Some times bipartisanship does work. Just look at Senators Mark Begich (D. AK) and Lisa Murkowski's (R. AK) record work together on Native American affairs:
http://alaska-native-news.com/...
U.S. Sens. Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski on Thursday introduced the Safe Families and Villages Act of 2013 to give Alaska tribes more power to combat drug and alcohol abuse in their communities and to address the rates of domestic violence and child abuse and neglect.
The bill encourages tribes and the State of Alaska to sign intergovernmental agreements relating to the enforcement and adjudication of state laws in Alaska Native villages and authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to make grants to tribes for carrying out the agreements.
Under the bill there is no limit on the number of tribes that can participate in the program, but they must be able to demonstrate they have sufficient local capacity. The intergovernmental agreements will address issues such as the employment of local law enforcement officers, tribal officers to be deputized by the state, and transferring enforcement of misdemeanor drug and alcohol offenses from the state to tribes.
The bill also repeals a provision inserted into the Violence Against Women Act that prohibited Alaska tribes – other than the Metlakatla Indian Community – from issuing and enforcing domestic violence protective orders against non-member Alaska Natives and non-Natives. The repeal will allow tribes, the State of Alaska and stakeholders to further examine the issuance of domestic violence protective orders in rural Alaska. - Alaska Native News, 8/2/13
The bill is aimed to enhance coordination and communication among federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement.
More below the fold.
Statistics have shown that more than 95% of crime committed in rural Alaska can be attributed to alcohol abuse and alcohol-related suicide is six times higher than the national average. Alaska Native women suffer the highest rates of rape in the country, and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium says 1 of every 2 Alaska Native women experience physical or sexual violence. Tribal leaders back Begich and Murkowski's bill:
"Kawerak, Inc. is the tribal consortium in the Bering Strait Region of Alaska, where there are 20 federally recognized tribes. Kawerak supports legislation that will provide Alaskan tribes with mechanisms and resources to address violence. Violence knows no boundaries or jurisdiction, it is not an Indian reservation vs. non-reservation issue. While violence also knows no nationality, race, age, or creed, the statistics indicate that both American Indian and Alaska Natives experience domestic violence and sexual abuse and assault at rates much higher than the rest of the American population. Legislation is needed that addresses this disparity, regardless of geography. Kawerak, Inc. supports legislation that affords Alaska Native tribes the same opportunity to provide protect their women and children.” - Melanie Bahnke, President of Kawerak
“This bill promotes collaboration between the federal, state and tribal governments to allow for tribal enforcement of state laws. This is an important step forward in our efforts to curb the disproportionately high crime rates in our villages due to alcohol abuse. Alaska suffers from the highest rates of domestic violence and recidivism in the nation and TCC believes these tribal-state agreements will reduce crime and repeated crimes by allowing local control of enforcement. Our tribes are also very pleased with the repeal of Section 910 of VAWA. TCC appreciates the creativity by the senators and dedication to the safety of Alaska’s villages. With the rest of the nation taking party sides, with this bill Alaska’s senators have proven to work for the people rather than their parties.” - Jerry Isaac, President of the Tanana Chiefs Conference
Begich has been pushing this bill for some time now:
http://www.alaskapublic.org/...
A proposed amendment to the Tribal Law and Order Act that would have created a $50 million pilot project allowing greater tribal court authority within a community prompted a strongly worded letter of objection from the state. Department of law attorney Rick Svobodny wrote the letter that said the project would threaten state sovereignty and would be litigated immediately. With changes, the proposal eventually gained the approval of the state, but was cut after Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn threatened to scuttle the entire bill over the money for the Alaska project. Begich says the Alaska Safe Families and Villages Act attempts to address the high rates of crime in Alaska villages. He says he hopes more information about the chronic problem of crime in remote communities will help the bill gain support in Congress.
Natalie Landreth is an attorney with the Native American Rights Fund in Anchorage, Landreth says Begich’s legislation is leaps and bounds beyond earlier proposals and targets the issue of jurisdiction.
The problems are huge. Alaska Native women suffer rates of sexual assault that are three and a half times higher than the national average. A 2006 report found 95 percent of all crimes committed in rural Alaska involved alcohol. There are at least 200 villages in rural Alaska but only 71 Village Public Safety Officers, leaving many communities with no law enforcement presence and the prospect of possibly waiting days for State Troopers to fly in to deal with criminals.
The Alaska Safe Families and Villages demonstration project would have department of Justice oversight. The program would select up to nine tribes in Alaska to participate at a rate of three per year over a three year period. Selected tribes would stay in for five years. $250,000 per year would go to participating tribes to help support tribal court costs, training, equipment and other expenses. NARF’s Landreth says communities with active tribal courts would be able to choose what type of sanctions they would impose. The bill lays out that these options can include fines, forfeitures, restraining orders and emergency detention. She says although tribes throughout the state could apply for inclusion in the project, some immediately come to mind as good candidates. - Alaska Public Media, 8/6/10
Begich brought up his bill during the debate to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act:
http://www.themudflats.net/...
I know that many people were frustrated after reading Sunday’s Anchorage Daily News column about amendments to the Violence Against Women Act. I share that frustration and that is why I’m reintroducing my bill to address this gap in the law, The Alaska Safe Families and Villages Act. I’ve been working on this bill since I was elected to the Senate because I believe we need to do all we can to prevent and address violence against women wherever it occurs. The bill will allow tribes to use more local control when dealing with alcohol and subsistence related issues—significant factors in many cases of violence and abuse. We have not been able to move this bill so far because the State of Alaska administration opposes it. I can, and I will, be more aggressive with this legislation now that I am on the Indian Affairs Committee. - The Mudflats, 3/11/13
Begich serves on the Native American Affairs Committee with Murkowski. If you would like more information about the Alaska Safe Families and Villages Act, please contact Senator Begich's office:
(202) 224-3004
You can also e-mail Senator Begich here: http://www.begich.senate.gov/...