.

Federal, state, and municipal governments have the responsibility to provide tribal lands with the resources to maintain a safe environment. They can no longer turn their backs on this public safety crisis.

Reply to this comment
Reply to this comment close
[ Tags ]
[ Tags ] close
[ Spam ]
[ Spam ] close