{"id":20912,"date":"2022-02-11T13:20:04","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T18:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=20912"},"modified":"2022-02-11T13:20:05","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T18:20:05","slug":"progress-cited-in-improving-violence-against-women-act-for-indian-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/02\/11\/progress-cited-in-improving-violence-against-women-act-for-indian-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Progress cited in improving Violence Against Women Act for Indian Country"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/B574kIhY1Q8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska): <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/B574kIhY1Q8>Bipartisan Bill to Modernize Violence Against Women Act<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Progress cited in improving Violence Against Women Act for Indian Country<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Friday, February 11, 2022<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C. &#8212; A bill to <a href=https:\/\/www.feinstein.senate.gov\/public\/index.cfm\/press-releases?id=3CC15680-2C9A-44C4-B7B3-72CA4EE74765>update the Violence Against Women Act<\/a> and recognize tribal jurisdiction over additional crimes is finally moving forward in the nation&#8217;s capital.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nA bipartisan group of lawmakers  introduced the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act  in the <a href=https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/>U.S. Senate<\/a>   on Wednesday after more than a year of discussions.  The 335-page package [<a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/11\/vawasenate2022.pdf>PDF<\/a>] includes a section that ensures tribes can arrest, prosecute and sentence  all offenders &#8212; regardless of race &#8212; who commit crimes against women and children.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cNearly a decade ago, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 restored tribal jurisdiction over domestic violence crimes, recognizing tribes\u2019 right to exercise their authority and giving them resources to go after criminals,\u201d   said <a href=https:\/\/www.schatz.senate.gov\/>Sen. Brian Schatz<\/a> (D-Hawaii), the chairman of the <a href=https:\/\/indian.senate.gov\/>Senate Committee on Indian Affairs<\/a> and one of the bill&#8217;s co-sponsors.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n \u201cYesterday&#8217;s introduction makes clear the Senate is serious about strengthening this important law, protecting Native women, children, and families, and restoring justice for Native communities,\u201d <a href=https:\/\/www.indian.senate.gov\/news\/press-release\/schatz-murkowski-introduce-bipartisan-violence-against-women-act-reauthorization>Schatz said  in a news release<\/a> on Thursday.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<iframe   src='https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/video\/standalone\/?517850-1\/bipartisan-group-senators-angelina-jolie-push-passage-violence-women-act' allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' frameborder=0><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">C-SPAN: <a href=https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/video\/?517850-1\/bipartisan-group-senators-angelina-jolie-push-passage-violence-women-act>Senators Durbin, Ernst, Feinstein, Murkowski and Others on Violence Against Women Act<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<a href=https:\/\/www.murkowski.senate.gov\/>Sen. Lisa Murkowski<\/a> (R-Alaska), the vice chair of the committee, discussed the  tribal provisions in <a href=https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/senate-bill\/3623>S.3623<\/a> during a <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/B574kIhY1Q8>press conference at the U.S. Capitol<\/a> on Wednesday. She said the  bill will help protect the most vulnerable, especially those in her home state of Alaska, where the current version of VAWA has a limited impact.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cIn 2013, we recognized the inherent tribal jurisdiction, but we knew that we needed to allow for modernization and expansion and we have done that within this title,\u201d   Murkowski said of Title VII &#8212; Safety for Indian Women &#8212; in the measure.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe go further in recognizing, that in Alaska, due to jurisdictional complexities, due to geography, isolated communities with sparse population, you can have a situation where you have literally no law enforcement whatsoever,\u201d Murkowski said of the challenges in the 200-plus Native villages in the state. \u201cNo presence whatsoever. No safety whatsoever\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe <a href=https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/tribal\/violence-against-women-act-vawa-reauthorization-2013-0>2013 version of VAWA recognizes the inherent authority  of tribes<\/a> to prosecute non-Indians who commit violent offenses against their partners.  The law is considered landmark but it  does not cover crimes like sexual assault, human trafficking and child abuse.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/02\/11\/progress-cited-in-improving-violence-against-women-act-for-indian-country\/lisamurkowski-3\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-20921\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1703\" data-attachment-id=\"20921\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/02\/11\/progress-cited-in-improving-violence-against-women-act-for-indian-country\/lisamurkowski-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/11\/LisaMurkowski-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1703\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;U.S. Senate Photographic Service&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Senators Durbin, Ernst, Feinstein, and Murkowski hold a press conference announcing a bipartisan modernized Violence Against Women Act.\\r(The Senators will be joined by Angelina Jolie, representatives from violence prevention and law enforcement groups, and a survivor of domestic violence).