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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Lopez

DATE TYPED 2/23/05

HB

SHORT TITLE Native American Domestic Violence Services

SB 871

ANALYST Weber

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

$371.8

Recurring General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Indian Affairs Department

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 871 appropriates $371,750 thousand from the general fund to The Indian Affairs

Department to provide services and outreach for Native American victims of domestic violence

and sexual assault and training to the people who provide such services.

Significant Issues

The Indian Affairs Department reports.

Crime victimization rates in the American Indian community are significantly higher than in the

general U.S. population. As a result of these high rates of violence, American Indian women are

at high risk of homicide, including domestic violence. (College of Emergency Physicians Report

in 1995).

Homicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for Native women. Of Native American women

murdered, over 75% were killed by a family member, an acquaintance, or someone they knew.

(Homicide and Suicide Among Native American 1979-1992.).

Senate Bill 871 -- Page 2

A 1999 study by the US Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics reports:

•

The frequency of battering in Indian Country is believed to be much higher than

the national norm. American Indians, in general, experience per capita rates of

violence that are more than twice those of the resident population.

•

American Indian women experience the highest rate of violence of any group in

the United States, nearly 50% higher than that reported by black males.

•

American Indian women stand a high risk of losing their children in instances of

physical and sexual abuse.

•

Three-fourths of American Indian women have experienced some type of sexual

assault in their lives.

•

American Indians are offended more frequently by persons not of the same race.

There is a substantially higher rate of interracial violence than experienced by

white or black victims. 75% of the intimate victimizations and 25% of the family

victimizations involved an offender of a different race.

•

Indian victims of intimate and family violence are more likely than others to be

injured and need hospital care.

•

The life expectancy of Native American women in the U.S. is 47 years.

•

47% of all women will be raped in their lifetime.

•

50% of all women will be battered by their spouse/partner.

•

40% of women in prison for felonies are there because they killed an abusive

partner/spouse.

•

Women of color are 64% of the female prison population and serve longer

sentences for the same crime as do white women or men of color.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

Performance indicators should be attached to any contracts issued by the Indian Affairs

Department to access the success of the program.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $371,750 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the

general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall

revert to the general.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

The Indian Affairs Department adds.

SB 871 is directing that the appropriation be made to the Indian Affairs Department. Efforts are

being made in the Executive Branch to coordinate all domestic violence and sexual assault

service funds through the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD). CYFD has a

domestic violence and sexual assault division that is better equipped to administer, monitor,

provide technical assistance and to establish and oversee appropriate policies for domestic

violence services. Appropriating the funds to CYFD will better serve the intent of SB 871.

MW/lg:yr