Bill to further empower tribal law enforcement advanced through House Committee

The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources this week advanced Rep. Dan Newhouse’s (R-WA) Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act (H.R. 4524), which seeks to empower tribal officers with the reach of federal law enforcement.

“This legislation is key in improving hiring and retention among tribal law enforcement that are facing numerous challenges, including missing and murdered indigenous women and girls as well as the radically worsening opioid crisis. I want to make sure they have the resources they need to confront these issues head on,” Newhouse said.

On the whole, the bill would push several big changes. It would treat certain tribal law enforcement officers as federal officers in specific instances, supposing they can pass training and adjudicated background investigations. If acting under an authorized contract or compact as a federal law enforcement officers, these officers would also gain access to the associated injury, death, retirement and pension benefits.

This alone, Newhouse noted, would eliminate the need for tribes to enter Special Law Enforcement Commission (SLEC) agreements, which current law requires. He denounced such arrangements as administratively burdensome for tribes to obtain. Further, by giving these officers access to federal benefits, such roles could prove increasingly attractive, something Newhouse pitched as a benefit to the recruitment and retention of officers, particularly in rural areas.

“As Western Caucus Chairman, Rep. Newhouse is familiar with the issues that many tribal nations face across our country,” U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, said. “His Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act is an important step in recognizing the work of our brave tribal law enforcement officers and ensuring they have access to the same federal benefits that all federal officers are granted.”

If ultimately passed, the bill would require the Department of the Interior to develop procedures for credentialing tribal officers to confirm tribal officers meet minimum certification standards and training requirements, as well as to promote guidance to implement H.R. 4524. Likewise, the Department of Justice would need to coordinate and provide oversight for functions and programs related to public safety in tribal communities.