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Posts tagged ‘mark trahant’

Jun 19

June 2013 Policy Update

June 19, 2013

Sequestration:

Sequestration continues to be a topic in the news and Indian Country and the news isn’t good. Trying to make sense of the changes and then seeing the severity of the effects is frankly overwhelming. So far, health care and education in Indian Country are reeling from the cuts and the stories are starting to mount. In the words of Mark Trahant, “Indian Country funds are shackled to the sequester.” And according to his analysis, this situation likely won’t change until after the next election, despite all the stories.

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Apr 8

April 2013 Policy Update

April 8, 2013

Violence Against Women Act

Last month we were celebrating the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.  This month we’re seeing a clearer picture of implementation of the act.  This legislation is historic, as the act recognizes tribal court jurisdiction (for a good overview read here andhere).  However, Alaska Native communities are specifically excluded from VAWA because the provisions provide for tribal court jurisdiction on reservations only and only 1 of the 229 federally recognized tribes in Alaska has a reservation (Metlakatla).  This means that Alaska Natives are subject to State jurisdiction.  There is quite an argument happening right now about what this means. It remains to be seen how this will work out.
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