\\r(Official U.S. Senate photo by Renee Bouchard)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1644421545&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;47&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;3200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Lisa Murkowski\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) speaks at a press conference to announce the introduction of the Violence Against Women Act at the U.S. Capitol on February 9, 2022. Photo Renee Bouchard \/ U.S. Senate&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/11\/LisaMurkowski-1024x681.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/11\/LisaMurkowski-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Lisa Murkowski\"   class=\"size-full wp-image-20921\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) speaks at a press conference to announce the introduction of the Violence Against Women Act at the U.S. Capitol on February 9, 2022. Photo Renee Bouchard \/ U.S. Senate<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n  S.3623  closes the loophole  by ensuring that tribal governments  can arrest, prosecute and punish non-Indians for those additional offenses, along with crimes like witness tampering, obstructing justice or assaulting law enforcement personnel. And in addition to bringing Alaska  Natives into VAWA, the bill for the first time ensures that tribes in Maine  can  follow the provisions of the law they  have been excluded from since 2013.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cIn my work on this issue, I have learned that no state, no community, and no family is immune to the horrors of domestic violence,\u201d said <a href=https:\/\/www.collins.senate.gov\/>Sen. Susan Collins<\/a> (D-Maine).  \u201cIn Maine, domestic violence has historically been involved in approximately half of annual homicides.\u201d \r\n<P><\/P>\r\nFurther, Title VII  starts to address violence against Native Hawaiians, who weren&#8217;t included in the 2013 law. The bill authorizes a federal review of a wide range of  public safety issues in Hawaii, including missing and murdered Native Hawaiians.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cNative Hawaiians experience a disproportionately high rate of human trafficking, with percent of human trafficking victims in the state of Hawai\u2019i identifying as at least part Native Hawaiian,\u201d the text of the measure states.\r\n<p><\/p><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nDespite the movement in the Senate, the bill introduced on Wednesday  is not exactly the same as  <a href=https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/1620>H.R.1620<\/a>, the version of VAWA that passed the <a href=https:\/\/www.house.gov\/>U.S. House of Representatives<\/a> nearly a year ago. One of the most striking changes addresses how non-Indians can challenge tribal sovereignty by going to the  federal court  system.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nS.3623, for the first time, lays out the conditions in which a non-Indian can petition for a writ of <a href=https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/habeas_corpus>habeas corpus<\/a>, meaning the steps taken to be released from tribal custody or tribal detention. The bill states that a defendant must have \u201cexhausted the remedies available in the tribal court system,\u201d  a nod to <a href=https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/>U.S. Supreme Court<\/a> precedents pertaining to <a href=https:\/\/turtletalk.blog\/tag\/tribal-court-exhaustion-doctrine\/>proceedings in tribal courts<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut the Senate measure also states that a non-Indian can go to federal  court  if \u201cthere is an absence of an available tribal corrective process\u201d of even if \u201dcircumstances exist that render the tribal corrective process ineffective to protect the rights of the applicant.\u201d   The nature of these types of situations isn&#8217;t further explained in the bill.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nSuch language regarding the rights of non-Indians is not present in H.R.1620. It also isn&#8217;t  found in the <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/12\/08\/draft-version-of-safety-for-indian-women-released-by-senate-committee-leaders\/>draft version of the Safety for Indian Women title<\/a> that was released by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in December.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=row><div class=col-md-10><div class=\"wp-block-pdfemb-pdf-embedder-viewer\"><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/11\/muscogeenation021022.pdf\" class=\"pdfemb-viewer\" style=\"\" data-width=\"max\" data-height=\"max\" data-toolbar=\"both\" data-toolbar-fixed=\"on\">muscogeenation021022<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAccording to the <a href=https:\/\/www.muscogeenation.com\/>Muscogee Nation<\/a>, S.3623 imposes different standards on  tribal courts. The tribe&#8217;s reservation in eastern Oklahoma was at the center of the <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/07\/09\/on-the-far-end-of-the-trail-of-tears-nat.asp>historic <em>McGirt<\/em> decision from the Supreme Court<\/a>, which confirmed that lands promised by treaty are still considered Indian Country.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n\u201cWhile we are pleased with the current progress, we have questions about the potential to add habeas corpus provisions to this bill that could establish standards for tribal court convictions separate from those applied to state court convictions,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/11\/muscogeenation021022.pdf\">Muscogee Nation said in a statement<\/a> on Thursday.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n \u201cTribal courts should have simple parity with state courts, and the plain language of VAWA already safeguards defendants\u2019 rights under the law,\u201d the tribe said in otherwise praising the work done so far to reauthorize VAWA.