Senator Jon Tester has announced he is reintroducing the SURVIVE Act.
SURVIVE is an acronym for Securing Urgent Resources Vital to Indian Victim Empowerment.
The bill would give tribes access to a critical source of funding to help survivors of sexual and domestic abuse.
States can apply for resources through the crimes victims fund directly, but tribes have to go through the states.
As a result, these funds rarely make it to Indian Country.
The SURVIVE Act would set aside funding each year that tribes could use to help survivors pay for shelter, medical care, counseling, and legal assistance.
Tester originally introduced this bill back in 2016.
