Public Law 280
| Long title | An Act to confer jurisdiction on the States of California, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, and Wisconsin, with respect to criminal offenses and civil causes of action committed or arising on Indian reservations within such States, and for other purposes |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | PL 280 |
| Enacted by | the 83rd United States Congress |
| Citations | |
| Public law | Pub. L. 83–280 |
| Statutes at Large | 67 Stat. 588 |
| Codification | |
| Acts repealed | Act of October 5, 1949 (Pub. L. 63–705) |
| Titles amended | 18 U.S.C.: Crimes and Criminal Procedure 28 U.S.C.: Judiciary and Judicial Procedure |
| U.S.C. sections created | 18 U.S.C. § 1162 28 U.S.C. § 1360 |
| Legislative history | |
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| Major amendments | |
| Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Pub. L. 90–284) | |
Public Law 280 is a federal law of the United States that changes legal jurisdiction on Indian lands and over Indian persons introduced on January 6, 1953 by Rep. Sam Coon (R‑OR) and became law on August 15, 1953. The law transfers some jurisdiction from the federal government to states in both civil and criminal cases in certain places. There are 574 federally recognized Indian tribes in the United States, up from 562 when the law was passed. 39% of these are in Alaska; the rest in the continental US. This law covered a little more than 300 tribes when it took effect. In 1968, the law was amended so that states had to have the consent of the tribes to assume jurisdiction from federal government. Where states had already assumed jurisdiction, jurisdiction would retrocede to the federal government if the tribes requested it. Nearly 30 tribes were involved in retrocession. Also in 1968 the Indian Civil Rights Act was passed, causing funding to begin rising for tribal justice systems. Funding increased from $1.5 million in 1972 to $10 million in 1990. In 2010, the Tribal Law and Order Act was enacted with the goal of decreasing crime against indigenous women and children.