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Sen. Murray: VAWA Must Include LGBT, Immigrants And Native Americans
At a press conference Tuesday, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) stressed the need for provisions in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that specifically include Native American women, LGBT individuals, and immigrants who are subject to domestic violence.  Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)5/15/2013
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Implemention of VAWA, Stafford Act in Indian Country: The real work begins
(New York) -- Earlier this year the United States Congress amended two laws to help assist some unmet needs for Indian Country. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and...
5/4/2013
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Opinion: Violence Against Women Act works
(Montana) -- In Montana alone in 2003, 11,562 people were victims of domestic violence, 1,715 people were victims of stalking, and eight adults, two children and one...
5/3/2013
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Tribal courts aim to heal
(Washington) -- Advocates for Native American survivors of intimate violence cheered when they won the right to prosecute non-Indian assailants in tribal court. That...
5/1/2013
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New VAWA provides unprecedented protection for Native American women
(California) -- Native American women are physically abused, raped and stalked more than women of any other racial group in the nation. A new provision in the Violence...
4/25/2013
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Opinion: Feds must provide bite to tribal bark
(Oklahoma) -- For non-Native Americans to receive a fair trial in tribal courts, defendants must face a jury of their peers. For that to happen, the United States...
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Violence Against Women Act Renewed
(Arizona) -- Early last month, Congress renewed and extended federal legislation known as the “Violence Against Women Act” or “VAWA.” The VAWA...
4/24/2013
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Expanded Violence Against Women Act to cover some Indian women
(Minnesota) -- Advocates for Indian women in Minnesota are hailing a decision by Congress to reauthorize and expand the Violence Against Women Act.
4/19/2013
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DOJ seeks input from tribes about Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- The Department of Justice will hold two consultation sessions next month to discuss the tribal jurisdiction provisions of S.47, the Violence Against...
4/18/2013
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Tribal Court issues four year sentence on heels of Tribal Law and Order Act
(North Carolina) -- Russell McKinley Wolfe, 35, was convicted on Nov. 16, 2012, in the Cherokee Court for Domestic Violence Assault on a Female, Violation of a Domestic...
4/15/2013
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An Epidemic Of Violence: Nebraska's Tribes Lack Legal Power To Protect Their People
(Nebraska) -- “Indian Country has some of the highest rates of domestic abuse in America,” Obama said at the VAWA signing; national tribal and federal...
4/14/2013
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ERICH LONGIE: Cramer owes Merrick a more sincere apology
(North Dakota) -- We Dakotas are easy to get along with. After all, our very name signifies friends and/or allies. And, we are pretty much assimilated into the...
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Letter: New tools to reduce violence
(North Dakota) -- The alarming rate of domestic violence offenses against American Indian women should trouble all North Dakotans. According to a 2011 study from the...
4/11/2013
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On reservations, VAWA protects rights of the accused
(North Dakota) -- The alarming rate of domestic violence offenses against American Indian women is an issue that should trouble all North Dakotans.
4/10/2013
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Three Affiliated Tribes plans prosecutions under VAWA
(North Dakota) -- Since January, the Fort Berthold Coalition Against Violence has helped 47 new victims of abuse and violence and has dealt with 12 sexual assaults.
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U.S. Attorney, victims advocate defend VAWA
(North Dakota) -- A new federal law giving tribal courts limited jurisdiction in domestic violence cases involving non-Indians gives new hope to Indian women while...
4/9/2013
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How Violence Again Women Act impacts tribal nations in Michigan
(Michigan) -- Congress has recently taken measures to protect women in the United States, including those within tribal nations.
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ROSS: VAWA, a Historic Native Victory
(Washington) -- Hey Native people…just in case you didn’t realize it, we made history very recently! HUGE history—like, history that students will be...
4/8/2013
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ROSS: Exclusive Video of Historic Native Victory: Violence Against Women Act
(Washington) -- Hey Native people…just in case you didn’t realize it, we made history very recently! HUGE history—like, history that students will be...
4/5/2013
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Three Affiliated Tribes chastise Cramer comments
(North Dakota) -- The business council of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation says it cannot condone or tolerate recent comments from Rep. Kevin Cramer and requests...
4/4/2013
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An Epidemic Of Violence: Nebraska Native Women Struggle To Break The Cycle
(Nebraska) -- One in three Native American women will face domestic or sexual violence in their lifetimes; many will suffer both. The recent expansion of the federal...
3/31/2013
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Can state, tribes protect Native women?
(Alaska) -- When the U.S. Congress reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act recently, women’s rights advocates of all makes celebrated across the nation. The...
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US Dept. of Justice Fact Sheet Re: VAWA’s Tribal Jurisdiction over Non-Indians
(Washington D.C.) -- Congress recently passed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, or “VAWA 2013.” This new law includes significant...
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North Dakota Council on Abused Women’s Services Statement on Kevin Cramer Recent Remarks
(North Dakota) -- The reality of sexual assault and domestic violence can be overwhelming, but talking about the devastating effects on victims and their families is the...
