Tribal leaders criticized the Republican-controlled House for passing a watered down version of H.R.4970, a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, on Wednesday.

Tribes lobbied heavily for the right to prosecute all offenders who victimize American Indian and Alaska Native women. But H.R.4970 lacks provisions to recognize tribal authority over non-Indians who commit domestic violence crimes on reservations.

“Native women aren’t safer as a result of the passage of HR 4970. In fact, the tribal provisions included in this bill create additional hurdles for Indian women seeking protection from violence on tribal lands, and that is unacceptable,” Juana Majel-Dixon, the vice president of the National Congress of American Indians, said in a press release.

The leader of the Navajo Nation, the second-largest tribe in the U.S., was equally critical. President Ben Shelly said Republicans refused to give the tribal provisions a fair shot during debate yesterday.

"The right to hold persons accountable for crimes committed within the Navajo Nation’s distinct political boundaries is essential for self-governance," Shelly said.

Tribes support S.1925, the version passed by the Senate. The bill includes two sections that address criminal jurisdiction and civil protection orders in tribal courts.

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