Begich Bill Repealing Harmful "Alaska Exemption' Passes Senate

Press Release

A bill sponsored by U.S. Senator Mark Begich repealing the "Alaska Exemption" to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) passed the Senate today by unanimous consent and now awaits action in the House of Representatives. The repeal is also cosponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski.

"This measure allows additional provisions for Lower 48 tribal authority in the Violence Against Women Act to finally be extended to Alaska," said Begich. "This is a good step and I am pleased my bill has now passed the Senate and heads to the House. I urge Congressman Young to work with his colleagues and pass this bill out of the House so it can become law -- this cannot wait until the next Congress."

Begich has long supported giving local communities more tools to provide local law enforcement and public safety, and has been committed to addressing these issues since he first introduced a previous version of the bill in 2009.

The "Alaska Exemption" to VAWA has exclusively prohibited Alaska tribes from issuing and enforcing domestic violence protective orders against non-member Alaska Natives and non-Natives. Today's passage of the repeal is just one section of a larger bill Begich has pushed to give rural Alaska communities more power to deal with issues of drugs, alcohol and violence.

At a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing in November, Begich urged his fellow Senators to pass the full Alaska Safe Families and Villages Act of 2014, co-sponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski, as well as repeal the "Alaska Exemption" to VAWA.

The full Safe Families bill would give Alaska Native villages more local control to manage misdemeanor crimes and address risk factors involving domestic violence and substance abuse. In May the bill -- S. 1474 -- passed out of Indian Affairs by a unanimous voice vote.

The bill encourages Alaska Native tribes and tribal organizations to enter into intergovernmental agreements with the State of Alaska to improve enforcement and adjudication of state laws related to drug and alcohol offenses. The amended bill also creates a path for Alaska tribes to apply for expanded jurisdiction with the DOJ, and opens up additional funding sources for Alaska tribes from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The expanded jurisdiction would enable tribes to implement tribal law within village boundaries to enforce civil sanctions involving child abuse and neglect, domestic violence and substance abuse.

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