3/29/2013
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GOP Rep Denies Calling Tribal Governments, Courts ‘Dysfunctional’
(North Dakota) -- Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) on Thursday disputed an account of a heated exchange he reportedly had with victim assistance professionals from American...
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Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Congressman, Regrets Berating Native American Counselors
(North Dakota) -- Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) apologized Thursday for a testy exchange with Native American victim assistance leaders. The discussion took place Tuesday...
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North Dakota tribes blast Rep. Cramer's remarks at meeting
(North Dakota) -- The Spirit Lake Nation and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians are criticizing Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) for comments he made at a...
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MURKOWSKI: Ending abuse, securing justice for Alaskans
(Alaska) -- Alaska is known for its natural beauty, geographic vastness, and tremendous energy potential. Behind the beauty is a difficult reality that many of us, even...
3/28/2013
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Compass: 'Choose Respect' fails to protect Native women
(Alaska) -- It's a method, marches. Historically marches are held to protest (civil rights), to get from one point to another (relocation) and to parade power (...
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North Dakota Congressman Kevin Cramer Verbally Attacks Native Victim’s Assistance Program Director at State Meeting
(North Dakota) -- As the Director of Spirit Lake Victim Assistance, I am a member of three coalitions: First Nations Women’s Alliance, Native Women’s Society...
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Rep. Cramer disputes account of 'tirade' during meeting with American Indians, but apologizes for tone
(North Dakota) -- Rep. Kevin Cramer told a gathering of victim-assistance professionals from the state’s American Indian reservations in Bismarck on Tuesday that...
3/27/2013
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What will it take to shine a light on rural Alaska's sexual assault epidemic?
(Alaska) -- Steubenville is a small Ohio town with a high-profile sex crime that's spawned a scandal and nationwide discussion. Two boys -- local football stars --...
3/25/2013
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For Tribes, Prosecuting Non-Native Abusers Still a Challenge
(Washington D.C.) -- When President Barack Obama signed the Violence Against Women Act earlier this month, he spoke of cracking down on domestic abuse in Indian Country...
3/24/2013
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OP/ED: VAWA and the Rolled-Up Newspaper of Goodness
(Arizona) -- In the 1990s, a bumbling cartoon superhero named The Tick declared, "You know, evil... is just plain bad... You gotta smack it in the nose with the...
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VAWA's Loudest Advocates Further Silence Native Women
(Alaska) -- Many federally recognized tribes are celebrating the reauthorization of VAWA, which contains key provisions that authorize tribal courts to prosecute non-...
3/22/2013
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Murkowski Clarifies VAWA Dispute
(Washington D.C.) -- All three members of Alaska’s Congressional delegation supported the bill. One of the reauthorization’s new, more controversial...
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VAWA provision triggers new debate on tribal authority in Alaska
(Alaska) -- The recent reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act had many applauding its new protections for LGBT victims and illegal immigrants. All three...
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BACHMANN: Why I voted for the better VAWA
(Minnesota) -- Violence against women is tragic and unacceptable, and fighting against domestic violence is not, and should never be, a partisan issue. That’s why...
3/21/2013
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Murkowski makes rural safety proposal
(Alaska) -- Discussion of a proposal to bolster law enforcement in rural Alaska was initiated by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Friday.
3/20/2013
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LETTER: Hastings’ vote criticized
(Washington) -- To the editor — Sue Barbus, Leslie Waldo, Michaela Mann, Anke Wildman and Dr. Flint Orr and I, as voters, ask that U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings explain...
3/17/2013
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Power of attorney: Navajo Nation lawyers may see pushback from non-Indian clients
(New Mexico) -- A recently revised domestic-violence law has changed the role of tribal courts, and also could change the role of tribal attorneys. The Violence Against...
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Proposed legislation regarding tribal court judgments raises concern
(California) -- Proposed legislation to make it easier for tribal court judgments to be enforced in California courts is raising concern among critics who fear it will...
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ROB PORT: Tribal courts’ track records don’t inspire confidence
(North Dakota) -- The Violence Against Women Act was a hot-button issue last year in the U.S. Senate campaign between Democrat Heidi Heitkamp and Republican Rick Berg.
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White Earth 1st to team up with US prosecutors
(Minnesota) -- An American Indian tribe in northern Minnesota will become the first in the country to team up with federal prosecutors under a law designed to improve...
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Murkowski Bringing Tribes, State, Feds Together to Improve Rural Justice
(Alaska) -- Senator Lisa Murkowski reached out to Alaska’s tribal leaders with the outlines of a proposal - years in the making- that would create a collaborative...
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Violence Against Women Act: The great divide for Alaska tribes
(Alaska) -- Between February 1, and March 7, 2013, the day President Obama signed the Violence Against Women's Act into law, 44 battered women and children from 15...
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Letter: Murkowski’s legal judgment correct on tribal court authority
(Alaska) -- Shannyn Moore complains (Comment, March 10) that Sen. Murkowski deliberately excluded Alaska Native tribes from new tribal court criminal and civil authority...
