Tribes face deadline to join national sex offender registry

Tribes across the country face a critical deadline if they want to prevent state governments from asserting jurisdiction on their reservations.

Under a little-noticed provision of a new federal law, tribes have to pass a resolution by July 27 to join a national offender registry and notification system. If tribes don't act by that date, the state will automatically have jurisdiction to enforce the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which became law last year.

The provision was drafted with almost no input from tribes. "There wasn't any consultation or really any recognition of how tribes have been addressing this issue," said Virginia Davis of the National Congress of American Indians at the recent Federal Bar Association's Indian law conference.

NCAI has drafted a model resolution for tribes to consider as the date approaches. Davis said all tribes, even in Public Law 280 states where states already have civil and criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country, should take action

"It's a hard and fast deadline," Davis said. "We have a window of opportunity that will close on July 27 and if a tribe hasn't taken action by that date, they will be left out of the system ... forever." ....


http://indianz.com/News/2007/002661.asp