Hello People,
I have been wanting to share this great news with you. In case you are wondering, I am a college student and have buried myself in my text books and iPad studying for midterm exams in my classes over the past two weeks. Finally, it’s spring break and time to get back to this blog. So, the news… remember my blog dated on December 10, 2021, “Put The Teeth Back Into Tribal Jurisdiction.” In the post, I asked all of you to contact your senators and tell them to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that will restore Tribal jurisdiction over non-Indian perpetrators of sexual assault, including elder and child abuse. Because this reauthorization will also curb sex trafficking, stalking of women, and assault of Tribal law enforcement officers. This will put the teeth back into Tribal jurisdiction.
On March 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022, bipartisan legislation passed by Congress as part of the Omnibus appropriations package. The White House stated that
“The 2022 reauthorization of VAWA strengthens this landmark law, including by expanding special criminal jurisdiction of Tribal courts to cover non-Native perpetrators of sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, sex trafficking, and assaults on tribal law enforcement officers on tribal lands; and supporting the development of a pilot project to enhance access to safety for survivors in Alaska Native villages.”
Thank you all, if you hadn’t taken steps to push this bill forward I don’t know if this would have been reauthorized. We are still in the baby-steps, the beginning, and many more are ahead of all of us.
Until next time,
J.J.