The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will hold an oversight hearing oversight hearing, “Restoring Justice: Addressing Violence in Native Communities through VAWA Title IX Special Jurisdiction” on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. – Eastern Time.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaiʻi), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, will lead the hearing.
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In the 2013 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization, Congress restored tribal jurisdiction over domestic violence crimes, dating violence crimes, and violations of protection orders committed by non-Indians under certain circumstances.
These provisions are instrumental to ensure that Native women and families on reservations have the same protection from domestic abuse as all other women in the United States.
During the hearing, the Committee will hear from the Departments of Justice and the Interior, Tribal leaders, and Tribal and federal Indian law experts on the importance of the 2013 VAWA reauthorization for enhancing public safety in Native communities as well as the ways Congress can work with Tribes and Native communities to build on its success in the next VAWA reauthorization.
WHAT: Schatz to lead Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Oversight Hearing.
WITNESSES:
- Allison Randall, Principal Deputy Director, Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC
- Wizipan Little Elk Garriott, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC
- The Honorable J. Michael Chavarria, Governor, Santa Clara Pueblo, Espanola, NM
- The Honorable Fawn Sharp, President, National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), Washington, DC
- The Honorable Stacie Fourstar, Chief Judge, Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes, Poplar, MT
- Elizabeth A. Reese, Professor, Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA
- Michelle Demmert, Director, Law & Policy Center, Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center, Fairbanks, AK
WHEN: Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. - Eastern Time
HOW TO JOIN: Access the live stream here.
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