Senate Committee on Indian Affairs takes up three bills at hearing

Tuesday, July 17, 2018  

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will be taking testimony on water rights and economic development on Wednesday.

Three bills are on the agenda for the hearing. Two focus on water while the other would repeal an outdated ban on alcohol distilleries in Indian Country.

• S.2154, the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas Water Rights Settlement Agreement Act.
• Sponsor: Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas)
S.2154, the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas Water Rights Settlement Agreement Act, ratifies a water rights settlement between the Kickapoo Tribe and the state of Kansas. The deal clears the way for a reliable source of water on the reservation, something the tribe has been seeking for decades.

"This agreement secures the Kickapoo Tribe's long-term viability, for without water, we cannot survive as a tribe or community," Chairman Lester Randall said when the deal was announced after years of negotiations.

• S.3168, the Indian Water Rights Settlement Extension Act
• Sponsor: Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico)
S.3060, the Indian Water Rights Settlement Extension Act, turns the federal Reclamation Water Settlements Fund into a permanent fund. Making the fund permanent could help ensure that funding is always available to implement tribal water rights settlements, like the one for the Kickapoos.

In fiscal year 2019, the Trump administration requested $127.4 million in discretionary funding for tribal settlements. The money supports a dozen water projects in several Western states.

• S.3060, the Repeal of Prohibition on Certain Alcohol Manufacturing on Indian Lands Act
• Sponsor: Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington)
S.3060, the Repeal of Prohibition on Certain Alcohol Manufacturing on Indian Lands Act, would repeal an outdated ban on distilleries in Indian Country. The ban became law in 1834, during a more paternalistic and destructive era of Indian policy.

“Getting this outdated law off the books is an important step to supporting tribal self-determination and economic development in Indian Country,” Cantwell said when she introduced the bill last month.

H.R.5317, a companion version of the bill, has already seen movement on Capitol Hill. The House Committee on Natural Resources approved it at a markup session on May 8, following a favorable hearing on April 26. It can now be considered for passage in the House

The hearing takes place at 2:30pm Eastern on Wednesday. The witness list follows:

Mr. Alan Mikkelsen
Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC

The Honorable Lester Randall
Chairman, Kickapoo Tribe, Horton, KS

The Honorable Harry Pickernell
Chairman, Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, Oakville, WA

Mr. John Tubbs
Director, Montana Department of Natural Resources, Helena, MT

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notice:
Legislative Hearing to receive testimony on S. 2154, S. 3060 and S. 3168 (July 18, 2018)