Politics | Trust

House panel holds hearing on three tribal and Alaska Native bills

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

The last hearing of the House Subcommittee Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs took place on May 14. Photo from Facebook

The House Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs will hold a hearing tomorrow on three bills.

The bills address specific issues for two tribes and for Alaska Native veterans. The agenda follows:

• H.R.487, a bill to allow the Miami Nation of Oklahoma to lease or transfer certain lands. Similar bills have been passed for other tribes, according to the hearing memo.
• H.R.2212, a bill to take certain federal lands located in Lassen County, California, into trust for the benefit of the Susanville Indian Rancheria, and for other purposes. The land cannot be used for gaming, according to the hearing memo.
• H.R.2387, the Alaska Native Veterans Land Allotment Equity Act. The bill amends the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide for equitable allotment of land to Alaska Native veterans. The bill affects Alaska Natives who served in Vietnam and were denied opportunities to select lands because they were in the military at the time, according to the hearing memo.

The hearing takes place at 11am in Room 1324 of the Longworth House Office Building. The witness list follows:

Mr. Michael Black
Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs
U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC
(All Bills)

Accompanied by Ms. Karen Mouritsen,
Deputy Assistant Director for Energy, Minerals, and Realty Management, Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

Mr. Douglas G. Lankford
Chief, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, Miami, OK
(H.R. 487)

Mr. Aaron Dixon
Secretary/Treasurer, Tribal Business Council
Susanville Indian Rancheria, Susanville, CA
(H.R. 2212)

Mr. Nelson Angapak, Sr.
Former Vice President and Senior Vice President
Served 1998-2013
Alaska Federation of Natives
Anchorage, AK
(H.R. 2387)