[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 28, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


             INDIAN ARTS AND CRAFTS AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 21, 2010

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 725, the 
Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act of 2010, and specifically the 
tribal law and order provisions now included.
  The federal government has a unique trust relationship with the 564 
sovereign tribal nations in the United States, and it is part of this 
trust responsibility for the federal government to provide law 
enforcement in Indian Country. The United States is not meeting its 
obligation. There are not enough law enforcement officers patrolling 
reservations, and the statistics illustrate the consequences. American 
Indians and Alaska Natives suffer from the highest crime rates in the 
nation. Federal law enforcement failed to prosecute more than half of 
the violent crimes in Indian Country, including sexual assault cases. 
This is especially troubling because the U.S. Justice Department found 
that one in three Native women will be raped in her lifetime.
  That is why I urge my colleagues to support this bill and the tribal 
law and order provisions within it. This legislation improves law 
enforcement on tribal land by encouraging the prosecution of more 
crime, by increasing penalties for reservation offenders and by 
establishing protocols to address sexual violence. It encourages 
coordination between federal agencies, law enforcement officials and 
tribal communities for investigation and prosecution purposes. Under 
this act, tribal courts would be able to sentence offenders up to three 
years; currently, they can only sentence for up to one year. These 
changes are desperately needed.
  This bill is a positive step towards meeting our trust responsibility 
and protecting Indian Country. As a member of the Congressional Native 
American Caucus, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 725.

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