{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases/hoeven-cortez-mastos-badges-act-to-strengthen-indian-country-public-safety-unanimously-passes-senate", "Hoeven, Cortez Masto\u2019s Badges Act to Strengthen Indian Country Public Safety Unanimously Passes Senate", "2025-12-12", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "ND", "John Hoeven", "H001061", "www.hoeven.senate.gov", "hoeven", "https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases", "scraper", "Hoeven, Cortez Masto\u2019s Badges Act to Strengthen Indian Country Public Safety Unanimously Passes Senate\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.) today announced that the Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act, bipartisan legislation he introduced with Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-N.V.), Ruben Gallego (D-A.Z.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) to strengthen Tribal public safety, unanimously passed the Senate. This legislation would support the recruitment and retention of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) law enforcement officers, bolster federal missing persons resources, and give Tribes and states tools to combat violence.\n\n\u201cThe BADGES for Native Communities Act will help improve and increase resources for Tribal law enforcement,\u201d said Senator Hoeven. \u201cBy enabling the BIA to conduct its own background checks on law enforcement applicants, this legislation gives Tribes critical tools to address staffing shortages. This not only enhances public safety within Tribal communities but also helps ensure offenders are held accountable, empowering Tribes to better protect their citizens and uphold justice.\u201d\n\n\u201cSince my time as Nevada\u2019s Attorney General, I have worked closely with law enforcement to keep families safe in every corner of the Silver State, including in Indian Country,\u201d said Senator Cortez Masto. \u201cIt is past time to get this bipartisan legislation across the finish line to provide Tribes with the resources they need to protect their communities. I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to quickly send this bill to the President\u2019s desk.\u201d\n\nSpecifically, the BADGES for Native Communities Act would:\n\nAllow the BIA to conduct its own background checks for law enforcement officer applicants to improve officer recruitment.\n\nIncrease Tribal access to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) by requiring Tribal facilitators to conduct ongoing Tribal outreach and serve as a point of contact for Tribes and law enforcement agencies, as well as conduct training and information gathering to improve the resolution of missing persons cases.\n\nRequire a report on Tribal law enforcement needs, including staffing, replacement and repairs for corrections facilities, infrastructure and capital for Tribal police and court facilities, and emergency communication technology.\n\nEstablish a grant program to support states, Tribes, and Tribal organizations in the coordination of efforts related to missing and murdered persons cases and sexual assault cases.\n\nEvaluate federal law enforcement evidence collection, handling, and processing crucial to securing conviction of violent offenders.\n\n-###-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases/hoeven-cortez-mastos-badges-act-to-strengthen-indian-country-public-safety-unanimously-passes-senate"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8908440358936787, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}