3/16/2013
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Frustrated Sen. Murkowski takes heat as Alaska tribes get left out of new domestic violence law
(Washington D.C.) -- Across the nation, Indian tribes cheered when President Barack Obama signed a new Violence Against Women Act last week, expanding the power of...
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Opinion: Alaska Politicians Stand in the Way of Protections
(Alaska) -- President Obama signed the Violence Against Women Act [last] week. Finally, something bipartisan passed! American women are better protected from coast to...
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Stronger Violence Against Women Act signed into law
(Washington D.C.) -- When Rep. Gwen Moore [D-Wisc.] stood near President Obama last Thursday as he signed the Violence Against Women Act into law, as a rape survivor,...
3/14/2013
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OP/ED: Native American assault victims in need of recourse
(New York) -- On March 7, President Barack Obama signed an updated version of the Violence Against Women Act that will implement state and local efforts to fight rape...
3/13/2013
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SEN. REID: Women in Indian Country Have Been Heard
(Washington D.C.) -- March 7 was a momentous day -- President Obama was finally able to sign the reauthorized Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
3/12/2013
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Alaska Native women lose in Violence Against Women Act renewal
(Alaska) -- Last Thursday, March 7, President Obama signed into law the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Nationwide, many celebrated the new...
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Federal prosecutor placed on Standing Rock Reservation
(South Dakota) -- Women living on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation have a new advocate to prosecute cases of violence against women in federal and tribal courts....
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VAWA Not a Victory for Alaskan Native Women
(Alaska) -- President Obama signed the Violence Against Women Act last week. Finally, something bipartisan passed! American women are better protected from coast to...
3/11/2013
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President Barack Obama's VAWA Law Signing Spotlights Native Women Warriors
(Washington D.C.) -- During the March 7 signing ceremony in the offices of the United States Department of the Interior of the reauthorization of the Violence Against...
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Wyo. legislators fail to support VAWA
(Wyoming) -- The Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA) was signed into federal law by President Barack Obama on Thursday March 7, after finally passing the Senate...
3/10/2013
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Gillette and Galbraith Explain VAWA - Empowering Tribes to Protect Native Women
(Washington D.C.) -- The following article was provided by the White House on Thursday after President Barack Obama signed into the law the Violence Against Women...
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New Violence Against Women Act Includes Historic Protections for Native American and LGBT Survivors
(USA) -- President Obama has signed into law historic new protections for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault with the expanded reauthorization of the...
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Opinion: Bipartisanship a welcome change
(New Mexico) -- With little fanfare, considering nearly a year of failure to move, the House of Representatives passed the Violence Against Women Act last month —...
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Our View: Advocates make VAWA difference
(Minnesota) -- Finally. After months of resisting an expansion of the Violence Against Women Act, House Republicans waved the white flag.
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Sexual violence scars Native American women
(Minnesota) -- It seems like an idyllic memory at first - hiding under a table as a small child, watching her family as they go about their business, unaware of her...
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Shannyn Moore: Alaska politicians stand in the way of protections
(Alaska) -- President Obama signed the Violence Against Women Act this week. Finally, something bipartisan passed! American women are better protected from coast to...
3/9/2013
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Commentary: International Women's Day 2013: Smiling American Indian Women Warm the Heart
(Michigan) -- Today is International Women's Day. Each year around the world, International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8. Today may be International...
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Domestic violence law poses problem for tribes
(Oklahoma) -- Under a new federal law, non-tribal members must be ensured a fair trial if they are prosecuted in tribal courts for domestic violence.
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Letter: Protecting women
(Kansas) -- The Kickapoo Tribal Council wishes to commend Rep. Lynn Jenkins and Rep. Kevin Yoder for their understanding and support of the passage of the Violence...
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Opinion: A tipping point
(Washington D.C.) -- The visual tableau of a ceremonial bill-signing in Washington is rigorously choreographed. The ostensible purpose is for the president to sign a...
3/8/2013
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House GOPers boast about VAWA after voting against it
(Washington D.C.) -- House Republicans who voted against the final version of the Violence Against Women Act have been sending statements to their constituents boasting...
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Obama cites 'inherent' right of tribes at VAWA signing ceremony
(Washington D.C.) -- Tribes have an "inherent" right to protect their people, President Barack Obama said as he signed S.47, a bill to reauthorize the Violence...
3/7/2013
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Arizona advocates hail president’s signing of Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- Tribal leaders and Arizona advocates for abused women hailed the signing Thursday of the new Violence Against Women Act, which expands protections...
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Obama signs expanded Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- President Barack Obama signed a law Thursday expanding protections for victims of domestic violence, renewing a measure credited with curbing...
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POLITICO: Obama signs Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- President Barack Obama signed a new version of the Violence Against Women Act into law Thursday, ending what had been close to a year of uncertainty...
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Violence Against Women Act passes with key tribal protections
(Washington D.C.) -- The Violence Against Women Act, a bill that represents a major advance for public safety in Indian Country, is headed to President Obama’s...
