Headline News

Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services (OJS) Indian Police Academy (IPA) will be hosting a Webex Training on Federal Prosecution of Domestic Violence Crimes in Indian Country. 

Training Date: May 20, 2026

Time: 2-3:30pm EDT

The federal government has jurisdiction to prosecute some domestic violence related assaults that are committed in Indian country. This webinar will cover basic federal criminal jurisdiction, the federal assault statute, domestic assault by an habitual offender offenses, relevant portions of the Gun Control Act, Chapter 110A crimes, hearsay exceptions and the use of expert witnesses at trial when a victim minimizes or recants.

This training is available to all interested parties. There is no charge to attend this training, and CLE will not be available.

This training is a joint effort hosted by federal law enforcement agencies responding to violent crime in Indian Country. Sponsoring agencies include the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Indian Country Training Initiative, the United States Indian Police Academy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of the Interior’s Office of Law Enforcement and Security’s Victim Assistance Program.

If you have any questions, please contact Lamesha Bowman at Lamesha.Bowman@usdoj.gov, Deborah Thomas at Deborah.Thomas@usdoj.gov or Leslie A. Hagen at Leslie.hagen3@usdoj.gov.

To register click the following link:

 Federal Prosecution of Domestic Violence Crimes in Indian Country registration - USA-Webex

The Office of Indian Services – Division of Human Services (OIS-DHS) is providing notice regarding the process for submitting a 2026 Request for Additional Funding (RAF) for Welfare Assistance. The RAF should be submitted when a welfare assistance program anticipates a potential shortfall in welfare assistance funds for the current year.  

The complete RAF packet (including the RAF form, supporting documents, and memorandum) must be submitted to OIS-DHS no later than COB on May 22.  Please click HERE to download the 2026 Request for Additional Funds form and instructions.

Please work with Tribes/Agencies in your respective areas to submit a RAF.  Programs must coordinate with and submit their request through their respective BIA Regional Office, the Office of Self-Governance (OSG), or the Office of Indian Services – Division of Workforce Development (OIS-DWD) (respective office). The respective office is responsible for analyzing the information provided and submitting a written recommendation in memorandum form to OIS-DHS.  DHS will return RAF’s received directly from a Tribe/program. 

Please email the RAF package to BIA- Financial Assistance for Social Services Report (FASSR) DHS_FASSR@BIA.GOV. 

For questions or further guidance regarding the RAF, DHS is available to assist.