[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4712 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4712
To amend the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act to provide for
advancements in public safety services to Indian communities, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 23, 2025
Mr. Newhouse (for himself, Ms. Perez, Mr. Cole, Ms. Davids of Kansas,
Mr. Moolenaar, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Zinke, Mr. Vasquez, Ms. Craig, and
Mr. Baumgartner) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on
Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act to provide for
advancements in public safety services to Indian communities, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement
Act''.
SEC. 2. TRIBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS.
The Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act is amended by inserting after
section 4 (25 U.S.C. 2803) the following:
``SEC. 4A. TRIBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS.
``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal
law, law enforcement officers of an Indian tribe that have contracted
or compacted any or all Federal law enforcement functions through a
contract or compact entered into pursuant to the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.)
(referred to in this section as `Tribal officers') shall have the
authority to enforce Federal law within the area under the jurisdiction
of the Indian tribe if--
``(1) the applicable Tribal officers have--
``(A) completed training that is comparable to that
of an employee of the Office of Justice Services of the
Bureau who is providing the same services in Indian
country, as determined by the Deputy Bureau Director of
the Office of Justice Services of the Bureau (or a
designee);
``(B) passed an adjudicated background
investigation equivalent to that of an employee of the
Office of Justice Services of the Bureau who is
providing the same services in Indian country; and
``(C) received a certification from the Office of
Justice Services of the Bureau, as described in
subsection (c); and
``(2) the Indian tribe has adopted policies and procedures
that meet or exceed those of the Office of Justice Services of
the Bureau for the same program, service, function, or
activity.
``(b) Deemed To Be Federal Law Enforcement Officers.--Subject to
the guidance issued by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (c)(1)(B)
and notwithstanding any other provision of law, while acting under the
authority granted by the Secretary through a contract or compact
entered into pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and Education
Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.), a Tribal officer shall be
deemed to be--
``(1) a Federal law enforcement officer for the purposes
of--
``(A) sections 111 and 1114 of title 18, United
States Code;
``(B) chapters 83 and 84 of title 5, United States
Code; and
``(C) chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code
(commonly known as the `Federal Tort Claims Act'); and
``(2) an eligible officer under subchapter III of chapter
81 of title 5, United States Code.
``(c) Certification.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of the Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act, the
Secretary shall--
``(A) notwithstanding section 5, develop procedures
for the credentialing of Tribal officers under this
section to provide confirmation that Tribal officers
meet minimum certification standards and training
requirements for Indian country peace officers, as
prescribed by the Secretary; and
``(B) notwithstanding any other provision of law,
issue guidance, in consultation with Indian tribes, to
otherwise implement this section, ensuring that, in
implementing subsection (b)(1)(B), the guidance--
``(i) provides for the voluntary
participation by Tribal officers, on a
position-by-position basis;
``(ii) allows Tribal officers to purchase
service credit for prior years of service
consistent with the guidance issued by the
Secretary under this subparagraph;
``(iii) allows for the participation of
Tribal officers, the salaries of which are
funded in whole or in part by grants from the
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
of the Department of Justice or any other
agency in the Department of Justice; and
``(iv) recognizes that Tribal officers may
participate if the Indian tribes of those
Tribal officers have a mandatory retirement age
that exceeds the applicable Federal mandatory
retirement age for Federal law enforcement
officers.
``(2) IPA bridge program.--Tribal officers who choose to
attend a State or other equivalent training program approved by
the Deputy Bureau Director of the Office of Justice Services of
the Bureau (or a designee) rather than attend the Indian Police
Academy shall be required to attend the Bridge Program of the
Indian Police Academy, or an equivalent program, prior to
receiving a certification under this subsection.''.
SEC. 3. OVERSIGHT, COORDINATION, AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
The Attorney General, acting through the Deputy Attorney General,
shall coordinate and provide oversight for all Department of Justice
activities, responsibilities, functions, and programs to ensure a
coordinated approach for public safety in Indian communities,
accountability, and compliance with Federal law, including--
(1) the timely submission of reports to Congress;
(2) robust training, as required under Federal law and as
needed or requested by Indian Tribes or Federal and State
officials relating to--
(A) public safety in Indian communities; and
(B) training outcomes demonstrating a better
understanding of public safety approaches in Indian
communities;
(3) the updating of, and improvements to, United States
Attorney operational plans;
(4) comprehensive evaluation and analysis of data,
including approaches to collecting better data, relating to
public safety in Indian communities; and
(5) other duties or responsibilities as needed to improve
public safety in Indian communities.
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