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Violence Against Women Act reauthorization hailed in Indian Country
(Minnesota) -- Advocates for Indian women in Minnesota are hailing a decision by Congress to reauthorize and expand the Violence Against Women Act.
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GYASI ROSS: VAWA, Good News-Bad News, and Dirty Oil: How Obama Gave Himself Cover to Kill Native Sacred Sites
(Washington D.C.) -- INCREDIBLE NEWS: On Thursday, February 28th, 2013, the House of Representatives finally decided that Native women, LGBTQ women, and immigrant women...
3/6/2013
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Bill gives tribes new authority over non-Indians
(Arizona) -- American Indian tribes have tried everything from banishment to charging criminal acts as civil offenses to deal with non-Indians who commit crimes on...
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Locals celebrate the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act
(California) -- In a rare showing of bipartisanship, the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 28 passed a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that...
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Obama to sign expanded Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- President Barack Obama is signing into law a bill extending and expanding domestic violence protections, ushering in a legislative victory for gay...
3/5/2013
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Violence Act will protect women on reservations
(New Mexico) -- The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which Congress passed last week, will give tribal courts in New Mexico the long-awaited authority...
3/3/2013
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Native Americans Win Right to Prosecute Non-Indians in Tribal Courts
(Washington D.C.) -- When the Violence Against Women Act is signed by President Barack Obama, it will mark an historic milestone for Native American tribes: for the...
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Tribes given power to prosecute non-Indians for crimes linked to domestic violence
(Washington) -- Congress has given Native American tribes new power to prosecute non-Indians in tribal courts for any crimes linked to domestic violence.
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Violence Against Women reauthorization adds protections for tribal women
(Washington D.C.) -- Tribes will be able to prosecute non-Native abusers in tribal courts under an expansion of the Violence Against Women Act that won final approval...
3/2/2013
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BLOG: Send in the Lawyers: The House Passes the Senate’s Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- Yesterday the House gave up any effort to pass its own version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and accepted the Senate bill, which now goes...
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Can laws protect Native American women?
(USA) -- After months of debate and political infighting, the US Congress has reauthorised the Violence Against Women Act. It is an act that sought to strengthen the US...
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Commentary: Calling Out Three in Congress for their NO Votes on VAWA: Mullins, Barrasso and Grassley
(Michigan) -- With the passage of Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, S.47, more commonly known as VAWA. that contained added tribal provisions that are...
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EGAN: Science and Sensibility
(New York) -- In Indian country today, a man with a head full of rage can knock his wife or girlfriend to the ground, kick her, cut her, sexually assault her and expect...
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How House Republicans Caved On The Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- When House Republican leaders unveiled their more modest version of the Violence Against Women Act last Friday, the plan was to pass their bill and...
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LETTER: Native Americans and Rape
(South Dakota) -- To the Editor: Re “Rape on the Reservation,” by Louise Erdrich (Op-Ed, Feb. 27): A lack of adequate legal protection is not the only way...
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Looking Back to the Future of VAWA: Suzan Shown Harjo: "Congress, Make the Streets Safe for Indian Women, Too"
(Washington D.C.) -- In one of her columns for Indian Country Today, Suzan Shown Harjo wrote: "Only the reinstatement of tribal jurisdiction and remedies has a...
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Principal Chief Bill John Baker speaks about passage of the Violence Against Women Act
(Oklahoma) -- Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker and Attorney General Todd Hembree issued the following statement about the U.S. House of Representatives...
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Rep. Markwayne Mullin, Cherokee citizen, voted against VAWA
(Washington D.C.) -- In one of his first major actions as a new member of the 113th Congress, Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, voted...
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ROMAN NOSE: VAWA Victory!
(Washington) -- February 28 marks the first day in the history of the United States when Native women living on reservations will be offered equal protection from...
3/1/2013
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A Congressman's Push For Native American Protections In The Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- As Rep. Tom Cole encouraged his colleagues over the course of a few months to support protections for Native Americans in the Violence Against Women...
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ABOUREZK: Native women celebrate domestic violence bill's passage
(Nebraska) -- Native women living in Lincoln celebrated the passage Thursday of a bill that will allow tribal authorities to prosecute non-Natives in domestic abuse...
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Noem opposes Violence Against Women Act
(South Dakota) -- Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., voted against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday but said she largely supports the concept of...
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Principal Chief Bill John Baker speaks about passage of the Violence Against Women Act
(Oklahoma) -- Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker and Attorney General Todd Hembree issued the following statement about the U.S. House of Representatives...
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Roman Nose: VAWA Victory!
(Washington D.C.) -- February 28 marks the first day in the history of the United States when Native women living on reservations will be offered equal protection from...
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Tribes cheer federal passage of abuse bill
(Washington D.C.) -- Native American tribes will soon have court jurisdiction over non-Natives with the passage of the Violence Against Women Act.
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VAWA passes House, now onto President
(Washington D.C.) -- Almost 40 percent of American Indian women will be a victim of violence from an intimate partner during their lifetime according to the CDC. And,...
