PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jul 23, 2008
Tribal Law and Order Act of 2008 - Amends the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to submit to Congress a long-term plan to address incarceration in Indian country. Authorizes each U.S. Attorney serving a district that includes Indian country to appoint Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys to prosecute crimes in Indian country when the crime rate, or the rate at which criminal offenses are declined to be prosecuted, exceeds the national average. Establishes in the Department of Justice's (DOJ) criminal division an Office of Indian Country Crime.
Requires the United States to maintain concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute serious crimes in Indian country under specified circumstances. Authorizes the Attorney General to provide assistance to state, tribal, and local governments that enter into cooperative agreements to improve law enforcement effectiveness and reduce crime in and around Indian country.
Directs the Attorney General to ensure that tribal law enforcement officials that meet applicable requirements have access to national crime information databases.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Establishes: (1) the Indian Law and Order Commission to conduct a comprehensive study of law enforcement and criminal justice in tribal communities and recommend improvements to justice systems at the tribal, federal, and state levels; and (2) within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), an Office of Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse.
Provides for: (1) the tracking of crimes committed in Indian country and grants to improve tribal data collection systems; (2) training in interviewing victims of domestic and sexual violence and collecting, preserving, and presenting evidence to prosecutors; (3) the development of victim services and victim advocate training programs; and (4) the development of standardized sexual assault policies and protocol.
People & committees
Rep. Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie [D-SD-At Large] · D–SD
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Jan 15, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.6583 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.6583 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.6583 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.6583 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.