South Dakota Rep. Ed Iron Cloud III (D) has introduced a bill that could lead to a cabinet-level Department of Native Affairs for the state.

Iron Cloud, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said the state and tribes need to work more closely together. His bill creates a task force of tribal and state leaders to study the issue.

“The tribes in the state, whether we like it or not, we’re connected (with the state),” Iron Cloud told The Rapid City Journal.

New Mexico is the only state with a cabinet-level Indian affairs agency.

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Bill would consider state Department of Native Affairs (The Rapid City Journal 2/17)