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For Immediate Release
July 30, 2010
Dorreen Yellow Bird, Press Secretary
Three Affiliated Tribes, New Town, ND
(701) 627-4817
Chairman Levings Joins President Barack Obama at White House for Historical Signing of Tribal Law & Order Act
Chairman Levings joined President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House on Thursday July 29, 2010, as he signed into law the Tribal Law and Order Act. The President was joined
by over a hundred tribal leaders, tribal law enforcement officers, and women’s rights advocates as he signed what is being hailed as a historic event for changing the way tribes can enforce laws and call on federal resources for prosecuting violent crimes
on tribal land.
Joining President Obama on stage to witness the signing of the law were tribal leaders from throughout Indian country;
Jonathan Windy Boy, Vice Chairman of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, Theresa Two Bulls, President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, and Marcus
D. Levings, Chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes. Lisa Marie Iyotte, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota who introduced the President to the gathered audience.
In addition to President Obama, the United States Government was represented by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD), Secretary Ken Salazar, Department of the Interior, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), Representative
Ed Pastor (D-AZ), Representative Dale Kildee (D-MI), and Representative Tom Cole (R-OK).
“I intend to send a clear message that all of our people -- whether they live in our biggest cities or our most remote reservations -- have the right to feel safe in their own communities, and to raise their children in peace, and enjoy the fullest protection
of our laws,” said President Obama.
The President continued, stating, “As many of you know, I campaigned on this issue. And during our tribal conference last year, I pledged my administration’s fullest support for this bill. And I told Senator Dorgan last week that I intended to sign it
in a ceremony here at the White House with all of you. So today, I am proud to make good on my word.”
Currently, Indian reservations nationwide face violent crime rates more than 2.5 times the national rate. Some reservations face more than 20 times the national rate of violence.
More than 1 in 3 American Indian and Alaska Native women will be raped in their lifetimes, and 2 in 5 will face domestic or partner violence. The Department of Justice has also found that at least 86 percent of rape and sexual assault perpetrators are non-Indian.
The Tribal Law and Order Act takes a comprehensive approach to address these shortfalls by establishing accountability measures for Federal agencies responsible for investigating and prosecuting reservation crime, and by providing tribes with additional tools
to combat crime locally. The Act provides law enforcement officials and tribes increased evidence sharing and federal declination data recording, access to national criminal history records, improved tribal court sentencing authority, and enables deputization
of either federal or tribal agents as the situation requires.
A range of tribal leaders represented the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) at the signing. NCAI played a significant role in helping to pass the Tribal Law and Order
Act.
“Today, by enacting the Tribal Law and Order Act, President Obama and the United States government reaffirmed its federal trust responsibility to work with tribal nations to
strengthen our governments, our people and our communities,” said President Jefferson Keel of NCAI, who is the Lt. Governor of the Chickasaw Nation. “We will use the tools in the Tribal Law and Order Act to crack down on crime and make our communities safer.”
Major provisions of the Tribal Law & Order Act include:
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Evidence Sharing and Declination Data:
Requires federal prosecutors to maintain data on criminal declinations in Indian country, and to share evidence to support prosecutions in tribal court.
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Tribal Court Sentencing: Increases tribal court sentencing authority from 1 to 3 years
imprisonment where certain constitutional protections are met.
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Federal Testimony: Requires Federal officials who work in Indian country to testify
about information gained in the scope of their duties to support a prosecution in tribal court.
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Tribal Police Access to Criminal History Records: Many tribal police have no access
to criminal history records. The bill will provide tribal police greater access to criminal history databases that provide them with essential information when detaining or arresting a suspect.
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Improves transparency in Public Safety spending by the BIA, and requires greater consultation
on the part of the BIA to tribal communities on matters affecting public safety and justice.
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Increased sexual assault training and standardized protocols for handling sex crimes,
interviewing witnesses, and handling evidence of domestic and sexual violence crimes in Indian country.
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Increases recruitment and retention efforts for BIA and Tribal Police.
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Expands training opportunities for BIA and tribal police to receive training at State
police academies, and tribal, state, and local colleges – where Federal law enforcement training standards are met.
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Increases Deputizations of Tribal and State Police to Enforce Federal Law: Enhances
Special Law Enforcement Commission program to deputize officers to enforce federal laws on Indian lands.
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Authorizes deputization of Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys to prosecute reservation
crimes in Federal courts, and encourages Federal Courts to hold cases in Indian country.
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Authorizes the Drug Enforcement Agency to deputize tribal police to assist on reservation
drug raids.
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Programmatic Reauthorizations: The bill will reauthorize and improve existing programs
designed to strengthen tribal courts, police departments, and corrections centers – as well as programs to prevent and treat alcohol and substance abuse, and improve opportunities for at-risk Indian youth.
Details about the Bill
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The legislation was signed into law as part of the Indian Arts and Crafts Amendment Act of 2010
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The Tribal Law and Order Act was introduced by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD)
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