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Senators hear HJ 1 urging Congress to fully fund law enforcement and public-safety services on Montana reservations
Summary
House Joint Resolution 1 asks the U.S. Congress and federal agencies to fully fund public safety, justice and related services on Montana tribal reservations; tribal leaders and county officials testified in support, citing under-resourced policing and substance-trafficking concerns.
The committee opened a short, supportive hearing on House Joint Resolution 1, which asks Congress to fully fund law-enforcement, justice and public-safety services on Montana’s Indian reservations and to strengthen government-to-government consultation.
Tribal leaders and advocates told the committee the federal trust responsibility includes public-safety resources that have been underfunded for years. Speakers described small numbers of Bureau of Indian Affairs police covering very large land bases, growing organized-drug activity affecting reservations, and dozens of missing persons cases statewide. Witnesses urged the state to back a federal funding push and requested stronger interagency coordination with the U.S. Departments of Justice and the Interior.
Dan Stusek of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes and other tribal representatives asked the committee to forward the resolution, saying that better-funded tribal courts, policing, victim assistance and substance-abuse services are critical to community safety. Montana Department of Justice staff explained federal jurisdiction and said congressional action or a shift in federal policy is required to change jurisdictional arrangements and funding levels.
Ending: Committee members and supporters said HJ 1 is designed as a state-level request for federal funding that would give Montana’s tribal communities more resources for policing, prosecution, victim services and related public-safety programs.
