Retiring House Judiciary Chairman Calls Savanna’s Act “unfair to law enforcement”

WASHINGTON – A retiring Republican Virginia Congressman blocking Savanna’s Act from passing in the house says the measure is unfair to law enforcement.

House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte says he agrees with the intent of North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp’s plan to improve the federal government’s response to violence against Native American women. But he says it hurts agencies with no link to tribal communities who would not be able to fulfill requirements for grants.

Prior to Goodlatte’s stoppage, the Senate unanimously passed the initiative.

If it expires at the end of the year, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska says she will reintroduce the bill when lawmakers return to Washington.