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

H.R.4002 allows the Miami Nation to revoke the charter that was approved under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act. Miami Nation Chief Douglas Lankford told lawmakers that the document is outdated.

But the charter is extremely cumbersome to change -- approval from the federal government is required, along with an election among the membership -- so the tribe wants to eliminate it altogether. Congress has approved similar bills for other tribes.

H.R.3822 aims to resolve a long-running dispute between the Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo. over the division of land from the defunct Fort Wingate Army Depot in New Mexico. The tribes reached an agreement to divide about 18,000 acres equally but some Navajo officials and communities remain opposed to the bill.

The Obama administration supports both bills, Assistant Secretary Kevin Washburn, the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs said. He urged Congress to use H.R.3822 to address a dispute that has arisen over criminal jurisdiction at an Indian school on the property.

The hearing lasted about 48 minutes. Audio can be found on the Indianz.Com SoundCloud.

Committee Notice:
Legislative Hearing on H.R. 4002 and H.R. 3822 (March 27, 2014)

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Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs sets hearing (3/20)