A bipartisan bill offered by U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) to bolster tribal public safety across the nation, unanimously passed the U.S. Senate on Monday and is now under consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act, S. 390, which Sen. Hoeven cosponsored on Feb. 4, 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 tools to combat violence.
“The BADGES for Native Communities Act will help improve and increase resources for tribal law enforcement,” Sen. Hoeven said. “By enabling the BIA to conduct its own background checks on law enforcement applicants, this legislation gives tribes critical tools to address staffing shortages.
“This not only enhances public safety within tribal communities,” he added, “but also helps ensure offenders are held accountable, empowering tribes to better protect their citizens and uphold justice.”
S. 390, which Sen. Hoeven introduced alongside bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and fellow original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), also would require 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.
Additionally, S. 390 would 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.
The bill also would 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, among other provisions, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Hoeven’s staff.
“It is past time to get this bipartisan legislation across the finish line to provide tribes with the resources they need to protect their communities,” said Sen. Cortez Masto. “I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to quickly send this bill to the president’s desk.”