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

SPONSOR Begaye

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/27/06

2/2/06 HB 246/aHCPAC

SHORT TITLE

NATIVE AMERICAN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

SERVICES

SB

ANALYST Weber

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$500.0

Recurring

General

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to: HB 12, HB 58, HB 55, HB 534, HB 506, HB 492, HB 477, HB 249, HB 213, HB 147, HB

108,SB 7, SB 393,SB 277, SB 221, SB 152, SB 143, SB 124

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Indian Affairs Department (IAD)

Synopsis of HCPAC Amendment

The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee amendment changes the appropriation from

the Indian Affairs Department to Children Youth and Families.

Synopsis of Original Bill

House Bill 246 appropriates $500 thousand from the general fund to the Indian Affairs

Department for the purpose of providing services to and outreach for Native American victims of

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

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $500 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY07 shall revert to the

general fund.

House Bill 246/aHCPAC – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The prevalence and incidence of violence against Indian women is high when compared to other

races. To reduce violent crimes against women, some tribes and organizations have established

domestic violence and victim services programs. However, there is still a great need for

culturally sensitive support and services for Indian women and their children.

There are few Federal programs such as the Violence Against Indian Women Discretionary

Grant Program (STOP VAIW Program) that provide grants to Indian tribal governments to

develop and implement effective strategies to reduce the rates of domestic violence against

women in their respective tribal communities. Federal grant funds are usually limited and

insufficient to address the tribal priority of reducing domestic violence.

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.).

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 committed by persons not of the same race- 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.

•

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.

House Bill 246/aHCPAC – Page

3

TECHNICAL ISSUES

Consideration should be given to making the appropriation to Children youth and Families since

this agency handles most domestic violence issues.

MW/mt