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Thank you for participating in the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/VAWA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#VAWA<\/a> Day of Action Twitter storm! Keep contacting your senators and sign up for NIWRC\u2019s Legislative Update via our Newsletter to stay updated: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/o2nULQjnkA\">https:\/\/t.co\/o2nULQjnkA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/VAWA4All?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#VAWA4All<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PD3BfLwvCy\">pic.twitter.com\/PD3BfLwvCy<\/a><\/p>&mdash; National Indigenous Women&#39;s Resource Center (@niwrc) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/niwrc\/status\/1483869395323699205?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 19, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nThe Alaska specific portion of S.3623 creates what is known as the\r\nAlaska Tribal Public Safety Empowerment Pilot Project.   Tribes in Alaska will finally be able to prosecute crimes of violence in their communities if the bill becomes law.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHowever, Murkowski  stressed that the  bill does not repeal <a href=http:\/\/www.tribal-institute.org\/lists\/pl280.htm>Public Law 280<\/a>, so the state of Alaska still retains jurisdiction over Native-owned lands. And she said  the pilot project will not  \u201ccreate\u201d Indian Country  in  Alaska. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cBecause of the jurisdictional challenges in Alaska created by Public Law 280, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and the timing of historical events, Alaska tribes have been effectively left out of many of the improvements,\u201d said  Michelle Demmert, Law and Policy Director of the <a href=https:\/\/www.aknwrc.org\/>Alaska Native Women&#8217;s Resource Center<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n \u201cThe creation of the pilot project begins to address the gaps that prior laws and policies have created and begins to address ways to provide recognition of authority and resources for Alaska Native tribes,\u201d   Demmert, a citizen of the <a href=http:\/\/www.ccthita.org\/>Tlingit and Haida Tribes<\/a>, said in a <a href=https:\/\/www.murkowski.senate.gov\/press\/release\/murkowski-and-colleagues-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-reauthorize-violence-against-women-act->news release from Murkowski&#8217;s office<\/a>.\r\n<P><\/P>  \r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_indianz-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/12\/08\/indian-country-continues-push-to-strengthen-violence-against-women-act\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/26\/michelledemmert-scaled-3.jpg\" alt=\"Indian Country continues push to strengthen Violence Against Women Act\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/12\/08\/indian-country-continues-push-to-strengthen-violence-against-women-act\/\">\n\t\t\tIndian Country continues push to strengthen Violence Against Women Act\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/12\/08\/indian-country-continues-push-to-strengthen-violence-against-women-act\/\">\n\t\t\t<p>Indian Country is making another push to restore tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians who commit violence in their communities.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"Indianz.Com\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWith introduction of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act, President Joe Biden urged the Senate to move quickly on the bill. The 117th Congress will conclude at the end of 2022 so there are only a few more months to take action.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cCombatting domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking should not be a Democratic issue or Republican issue. It\u2019s a matter of justice and compassion,\u201d Biden, who was the original sponsor of VAWA when he served in the Senate, said in a <a href=https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2022\/02\/09\/statement-by-president-biden-on-the-introduction-of-the-violence-against-women-act-reauthorization-act-of-2022\/>statement  on Wednesday<\/a>.  \u201cI am grateful that this critical bipartisan bill is moving forward, and I look forward to Congress delivering it to my desk without delay.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAny differences in the Senate or the House versions of VAWA would have to be resolved before Congress can complete work on the bill and send it to the White House.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/videoseries?list=PLUZ4SOc8isRei_rZxa4ZLu0Uixwfnl_LO\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nThe Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/12\/10\/restoring-justice-addressing-violence-in-native-communities-through-vawa-title-ix-special-jurisdiction\/>hearing to discuss VAWA on December 8, 2021<\/a>. Witnesses told of the challenges that tribes must overcome to <a href=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLUZ4SOc8isRei_rZxa4ZLu0Uixwfnl_LO>protect  women, children  and elders in their communities<\/a> from crimes of violence.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cRemoving the gaps in tribal jurisdiction and ensuring all 574 tribal nations can exercise jurisdiction and providing the resources and tools for implementation together can dramatically change the environment in Indian Country by empowering tribal sovereignty and safety,\u201d\r\nPresident Fawn Sharp of the <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/>National Congress of American Indians<\/a>  said at the hearing.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nNCAI, which is the largest inter-tribal advocacy organization in the U.S., has long endorsed  the inclusion of Alaska and Maine in  VAWA. Historically, Native lands in Alaska have been treated differently than Indian Country in the lower  48 states  so the  2013 law did not  cover them.