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Why Does Congress's Only Cherokee Member Keep Voting Against VAWA?
(Washington D.C.) -- Native representation in Congress doubled as a result of the last election—from one to two representatives. In January, political newcomer...
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Turtle Talk: Tribes must provide counsel to indigent defendants
(Washington D.C.) -- Professor Matthew Fletcher of Turtle Talk discusses a provision of S.47, a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, that would require...
2/28/2013
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Congress Finally Passes the Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- Five hundred days since letting the Violence Against Women Act expire, House Republicans finally caved today and voted to reauthorize the bill,...
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Daines votes to expand Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- Republican Rep. Steve Daines of Montana voted Thursday in favor of legislation to expand the Violence Against Women Act to add protections for...
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Domestic Violence Law Clears House, in Victory for Obama
(Washington D.C.) -- The House voted on Thursday to pass the Senate’s bipartisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, in a big victory for President...
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House Gives Final Passage To Expanded Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- The Republican-led House on Thursday passed the Democrats’ version of the Violence Against Women on Thursday, relenting after a painful battle...
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Tribes regain ability to prosecute criminals for some crimes on their reservations
(Washington) -- It was Chief Seattle Days, and a hooligan slugged it out with a tribal police officer after a high-speed chase on the Suquamish reservation.
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Tribes win new power to prosecute non-Indians for domestic violence
(Washington D.C.) -- Congress on Thursday gave Indian tribes new power to prosecute non-Indians in tribal courts for any crimes linked to domestic violence.
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Violence Against Women Act passed by House, sent to Obama for signature
(Washington D.C.) -- The Republican-held U.S. House signed off on a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act that includes expanded protections for same-sex...
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Violence Against Women reauthorization adds protections for tribal women
(Washington D.C.) -- Tribes will be able to prosecute non-Native abusers in tribal courts under an expansion of the Violence Against Women Act that won final approval...
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A Proud Day for Tribal Advocates of the Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization passed the U.S. House on February 28 by a vote of 286 to 138. In a major victory for Indian...
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BLOG: VAWA Protects the Rights of Tribal Govt, NOT the Rights of Women!
(USA) -- On February 12, 2013, a horrid violence against women was committed when the ‘Violence against Women Act’ was passed by the U.S. Senate by a 78-22...
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NCAI Praises Passage of Protections for All Women; Tribal Courts Gain Jurisdiction over Non-Indian Domestic Violence Perpetrators
(Washington D.C.) -- Today, in a historic vote the House of Representatives passed S.47, the Senate reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), sending the...
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Rapid Reactions to House Passing of Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- American Indian women had their voices heard today as the U.S. House passed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act with the U.S....
2/27/2013
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A Violence Against Women Act Surprise? House Might Pass Tribal Provisions
(Washington D.C.) -- Indian affairs law and lobby officials nationwide are mobilizing at the news that the House Republican leadership may soon consider an up or down...
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House Leadership Proposes an Expansive Loophole for Abusive Non-Native American Men on Tribal Land
(Washington D.C.) -- House Republican leadership is expected to hold a vote this Thursday on yet another partisan version of the Violence Against Women Act...
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House Republicans Clear Path for Renewal of Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- House Republican leaders bowed to pressure from within their own party and cleared a path for House passage on Thursday of the Senate’s...
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Issa tries to broker deal on violence act
(California) -- All eyes are on Washington Friday for operators of domestic-violence programs. The focus is not on looming sequestration budget cuts but on renewal...
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SUNRAY: VAWA Tribal Provision Continues Caste System in Indian Country
(USA) -- Senator Maria Cantwell, the chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, stated in regard to tribal provisions in VAWA, “If you think you are rooting out...
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VAWA Bills S. 47 Sec. 904 and the Issa/Cole Compromise [PDF]
(Washington D.C.) -- Under Section 904 of S. 47 the VAWA Reauthorization bill which passed the Senate 78 to 22 on February 12, and under H.R. 780 (the Issa/Cole...
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Will Violence Against Women Act's new provision improve tribal justice?
(Minnesota) -- After passage by the Senate earlier this month, the Violence Against Women Act is due for action in the House, possibly this week.
2/26/2013
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Dem leaders urge vote on Senate VAWA bill
(Washington D.C.) -- Behind Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Democratic leaders on Tuesday intensified their calls for GOP leaders to consider anti-...
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ERDRICH: Rape on the Reservation
(Minnesota) -- TWO Republicans running for Congressional seats last year offered opinions on “legitimate rape” or God-approved conceptions during rape,...
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House Expected to Pass Senate Version of VAWA
(Washington D.C.) -- The House is expected to give in to Democratic pressure Thursday and pass the Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act after failing to find...
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House Republicans Backing Down On Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- After nearly a year of resistance that has damaged them politically with women voters, House Republicans have found a clever way to back down on the...
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Tribes back prosecution of non-Indians
(Washington) -- The Violence Against Women Act passed the U.S. Senate last week with a provision that would allow tribal courts to prosecute non-Indians in some abuse...
