[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2695 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2695

     To amend the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act to provide for 
 advancements in public safety services to Indian communities, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 27, 2023

  Ms. Cantwell (for herself and Mr. Mullin) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act to provide for 
 advancements in public safety services to Indian communities, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement 
Act''.

SEC. 2. TRIBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS.

    The Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act is amended by inserting after 
section 4 (25 U.S.C. 2803) the following:

``SEC. 4A. TRIBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS.

    ``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal 
law, law enforcement officers of an Indian tribe that have contracted 
or compacted any or all Federal law enforcement functions through a 
contract or compact entered into pursuant to the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) 
(referred to in this section as `Tribal officers') shall have the 
authority to enforce Federal law within the area under the jurisdiction 
of the Indian tribe if--
            ``(1) the applicable Tribal officers have--
                    ``(A) completed training that is comparable to that 
                of an employee of the Office of Justice Services of the 
                Bureau who is providing the same services in Indian 
                country, as determined by the Deputy Bureau Director of 
                the Office of Justice Services of the Bureau (or a 
                designee);
                    ``(B) passed an adjudicated background 
                investigation equivalent to that of an employee of the 
                Office of Justice Services of the Bureau who is 
                providing the same services in Indian country; and
                    ``(C) received a certification from the Office of 
                Justice Services of the Bureau, as described in 
                subsection (c); and
            ``(2) the Indian tribe has adopted policies and procedures 
        that meet or exceed those of the Office of Justice Services of 
        the Bureau for the same program, service, function, or 
        activity.
    ``(b) Deemed To Be Federal Law Enforcement Officers.--While acting 
under the authority granted by the Secretary through a contract or 
compact entered into pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and 
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.), a Tribal officer 
shall be deemed to be--
            ``(1) a Federal law enforcement officer for the purposes 
        of--
                    ``(A) sections 111 and 1114 of title 18, United 
                States Code;
                    ``(B) subchapter III of chapter 83 and subchapter 
                III of chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code; and
                    ``(C) chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code 
                (commonly known as the `Federal Tort Claims Act'); and
            ``(2) an eligible officer under subchapter III of chapter 
        81 of title 5, United States Code.
    ``(c) Certification.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of the Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act, the 
        Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) notwithstanding section 5, develop procedures 
                for the credentialing of Tribal officers under this 
                section to provide confirmation that Tribal officers 
                meet minimum certification standards and training 
                requirements for Indian country peace officers, as 
                prescribed by the Secretary; and
                    ``(B) issue guidance, in consultation with Indian 
                tribes, to otherwise implement this section.
            ``(2) IPA bridge program.--Tribal officers who choose to 
        attend a State or other equivalent training program approved by 
        the Deputy Bureau Director of the Office of Justice Services of 
        the Bureau (or a designee) rather than attend the Indian Police 
        Academy shall be required to attend the Bridge Program of the 
        Indian Police Academy, or an equivalent program, prior to 
        receiving a certification under this subsection.''.

SEC. 3. OVERSIGHT, COORDINATION, AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

    The Attorney General, acting through the Deputy Attorney General, 
shall coordinate and provide oversight for all Department of Justice 
activities, responsibilities, functions, and programs to ensure a 
coordinated approach for public safety in Indian communities, 
accountability, and compliance with Federal law, including--
            (1) the timely submission of reports to Congress;
            (2) robust training, as required under Federal law and as 
        needed or requested by Indian Tribes or Federal and State 
        officials relating to--
                    (A) public safety in Indian communities; and
                    (B) training outcomes demonstrating a better 
                understanding of public safety approaches in Indian 
                communities;
            (3) the updating of, and improvements to, United States 
        Attorney operational plans;
            (4) comprehensive evaluation and analysis of data, 
        including approaches to collecting better data, relating to 
        public safety in Indian communities; and
            (5) other duties or responsibilities as needed to improve 
        public safety in Indian communities.
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