U.S. Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin

For Immediate Release
Contact: Betsy Hart 202-226-8555

PRESIDENT ENDORSES HERSETH SANDLIN TRIBAL LAW AND ORDER BILL; ENCOURAGES CONGRESSIONAL PASSAGE

Washington, DC {November 5, 2009}- Today, during a speech to the Tribal Nations Conference, President Obama recognized Rep. Herseth Sandlin for her work to improve public safety in Indian Country and encouraged Congressional passage of her Tribal Law and Order Act of 2009. In the 111th Congress, Rep. Herseth Sandlin reintroduced the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2009. This legislation would improve coordination between tribal, state and federal law enforcement agencies and increase accountability standards. Senator Byron Dorgan, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, (D-ND) introduced nearly identical legislation in the Senate.

"After eight years of neglect and insufficient resources, this administration has demonstrated a renewed commitment to addressing the chronic problems plaguing Indian Country," Rep. Herseth Sandlin said. "I'm encouraged by the growing support from the administration and my colleagues in Congress to address public safety and law enforcement on reservations in South Dakota and across the country."

In his remarks, President Obama said, "The Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services are working on ways to empower tribal governments to ensure greater safety in their own communities, and I want to commend Attorney General Holder for his efforts on this so far. I also strongly support the Tribal Law and Order Act, and I thank Chairman Dorgan and Representative Herseth Sandlin for their leadership on this issue. I look forward to Congress passing it so I can sign it into law."

In addition to President Obama's endorsement of this legislation today, this bill was also recently endorsed by United States Attorney General Eric Holder in St. Paul last week at a Tribal Nations Listening Session. To read more about provisions of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2009, click here.

This afternoon, Rep. Herseth Sandlin will speak at the White House Tribal Nations Conference on the Public Safety and Housing panel to be held from 1:45-3:00 P.M. Eastern Time (12:45 Central/ 10:45 Mountain) in the Sydney Yates auditorium at the Department of the Interior. This panel will be streamed live on http://www.whitehouse.gov/live.

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