I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 958 
To protect Native children and promote public safety in Indian country. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 4, 2019 
Mr. O’HALLERAN (for himself and Mr. COLE) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addi-
tion to the Committees on Education and Labor, and Energy and Com-
merce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To protect Native children and promote public safety in 
Indian country. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Native Youth and 
Tribal Officer Protection Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) American Indians and Alaska Natives are 
2.5 times more likely to experience violent crimes 
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and at least 2 times more likely to experience rape 
or sexual assault crimes than people who are not 
American Indians or Alaskan Natives. 
(2) The vast majority of American Indian and 
Alaska Native victims, 96 percent of female and 89 
percent of male victims, report being victimized by 
a non-Indian. 
(3) According to a 2010 Government Account-
ability Office report, the Offices of the United States 
Attorneys declined to prosecute nearly 52 percent of 
violent crimes that occur in Indian country. 
(4) More than 4 in 5 American Indian and 
Alaska Native women have experienced violence in 
their lifetime. 
(5) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, homicide is the third leading 
cause of death among American Indian and Alaska 
Native women between 10 and 24 years of age and 
the fifth leading cause of death for American Indian 
and Alaska Native women between 25 and 34 years 
of age. 
(6) On some reservations, American Indian 
women are murdered at more than 10 times the na-
tional average. 
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(7) Tribal prosecutors report that the majority 
of domestic violence cases involve children either as 
witnesses or victims, and the Department of Justice 
reports that American Indian and Alaska Native 
children suffer exposure to violence at some of the 
highest rates in the United States. 
(8) Childhood exposure to violence has imme-
diate and long-term effects, including increased rates 
of altered neurological development, poor physical 
and mental health, poor school performance, sub-
stance abuse, and overrepresentation in the juvenile 
justice system. 
(9) Violence against children and crimes associ-
ated with dating violence and domestic violence in-
crease the number of instances of trauma in Tribal 
communities, which— 
(A) affects health outcomes; 
(B) reduces educational attainment; 
(C) hinders economic growth; and 
(D) undermines public safety. 
(10) Domestic violence calls are among the 
most dangerous calls that law enforcement receives, 
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform 
Crime Report shows that police officers, including 
Tribal police officers, are assaulted when responding 
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