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Wyoming’s senators choose politics over protecting women
(Wyoming) -- Battered Indian women are being used as pawns in a shameful political game being played by some Republicans in Congress.
2/25/2013
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House GOP In A Bind On Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- Once again, House Republicans are in a predicament on the Violence Against Women Act. The legislation, aimed at combating domestic abuse, is...
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NCAI denounces Sen. Grassley for 'fear mongering' on tribes
(Washington D.C.) -- The National Congress of American Indians denounced Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) for comments he made about tribal courts. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-...
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Republicans Face Test in Upcoming Vote on Renewing Domestic Violence Law
(Washington D.C.) -- House Republican leaders may need every vote they can get this week when they bring to the floor a five-year reauthorization of the 1994 Violence...
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Rights Groups to GOP: Stop Watering Down the Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- When House Republicans released their version of the Violence Against Women Act late on Friday, advocacy groups for victims of domestic violence...
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The House now turns to the Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- Even as most of the headlines coming out of Washington these days contain the word sequester, another bill is moving along, making progress without...
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Will Violence Against Women Act's new provision improve tribal justice?
(Minnesota) -- After passage by the Senate earlier this month, the Violence Against Women Act is due for action in the House, possibly this week. The reauthorization of...
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BLOG: Top 10 Reasons Republicans Oppose Protecting Native Women
(Washington D.C.) -- 10. “House Republican leadership just doesn’t get it.” – Sen. Patty Murray.
2/24/2013
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Native women get new protections under Senate bill
(Washington) -- The Violence Against Women Act passed the U.S. Senate this month with a provision that would allow tribal courts to prosecute non-Indians in some abuse...
2/23/2013
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House GOP’s VAWA proposal nixes LGBT, American Indian protections
(Washington D.C.) -- After effectively stonewalling the once bipartisan Violence Against Women Act in the last Congress, House Republicans are at it again.
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House Republicans strip LGBT, Native American protections from Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have answered the Senate’s proposal to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) by...
2/22/2013
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Blunt Explains Opposition to Violence Against Women Act Renewal
(Washington D.C.) -- Missouri's U.S. Senators are split on legislation that would provide additional federal funding and resources for law enforcement combating...
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Chuck Grassley Owes Retraction On 'Misleading' VAWA Comments, Native American Group Says
(Washington D.C.) -- Leaders of a prominent tribal organization are demanding that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) retract comments this week that Native American courts...
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House GOP eyes watered-down Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- The Senate has already passed a bipartisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, and as we discussed yesterday, the House is set to...
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House Republican VAWA Bill Offers Strong Tribal Protections; Will Cantor Accept?
(Washington D.C.) -- Republican House members Tom Cole (Okla.) and Darrell Issa (Calif.) on February 20 issued new Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) legislation that...
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McCaskill: Pass Violence Against Women Act
(Missouri) -- U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill is urging members of the U.S. House to pass the Violence Against Women Act.
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On Indian Land, Criminals Can Get Away With Almost Anything
(North Dakota) -- Violence is on the rise at a North Dakota reservation. And tribal officers are often powerless to stop it.
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WASHINGTON POST: Congress must act on violence against women
(Washington D.C.) -- ONE OF THE casualties of congressional gridlock last year was reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. The landmark law that caused a sea...
2/21/2013
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BLOG: Top GOP Senator: Native American Juries Are Incapable Of Trying White People Fairly
(Iowa) -- Republicans have offered a number of reasons why they oppose the Violence Against Women Act. Some think it’s unconstitutional. Others argue that it...
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Issa reintroduces Violence Against Indian Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) reintroduced the Violence Against Indian Women Act (VAIWA) as HR 780 on Friday, Feb. 15. The bill authorizes American...
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Tribal jurisdiction with gender parity
(Washington D.C.) -- Tribal demands are holding up the reauthorisation of the landmark Violence Against Women Act in the United States Congress.
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Chuck Grassley On VAWA: Tribal Provision Means 'The Non-Indian Doesn't Get A Fair Trial'
(Washington D.C.) -- Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) didn't vote for the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization bill when it passed the Senate last week. And on...
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Grassley on VAWA: 'The Non-Indian Doesn't Get a Fair Trial'
(Washington D.C.) -- As the Violence Against Women Act discussion moves to the Congressional side of D.C. following its Senate passing on February 12, some senators are...
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VAWA Bill Still Contains Provisions Violating First Amendment And Other Constitutional Provisions
(Washington D.C.) -- Legal scholars say the Senate-passed bill reauthorizating the Violence Against Women Act contains provisions that violate the First Amendment and...
2/20/2013
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Republicans offer deal on American Indian courts
(Washington D.C.) -- Several House Republicans on Wednesday proposed legislation on Native American courts that could lay the groundwork for a compromise on the stalled...
2/19/2013
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Baucus hears praise for Violence Against Women Act at Missoula roundtable
(Montana) -- U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., got a roomful of support for reauthorizing the federal Violence Against Women Act during a visit to Missoula on Tuesday.
