Statement by Principal Chief Bill John Baker on the Senate passage of the Violence Against Women Act

“The U.S. Senate passed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act and it is a great day for Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation, and all of Indian Country,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker. “The heart of this is issue is protecting our daughters, our aunts, our grandmothers, our sisters, and mothers from violent offenders. It is about doing the right thing and I implore the U.S. House to move quickly and pass it. The vote is an important step toward empowering the Cherokee Nation to better protect our citizens. We must continue to push the House to act to ensure that violent offenders will no longer be able to slip through loopholes when they assault women in tribal jurisdictional boundaries.”