The Gila River Indian Community owns and operates Gila River Telecommunications, Inc. on its reservation in Arizona. Photo: Valentino Reyes / US Department of Agriculture
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is hosting a roundtable on infrastructure on Wednesday afternoon. Four panels of tribal leaders and tribal officials will present information on infrastructure needs in their communities. The witnesses represent a broad cross-section of Indian Country, from large reservations to smaller and more remote areas. The roundtable comes after Republican President Donald Trump said he would ask Congress to invest $1 trillion in roads, bridges, dams and other developments across the nation. Lawmakers want to make sure tribes are included in any infrastructure proposals. The roundtable takes place at 2pm Eastern in Room G-50 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. The witness list follows:
Panel 1:Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notice:
Mr. Delbert Rexford
Special Assistant and Advisor to the President
Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC), Barrow, AK The Honorable Edward Manuel
Chairman
Tohono O’odham Nation, Sells, AZ The Honorable Leslie Shakespeare
Councilman
Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Fort Washakie, WY Panel 2:
Mr. William Rudnicki
Tribal Administrator
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota, Prior Lake, MN The Honorable James Floyd
Principal Chief
Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Okmulgee, OK Mr. Ryan Rusche
Tribal Attorney
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, Pablo, MT Panel 3:
Ms. Belinda Nelson
Chairperson
Gila River Telecommunications, Inc., Chandler, AZ Mr. Derek Dyson
Attorney (Duncan, Weinberg, Genzer, & Pembroke)
Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, Washington, DC Mr. Godfrey Enjady
General Manager
Mescalero Apache Telecom, Inc., Mescalero, NM Panel 4:
Mr. Jon Whirlwind Horse
Facilities Manager
Oglala Sioux Tribe Education Agency, Kyle, SD Mr. Jeff Seidel
Senior Vice President
Dougherty & Company, LLC, Minneapolis, MN Mr. Stephen Hockins
Strategic Planner
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Choctaw, MS The Honorable Darrell Shay
Vice Chairman
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, Fort Hall, ID
Roundtable Discussion on "Building Native America Together: Infrastructure Innovation and Improvements for the New Administration and Indian Country." (March 15, 2017)
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