Hearing considers S.2695 to grant enforcement authority and federal benefits parity for tribal officers under 638 contracts

Unidentified Speaker introduced S.2695 during the committee’s opening remarks and said the bill was introduced by Senators Cantwell and Mullen to address recruitment and retention challenges for tribal law enforcement.

According to the opening statement summarized at the hearing, S.2695 would authorize officers acting under Section 638 contracts or tribal-state compacts to enforce federal law within their tribe’s jurisdiction. The speaker also said the bill would make those officers eligible for federal benefits, listing death and injury benefits, retirement, and pensions as examples.

The hearing framing linked S.2695 to broader recruitment and retention issues in Indian Country. The committee’s opening remarks said both bills discussed at the hearing aimed to address gaps tied to the missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis and to strengthen tribal law enforcement capacity. No formal vote or amendment for S.2695 was recorded in the provided transcript; the hearing proceeded to invite testimony from witnesses.