On December 9, the Senate passed, by unanimous consent, the Alaska Safe Families and Villages Act (S. 1474). The Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved the legislation on May 21 (see The Source, 5/23/14). On December 11, the House approved the bill by voice vote, clearing it for President Obama’s signature.
According to the committee report, the measure would “supplement state jurisdiction in Alaska Native villages with enhanced tribal and local authority to…address and reduce domestic violence against Alaska Native women and children.” The bill seeks to clarify the extent to which Alaska tribes can exercise civil authority over non-tribal members. The report indicates that the most recent reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (P.L. 113-4) “has clouded” that authority.
