Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs, speaks to the National Congress of American Indians earlier this year. Photo from Rep. Don Young

The House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs held a legislative hearing this afternoon on two bills.

The first bill was H.R.1600, the Requirements, Expectations, and Standard Procedures for Executive Consultation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act, a bill to codify how tribal consultation occurs with federal agencies. The Obama administration opposes the bill, Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Mike Black testified.

"The goals of H.R. 1600 are laudable," Black testified. "Many of the goals are being met by this administration's on-going initiative to insure that the consultation policies of each federal agency comply with E.O. 13175."

The second bill was H.R. 4668, the Point Spencer Coast Guard and Public-Private Sector Infrastructure Development Facilitation and Land Conveyance Act. The bill conveys land to Bering Straits Native Corporation, an Alaska Native corporation.

The Interior Department supports the transfer, according to written testimony submitted to the subcommittee, but other federal agencies may need to weigh in on certain provisions.

The hearing lasted about 55 minutes. Audio can be found on the Indianz.Com SoundCloud.

Committee Notice:
Legislative Hearing on H.R. 1600 and H.R. 4668 (September 10, 2014)

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