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EDITORIAL: House should renew Violence Against Women Act
(New York) -- In a welcome display of bipartisanship, the Senate voted, 78-22, last week to renew the Violence Against Women Act, the two-decade-old law that has...
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Heitkamp hosts roundtable on Violence Against Women Act at United Tribes
(North Dakota) -- At a roundtable discussion Tuesday morning, law enforcement officials, attorneys, members of victim advocacy groups and tribal representatives shared...
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LaDUKE: Violence Against Women Act: Why Native women matter
(North Dakota) -- Recent debate on the Violence Against Women Act marks what may be a very important stage in improving relations between tribal governments, state and...
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Law would let tribes prosecute non-Indians’ domestic violence
(Washington) -- The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) passed the U.S. Senate last week with a provision that would allow tribal courts to prosecute non-Indians in some...
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ROBERTS: More laws? Enforce what we have
(Arizona) -- In case you missed it, Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick was a featured speaker in a national press conference Wednesday calling for the Violence Against Women Act to be...
2/18/2013
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EDITORIAL: House must act on domestic violence bill
(New York) -- One of the more discouraging disappointments of the 112th Congress was its failure to renew the Violence Against Women Act. Lawmakers must move quickly to...
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EDITORIAL: Tribal land loophole in domestic violence law needs fixing
(Oklahoma) -- There are many reasons for Congress to renew the Violence Against Women Act. For starters, over the past 18 years it's saved lives and provided grants...
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Gillibrand calls on House lawmakers to renew the Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Sunday called for leaders in the House to renew the Violence Against Women Act, which funds programs for domestic...
2/17/2013
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Bill would close domestic abuse loophole on tribal lands
(Washington D.C.) -- Hypothetically, if U.S. Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma committed a crime on tribal land, he could face charges in a tribal court because he's a...
2/16/2013
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LaDUKE: Why the Violence Against Women Act Is Crucial for Native American Women
(Washington D.C.) -- Republicans until Tuesday, had proposed amendments to strip Native American rights and jurisdiction over non-Native perpetrators of violence on the...
2/15/2013
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McCaskill pushes for Violence Against Women Act in KC
(Kansas) -- Flanked by Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker and the directors of Synergy Services, Hope House and Rose Brooks, Senator Claire McCaskill was at the...
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NY TIMES: Renew the Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- This week’s 78-to-22 vote in the Senate to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act provided a refreshing demonstration of bipartisanship...
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Senate votes to reauthorize Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted 78-22 to reauthorize for five years the Violence Against Women Act. All opposing votes came from Republicans, while...
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Pressure on Boehner to ensure the Violence Against Women Act becomes law
(Washington D.C.) -- With the receipt of a letter signed by 17 Republican lawmakers this week, pressure is mounting on Speaker John Boehner to approve the Violence...
2/14/2013
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Heritage Foundation: Violence Against Women Act Isn't Even Constitutional
(USA) -- The Senate-passed version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) violates Articles II and III of the Constitution. The bill would authorize Indian tribal...
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Native American leader calls on Congress to pass Violence Against Women Act in annual address
(Washington D.C.) -- The president of the National Congress of American Indians urged the House on Thursday to pass the Violence Against Women Act so Native Americans...
2/13/2013
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Alaska Tribal Groups Won't Receive Domestic-Violence Power in Federal Act
(Alaska) -- The recent reauthorization of the federal Violence Against Women Act has some Alaska Native tribal groups upset, over provisions they say deny their villages...
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Sen. John Cornyn cites tribal provision in vote against anti-violence bill
(Washington D.C.) -- Sen. John Cornyn cited an “unconstitutional” amendment as the reason he voted against a bipartisan anti-violence bill with a provision...
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Senate passes VAWA with tribal provisions included
(Washington D.C.) -- The Senate voted late Tuesday afternoon to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, including the highly contested tribal provisions that had...
2/12/2013
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BALL: Why Would Anyone Oppose the Violence Against Women Act?
(Washington D.C.) -- Today's GOP has a talent for gratuitously making itself look bad. On Tuesday, a growing faction threatened to derail the reauthorization of the...
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Bill targets non-Indian crimes
(Washington D.C.) -- The U.S. Senate on Tuesday reauthorized a federal law channeling resources to female victims of domestic violence, including those on Native...
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MORON ALERT: Insane approach to fighting rape
(New York) -- The war on women is back, or so Democrats and the media tell us: Those male chauvinist House Republicans are holding up passage of the new Violence Against...
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Senate Votes Overwhelmingly to Expand Domestic Violence Act
(Washington D.C.) -- The Senate, with broad bipartisan support, voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to expand the reach of the landmark Violence Against Women Act of 1994 by...
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Senate votes to let tribal courts try non-Indians in domestic, sexual assault cases
(Washington D.C.) -- Native American and women’s groups welcomed the Senate’s reauthorization Tuesday of the Violence Against Women Act, which includes a...
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Senate votes to renew, expand Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- With broad support from the U.S. Senate, legislation to renew and expand the Violence Against Women Act is heading to the House of Representatives,...
