Murkowski, Warren, Grijalva Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Enhance Child Abuse Prevention in Tribal Communities

Murkowski, Warren, Grijalva Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Enhance Child Abuse Prevention in Tribal Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) alongside Representative Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ-7) reintroduced the American Indian and Alaska Native Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (AI/AN CAPTA). This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) to strengthen resources available to Tribal nations working to prevent child abuse and neglect.

As the primary federal law addressing child abuse and neglect, CAPTA recognizes Tribal eligibility for certain grants; however, Tribal nations have historically received only a small share of funding and limited support for research and prevention initiatives. American Indian and Alaska Native children are significantly more likely than children from other groups to face traumatic experiences in childhood, demonstrating the need for additional resources and research. This legislation seeks to address those gaps by ensuring more equitable access to funding, increasing dedicated resources for Tribal programs, and supporting culturally informed prevention strategies to better protect children and strengthen families in Tribal communities.

"Protecting children must always be a top priority, but across the nation we continue to see the repercussions of underinvestment in the systems designed to keep Native children safe and healthy. Alaska Native children are disproportionately impacted by abuse, neglect, and trauma - experiences that can shape the course of their entire lives. As federal programs that support vulnerable communities continue to face uncertainty, this legislation is as important as ever," Senator Murkowski said. "This legislation will help make sure prevention funding reaches Tribal communities so families can access culturally appropriate services and children can grow up safe, supported, and connected to their communities."

"For years, Tribal communities have been functionally locked out of the funding that helps protect American Indian and Alaska Native children from abuse," Senator Warren said. "Our bill will deliver real investments in programs and research to help eliminate child abuse and neglect in Tribal nations once and for all."

"For decades, tribal nations have been asked to do more with less-forced to compete for scraps of federal funding while their communities have faced historic disinvestment. That is unacceptable. This bill delivers long-overdue resources for community-led solutions, strengthens prevention efforts, and finally treats tribal nations as the sovereign partners they are," Representative Grijalva said.

"As the Executive Director for the Navajo Division for Children and Family Services, I support the American Indian and Alaska Native Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. Our goal is to empower healthy and safe families that flourish and live in hózho´, translated as balance, beauty, and harmony. There are many barriers to this goal which require culturally grounded and integrated services. Equitable funding set aside for tribal nations will ensure we have the resources that are tailored to meet the needs of our Nation in preventing and addressing child abuse. Strengthening our own people, utilizing both our traditional and Western knowledge, methods and practices, will help to heal our families while supporting tribal sovereignty," said Thomas Cody, Executive Director of the Navajo Division for Children and Family Services.

"CWLA applauds Senator Murkowski and Senator Warren for reintroducing the American Indian and Alaska Native Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (AI/AN CAPTA)," said Linda S. Spears, President and CEO of the Child Welfare League of America. "American Indian and Alaska Native children remain disproportionately represented in the child welfare system. This legislation will finally provide Tribes with equitable access to the critical prevention resources already available to states, enabling them to implement culturally grounded child abuse prevention programs that reduce the need for out-of-home placements for AI/AN children. This investment is long overdue and essential to ensuring that children remain safe, supported, and connected to their families and communities."

"Native families and communities have strong traditions with regard to the prevention of child abuse and neglect. The National Indian Child Welfare Association greatly appreciates the introduction of the American Indian and Alaska Native Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and Senator Murkowski and Senator Warren's efforts to move this legislation forward. The legislation will increase funding for Tribal Nations to expand their community based prevention efforts and ensure Tribal prevention models are more accessible and available to inform future Tribal prevention program development and future policy discussions of how to increase support for these proven approaches," said Sarah Kastelic, Executive Director for the National Indian Child Welfare Association.

"The National Congress of American Indians thanks Senators Murkowski and Warren for their advocacy and support for improving the lives of Native American and Alaska Native families. The 500% increase in tribal set-asides in the American Indian Alaska Native Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act will allow Tribes to access more funding to support their intervention and prevention efforts, ensuring that Tribal children grow up in safe, stable, and thriving communities," said Larry Wright Jr. Executive Director of NCAI.

AI/AN CAPTA would:

• Increase the Tribal set-aside for child abuse prevention funding to 5 percent, helping ensure sustained investment in Tribal programs and support culturally relevant prevention strategies developed by Tribal nations and organizations
• Ensure fairness in Tribal access to CAPTA funding by requiring that Tribes are considered in criteria for the equitable distribution of federal prevention grants

A one-pager of the bill can be found here.

In addition to its standalone reintroduction, several provisions of the AI/AN CAPTA are included in Senator Murkowski's draft legislation, the Native Children's Commission Implementation Act.

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