[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8487-8488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-03023]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

[Docket No. OAG 146; AG Order No. 3418-2014]


Pilot Project for Tribal Jurisdiction Over Crimes of Domestic 
Violence--Announcement of Successful Applications

AGENCY: Office of the Associate Attorney General, Justice.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Associate Attorney General, exercising authority delegated 
by the Attorney General, is granting the requests of three Indian 
tribes to be

[[Page 8488]]

designated as participating tribes under section 204 of the Indian 
Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended, on an accelerated basis, under 
the voluntary pilot project described in section 908(b)(2) of the 
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013.

DATES: This notice is effective February 6, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Mr. Tracy Toulou, Director, Office of Tribal Justice, 
Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Room 2310, 
Washington, DC 20530, email [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Tracy Toulou, Director, Office of 
Tribal Justice, Department of Justice, at (202) 514-8812 (not a toll-
free number) or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 908(b)(2) of the Violence Against 
Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013) establishes a voluntary 
pilot project for Indian tribes that wish to commence exercising 
jurisdiction on an accelerated basis over certain crimes of domestic 
violence and dating violence and certain criminal violations of 
protection orders in Indian country. This announcement provides public 
notice that the Associate Attorney General, exercising authority 
delegated by the Attorney General, is granting the requests of three 
Indian tribes to be designated as participating tribes under section 
204 of the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended, on an 
accelerated basis, under the voluntary pilot project described in 
section 908(b)(2) of VAWA 2013. The three tribes are (in alphabetical 
order):
     The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian 
Reservation,
     The Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona, and
     The Tulalip Tribes of Washington.
    In deciding to grant the three tribes' requests, the Department of 
Justice followed the procedures described in the Department's final 
notice on the Pilot Project for Tribal Jurisdiction over Crimes of 
Domestic Violence, 78 FR 71645 (Nov. 29, 2013). The Department of 
Justice coordinated with the Department of the Interior, consulted with 
affected Indian tribes, and concluded that the criminal justice system 
of each of the three tribes has adequate safeguards in place to protect 
defendants' rights, consistent with 25 U.S.C. 1304.
    By February 20, 2014, each of the three tribes will notify its 
community that the tribe will soon commence prosecuting ``special 
domestic violence criminal jurisdiction'' (SDVCJ) cases. That 
notification will include sending press releases to the print and 
electronic media outlets in the tribe's area. Each of the three tribes 
may not exercise SDVCJ to prosecute any crime committed before that 
notification has been completed or before February 20, 2014. Also, 
during the remainder of the Pilot Project's duration (i.e., until March 
7, 2015), each of the three tribes will provide the Department of 
Justice's Office of Tribal Justice (OTJ) with updated information if 
changes in the tribe's laws, rules, policies, or personnel render the 
answers to the tribe's certified Application Questionnaire incomplete, 
inaccurate, or outdated.
    The Department of Justice will post on its Tribal Justice and 
Safety Web site (http://www.justice.gov/tribal/) each of the three 
tribes' Application Questionnaires and all the tribal laws, rules, and 
policies that were attached or linked to those Application 
Questionnaires. Once posted, these materials will serve as a resource 
for those tribes that may also wish to participate in the Pilot Project 
or to commence exercising SDVCJ in March 2015 or later, after the Pilot 
Project has concluded.

    Dated: February 6, 2014.
Tony West,
Associate Attorney General.
[FR Doc. 2014-03023 Filed 2-11-14; 8:45 am]
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