President Barack Obama will be signing S.47, a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, into law today.

The bill recognizes tribal jurisdiction over non-Indian who commit domestic violence offenses on reservations. Tribes must ensure the constitutional rights of non-Indian defendants are protected in order to exercise the authority.

“For a tribal nation, it’s just absurd that (authority) doesn’t exist,” Sheri Freemont, the director of the Family Advocacy Center on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona, told the Associated Press. “People choose to either work, live or play in Indian Country. I think they should be subject to Indian Country rules.”

The signing ceremony takes place this afternoon at the main Interior Department building. Vice President Joe Biden, one of the original co-sponsors of VAWA, will also be attending.

The ceremony will be carried at whitehouse.gov/live at 1:55pm.

Get the Story:
Tribes: Implementing new authority over non-Indians in domestic violence crimes will take time (AP 3/7)
Obama to sign anti-violence act renewal that extends protection to gays, Native Americans (AP 3/6)
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