Indianz.Com > News > Senate Committee on Indian Affairs takes up Indian health and Native youth bills
Note: Video feed from Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will start shortly before 2:30pm Eastern on July 14, 2021.
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs takes up Indian health and Native youth legislation
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Indianz.Com

Note: The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs did not meet as scheduled due to “unforeseen circumstances,” according to the Capitol Hill staff. The committee, however, was still able to advance the nomination of Bryan Newland to be Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. The legislative hearing will take place July 21.

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is getting back to work following the July 4 holiday.

The committee meets on Wednesday afternoon for a business meeting to advance the nomination of Bryan Newland to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs in the Joe Biden administration. A legislative hearing takes place immediately afterward.

Three bills are on the agenda for the hearing. They follow:

• S.1797, the Urban Indian Health Providers Facilities Improvement Act. The bill ensures that urban Indian providers across the nation can use existing resources for renovation, construction and expansions of their facilities.

• S.1895, the Indian Health Service Sanitation Facilities Construction Enhancement Act. The bill authorizes $3 billion for the Indian Health Service to meet water and wastewater infrastructure needs in tribal communities.

• H.R.1688, the Native American Child Protection Act. The bill updates the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act, which first became law in 1990 to help tribes and the federal government address child abuse in Indian Country amid reports of widespread victimization. The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1688 on May 12.

Oklahoma City Indian Clinic
The Oklahoma City Indian Clinic hosted a series of COVID-19 vaccine events for members of the greater community in Oklahoma during the month of April 2021. Robyn Sunday-Allen, vice president of the National Congress of Urban Indian Health, serves as chief executive officer of OKCIC. Photo courtesy OKCIC

A panel of federal officials and Indian Country leaders will testify about the legislation. The witness list follows:

Mr. Randy Grinnell – [Testimony: PDF]
Deputy Director for Management Operations
Indian Health Service
Department of Health and Human Services
Rockville, Maryland

Ms. Heidi Todacheene – [Testimony: PDF]
Senior Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs
Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C.

The Honorable Jonathan Nez – [Testimony: PDF]
President
Navajo Nation
Window Rock, Arizona

The Honorable Gil Vigil – [Testimony: PDF]
President
National Indian Child Welfare Association
Portland, Oregon

Ms. Robyn Sunday-Allen – [Testimony: PDF]
Vice President
National Congress of Urban Indian Health
Washington, D.C.

The business meeting and legislative hearing take place at 2:30pm Eastern in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Both will be webcast at indian.senate.gov.

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notice
Business Meeting to consider Bryan Todd Newland to be Assistant Secretary & Legislative Hearing to receive testimony on S. 1797, S. 1895 & H.R. 1688 (July 14, 2021)
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