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House schedules action on Native youth and tribal tourism bills

Monday, September 12, 2016

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota), third from right, with youth from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in June 2014. Heitkamp is the sponsor of S.246, the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act. Photo from Twitter

Legislation to improve the lives of Native youth and boost tribal tourism efforts are set for passage in the House on Monday.

S.246, the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act, and S.1579, the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act (NATIVE Act), are being considered under a suspension of the rules, according to the House Majority Leader's schedule. That means the bills are considered non-controversial and are expected to pass by near-unanimous consent among lawmakers.

S.246 creates a commission that will study ways to improve health, education and other outcomes for American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian youth. The bill passed the Senate in June 2015 so action in the House puts it one step closer to becoming law.

S.1579 requires the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior to update their management plans and tourism strategies to include tribes, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. It passed the Senate on July 13 so it's also close to becoming law in the 114th Congress.

The two bills are supported by Indian Country, lawmakers from both parties and the Obama administration. Despite the broad support, both have been altered in key ways during the legislative process.

When it was introduced, S.246 authorized $2 million for the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act. That provision has been removed from the version being considered in the House on Monday afternoon.

As for S.1579, the Senate added a provision that speaks to the inclusion of Native Hawaiians in the bill. If the bill becomes law, Congress does not want anyone to think Hawaii's first inhabitants have a government-to-government with the United States.

"Nothing in this Act alters, or demonstrates congressional support for the alteration of, the legal relationship between the United States and any American Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian individual, group, organization, or entity," S.1579 reads.

Incidentally, S.246 includes similar language but it was already present in the bill when it was introduced back in January 2015.

Assuming both bills clear the 114th Congress, they must be signed by President Barack Obama before becoming law.