Senate Indian Affairs Committee to hold hearing on Tribal Law and Order Act 2009

As reported back in April, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs introduced major bi-partisan legislation April 2 of this year, to strengthen law enforcement and justice in Indian communities. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, June 25,  and takes place at 2:15pm in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. According to the committee website, the hearing will be webcast at 2:15 EST. 

In a previous press release, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Byron Dorgan, explained that the bill, S.797, was introduced in "response to violent crime that officials say have reached “epidemic” levels on some reservations due to chronic underfunding of law enforcement and justice programs, and a broken, divided system for policing Indian lands. The legislation is designed to boost law enforcement efforts by providing tools to tribal justice officials to fight crime in their own communities, improving coordination between law enforcement agencies, and increasing accountability standards." 

Dorgan went on to say that "American Indians deserve to feel safe in their homes, and safe in their communities . . . and the federal government has treaty and trust obligations that are supposed to see that they do. This legislation will not solve every problem over night, but it is an important effort to significantly change things for the better in many communities."

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