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSimilarly, tribes in Maine are   not  covered by VAWA due to  pre-existing land claim settlements that require Congress to take special action in passing <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2019\/04\/04\/violence-against-women-act-brings-parity.asp>laws  affecting Indian Country in Maine<\/a>. For that reason, the state of Maine has claimed the <a href=https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/tribal\/tribal-law-and-order-act>Tribal Law and Order Act<\/a> doesn&#8217;t apply there. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAccording to repeated studies by the U.S. government, American Indians and Alaska Natives suffer from the <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2016\/06\/17\/native-women-confront-high-rates-of-viol.asp>highest rates of victimization<\/a> in the nation. Data also shows the majority of perpetrators of crime are non-Indians.  \r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Relevant Documents<\/div>\r\n<a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/11\/vawasenate2022.pdf>Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022<\/a> (Note: The PDF released by several members of the U.S. Senate appears to have some form of password protections on it. For that reason, users may have trouble extracting individual pages from the file.)\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/11\/TitleVIISafetyforIndianWomenSummary.pdf>Summary of  TITLE VIII \u2013 Safety for Indian Women<\/a>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/11\/TitleVIISafetyforIndianWomenSummary.pdf>VAWA 2022 Reauthorization: Section-by-Section Summary<\/a>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h4-responsive\">Related Stories<\/div>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/12\/15\/top-department-of-justice-addresses-alaska-federation-of-natives\/\" title=\"Top Department of Justice official addresses Alaska Federation of Natives annual convention\">Top Department of Justice official addresses Alaska Federation of Natives annual convention<\/a> (December 15, 2021)<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/12\/10\/restoring-justice-addressing-violence-in-native-communities-through-vawa-title-ix-special-jurisdiction\/\" title=\"Restoring Justice: Addressing Violence in Native Communities through VAWA Title IX Special Jurisdiction\">Restoring Justice: Addressing Violence in Native Communities through VAWA Title IX Special Jurisdiction<\/a> (December 10, 2021)<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/12\/08\/draft-version-of-safety-for-indian-women-released-by-senate-committee-leaders\/\" title=\"Draft version of \u2018Safety for Indian Women\u2019 released by Senate committee leaders\">Draft version of \u2018Safety for Indian Women\u2019 released by Senate committee leaders<\/a> (December 8, 2021)<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/12\/08\/indian-country-continues-push-to-strengthen-violence-against-women-act\/\" title=\"Indian Country continues push to strengthen Violence Against Women Act\">Indian Country continues push to strengthen Violence Against Women Act<\/a> (December 8, 2021)<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/09\/30\/october-is-domestic-violence-awareness-month\/\" title=\"October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month\">October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month<\/a> (September 30, 2021)<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/09\/02\/howard-center-for-investigative-journalism-child-sexual-abuse-in-indian-country-goes-unprosecuted-4\/\" title=\"Howard Center for Investigative Journalism: Child sexual abuse in Indian Country goes unprosecuted\">Howard Center for Investigative Journalism: Child sexual abuse in Indian Country goes unprosecuted<\/a> (September 2, 2021)<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/08\/18\/howard-center-for-investigative-journalism-child-sexual-abuse-in-indian-country-goes-unprosecuted\/\" title=\"Howard Center for Investigative Journalism: Child sexual abuse in Indian Country goes unprosecuted\">Howard Center for Investigative Journalism: Child sexual abuse in Indian Country goes unprosecuted<\/a> (August 18, 2021)<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/04\/president-biden-issues-proclamation-for-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-persons-awareness-day\/\" title=\"President Biden issues proclamation for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day\">President Biden issues proclamation for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day<\/a> (May 4, 2021)<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/09\/bill-recognizes-tribal-jurisdiction-over-non-indian-offenders\/\" title=\"Bill recognizes tribal jurisdiction over non-Indian offenders\">Bill recognizes tribal jurisdiction over non-Indian offenders<\/a> (March 9, 2021)\r\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/11\/nativewomen-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Native Women\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" class=\"invisible\" \/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A bill to update the Violence Against Women Act and recognize tribal jurisdiction over additional crimes is finally moving forward in the nation\u2019s capital.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20936,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,13,1,14],"tags":[869,460,78,215,925,346,94,128,223,1265,834,48,53,397,476,211,1244,2286,564,653,7,1681,47,85,2483,213,91,220,84,1243,643,106,455,44,102],"class_list":["post-20912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-politics","tag-117th","tag-aknwrc","tag-alaska","tag-ancsa","tag-brian-schatz","tag-dc","tag-democrats","tag-elders","tag-fawn-sharp","tag-h-r-1620","tag-hawaii","tag-house","tag-joe-biden","tag-jurisdiction","tag-land-claims","tag-lisa-murkowski","tag-maine","tag-michelle-demmert","tag-muscogee","tag-native-hawaiian","tag-ncai","tag-pl280","tag-race","tag-republicans","tag-s-3623","tag-scia","tag-senate","tag-sovereignty","tag-supreme-court","tag-susan-collins","tag-tloa","tag-tribal-courts","tag-vawa","tag-women","tag-youth","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/11\/nativewomen-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-5ri","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}