The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013) recognized the authority of participating tribes to exercise special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction (SDVCJ) over certain defendants, regardless of their Indian or non-Indian status, who commit crimes of domestic violence or dating violence or violate certain protection orders in Indian country. The Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA 2022) amended this statute, effective October 1, 2022, to cover additional crimes, among other changes to the jurisdiction, and renamed it special Tribal criminal jurisdiction.  

VAWA 2022 also authorized a new program to reimburse Tribal governments (or authorized designees of Tribal governments) for expenses incurred in exercising special Tribal criminal jurisdiction (hereinafter referred to as the Tribal Reimbursement Program). This regulation will establish the procedures by which the Tribal Reimbursement Program will be administered, including eligibility, frequency of reimbursement, costs that can be reimbursed, annual limits, and criteria for waiver of annual limits.