12.19.24

Senate Passes Hoeven-Sponsored Bill to Address Law Enforcement Needs in Indian Country

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed their bipartisan Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act. Specifically, the BADGES for Native Communities Act would support the recruitment and retention of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) law enforcement officers, bolster federal missing persons resources and give Tribes and states greater tools to combat violence.

“Our legislation is about empowering Tribal law enforcement to meet their staffing needs, giving them greater support as they work to protect their communities and keep the public safe,” said Senator Hoeven. “Recruitment and retention are real challenges for law enforcement, especially in rural areas. By allowing the BIA to conduct its own background checks, we are streamlining the agency’s ability to place officers in Tribal communities and helping fill this critical need.”

“Tribal communities in Nevada have made it clear to me that their law enforcement is stretched thin, and this is impacting their ability to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “That’s why I’m proud to have worked with my colleague, Senator Hoeven, to pass our bipartisan BADGES for Native Communities Act through the Senate. This bill provides Tribal police with more tools to keep their communities safe, and I’m glad it’s one step closer to becoming law.”

“We congratulate the Senate for passaging S. 465 – Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act. This bill is a positive step toward addressing the growing public safety needs in tribal communities. We want to thank Senators Hoeven and Cortez Masto for this bi-partisan effort,” said Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians Chairman Jamie Azure, Standing Rick Sioux Tribe Chairwoman Janet Alkire, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chairman J. Garrett Renville, Spirit Lake Tribe Chairperson Lonna Jackson-Street and Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation Chairman Mark Fox in a joint statement.

Specifically, the BADGES for Native Communities Act would:

  • Allow the BIA to conduct its own background checks for law enforcement officer applicants in order to improve officer recruitment.
  • Increase Tribal access to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) by requiring Tribal facilitators to conduct ongoing Tribal outreach and serve as a point of contact for Tribes and law enforcement agencies, as well as conduct training and information gathering to improve the resolution of missing persons cases.
  • Require a report on Tribal law enforcement needs, including staffing, replacement and repairs for corrections facilities, infrastructure and capital for Tribal police and court facilities, and emergency communication technology.
  • Establish a grant program to support states, Tribes, and Tribal organizations in the coordination of efforts related to missing and murdered persons cases and sexual assault cases.
  • Evaluate federal law enforcement evidence collection, handling, and processing crucial to securing conviction of violent offenders.

Senate passage of the bipartisan BADGES for Native Communities Act builds upon Hoeven’s previous efforts to address public safety for tribal communities in North Dakota. Through his role on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven secured:

  • $2.5 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 to open the Bureau of Indian Affair’s U.S. Indian Law Enforcement Advanced Training Center at Camp Grafton.
  • $3 million in the Senate’s FY25 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill to continue providing advance training courses for law enforcement officers at the ATC.     

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