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Violence Against Women Act goes to House
(Washington D.C.) -- With broad support from the Senate, legislation to renew and expand the Violence Against Women Act is heading to the House, where a previous renewal...
2/11/2013
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Authority of Tribal Courts Key Issue with Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- The Senate scheduled a vote on the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) for Monday. When 60 Senators were announced to be in...
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Sen. Cantwell rips GOP over Violence Against Women Act: This is about life or death
(Washington D.C.) -- Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) on Monday spoke out against a Republican proposal to eliminate protections for Native American women in the Violence...
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Senate Defeats GOP Amendment To Scale Back Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- The Senate late Monday defeated a Republican-backed amendment to eliminate a provision of the Violence Against Women Act aimed at beefing up...
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Senate Votes Against Stripping Tribal Land Provision From Domestic Violence Measure
(Washington D.C.) -- The Senate on Monday evening turned back a Republican effort to strip from the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act a controversial...
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Silence Against Women: House GOP silent as Senate poised to pass VAWA
(Washington D.C.) -- With 62 co-sponsors and a handful of amendments to work out Monday afternoon, senior senate aides tell NBC News the Senate is poised to pass the...
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VAWA Vote Prompts False Information From Conservative Groups
(Washington D.C.) -- With possibly hours left until the Senate votes to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, conservative groups are ramping up their efforts to...
2/10/2013
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Congress’ inaction leaves violence on women unremedied
(Washington D.C.) -- More than a year after inadvertently severing the federal lifeline to domestic-violence programs in Buffalo and across the nation, Congress is...
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Measure to Protect Women Stuck on Tribal Land Issue
(Washington D.C.) -- At 26, Diane Millich fell in love with and married a white man, moving with him in 1998 to a home on her native Southern Ute reservation in southern...
2/9/2013
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David Sarasohn: On domestic violence, House is off the reservation
(New York) -- When Desiree Coyote is asked about the importance of the Violence Against Women Act, you hear a sound like a sharp intake of breath. Or maybe a gasp.
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Johanns, Fischer concerned about tribal violence proposal
(Washington D.C.) -- Lawmakers tussled Thursday over whether Indian authorities should be able to prosecute non-Indians in domestic abuse cases, an issue that has...
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Reauthorize Violence Against Women Act with Tribal provisions | In Our Opinion
(Alaska) -- Commit an act of domestic violence in a neighboring county or state, and you can be arrested by local authorities and prosecuted in that jurisdiction's...
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Revised law could help Navajo victims of violence
(New Mexico) -- A key federal law protecting citizens against domestic violence is going through revisions, again, and some of those include extra efforts to help...
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Sen. Cantwell Urges Swift Passage of Violence Against Women Act on Senate Floor With Tribal Provisions
(Washington D.C.) -- U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and co-sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act bill...
2/8/2013
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HOPKINS: VAWA Must Pass to Protect All Women, Regardless of Race
(North Dakota) -- I am a Dakota and Lakota Sioux Native American woman who was born and raised on the reservation. As a girl I was raped; yet I overcame seemingly...
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Indian Affairs Chair: I am not going to treat Native American Women as Second Class Citizens
(Washington D.C.) -- During a fierce debate that argued the merits of of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, known as S. 47, the United States Senate...
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Grassley/Hutchison VAWA Amendment Knocked Down
(Washington D.C.) -- The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) received a victory today as Senators Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) proposed...
2/7/2013
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Fate of Abuser on Tribal Land Tangles Sexual Abuse Bill
(Washington D.C.) -- The U.S. Senate will vote as soon as today on letting tribal courts try people accused of sexual assault who aren’t registered members of an...
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Senate poised to renew Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- Senators tussled Thursday over whether Indian authorities should be able to prosecute non-Indians in domestic abuse cases, an issue that has delayed...
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Senate Queues Up Passage of Domestic Violence Law Renewal
(Washington D.C.) -- Senators are poised to pass a domestic violence law rewrite next week without a clear endgame on tribal court provisions, the central sticking point...
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Early Treaties Prove That U.S. Founding Fathers Would Have Deemed VAWA Constitutional
(Washington D.C.) -- The statistics are horrifying: 34 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native women will be raped in their lifetimes and 39 percent will be...
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How the right will demagogue the Violence Against Women Act
(Washington D.C.) -- Though the Senate is expected to pass the Violence Against Women Act after deliberating on it today, its grim purgatory is far from over.
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Senate Rejects Substitute for VAWA Bill S. 47
(Washington D.C.) -- After a day of debate on S. 47, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, the Senate repelled a watered-down substitute offered by Senator...
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VAWA Vote: Senate Rejects GOP Alternative That Omits LGBT, Native American Protections
(Washington D.C.) -- Ahead of a vote on the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act reauthorization bill, the Senate on Thursday rejected a Republican alternative that...
2/6/2013
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Meet The Four Republican Senators Who Think The Violence Against Women Act Is Unconstitutional
(Washington D.C.) -- Since then-Delaware Senator Joe Biden first authored the law in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has earned bipartisan praise for...
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