Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the chairman of the House Subcommittee Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs. Photo from Rep. Don Young
The House Subcommittee Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs held its first legislative hearing of the 114th Congress this afternoon, a proceeding that led its chairman to release an expletive at the conclusion of the live webcast. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) said he planned to move quickly on H.R.329, the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Consolidation Act; H.R.521, a bill to transfer land to the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation in Alaska; and H.R.812, the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act, with or without the help of the Obama administration. "I expect to move these bills quite rapidly," Young said after a slate of tribal witnesses testified in support of measures that would further self-determination and self-governance. "I am tired of not getting something done."
Indianz.Com SoundCloud: House Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs
Of the three bills, the Obama administration only testified in support of H.R.521. Officials raised concerns about the other measures and Young in particular seemed bothered by lack of support for H.R.329, which would make changes to the way the Indian Employment, Training, and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992, commonly known as Public Law 477, is being carried out. "I passed this [expletive] bill in 1992," Young said after the hearing was over but not before the live webcast had ended. "You've got some fire --- I like it," said another person, whose voice could not be identified with certainty. Young said tribes deserve more control over grant programs that are designed to address high unemployment rates. The programs cover a range of federal agencies at the Interior Department, the Labor Department and the Health and Human Services Department. "It was supposed to give them help," Young said of the 1992 law. The hearing lasted about an hour and 30 minutes. Audio -- minus the Young outburst -- can be found on the Indianz.Com SoundCloud. Committee Notice:
Legislative Hearing on H.R. 329, H.R. 521, H.R. 812 (April 14, 2015)
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