Senate Committee on Indian Affairs set for first hearing of new year

Indianz.Com > News > Senate Committee on Indian Affairs set for first hearing of new year

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs meets in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. Official U.S. Senate photo by Karsyn Meyerson

Monday, February 5, 2024

Indianz.Com

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is hosting its first hearing since the start of 2024.

Five bills are on the agenda for the legislative hearing on Thursday morning. The list follows:

• S.2385, Tribal Access to Clean Water Act of 2023. The bill authorizes funding to the Indian Health Service, the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Reclamation for programs to fulfill water needs in Indian Country. A fact sheet outlines $1.2 billion in funding for the programs.

• S.2868, A bill to accept the request to revoke the charter of incorporation of the Lower Sioux Indian Community in the state of Minnesota at the tribe’s request. A similar bill was enacted by the U.S. Congress for another tribe.

• S.3022, IHS Workforce Parity Act of 2023. The bill amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to allow Indian Health Service scholarship and loan recipients to fulfill their requirements in multiple ways.

• S.2796, A bill to provide for the equitable settlement of certain Indian land disputes regarding land in Illinois, and for other purposes. The bill authorizes the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to resolve a land claim of the Miami Tribe, headquartered in Oklahoma. The claim is based on lands promised to the tribe by treaty in Illinois.

• S.3230, Winnebago Land Transfer Act. The bill returns about 1,600 acres to the Winnebago Tribe. The land, located in Iowa, was promised to the tribe by treaty but was later illegally condemned and taken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The House Committee on Natural Resources approved a companion version, H.R.1240, on June 13, 2023, and the measure is scheduled to be passed by the U.S. House of Representatives under a suspension of the rules as soon as Monday.

The hearing takes place at 10:30am Eastern in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office building. A webcast will be available at indian.senate.gov.

A witness list for the hearing has not yet been posted online.

The committee’s most recent hearing in Washington, D.C., took place on December 6, 2023. It focused on the fentanyl crisis in Indian Country.

Before that, the committee’s most recent business meeting took place on November 15, 2023. Two bills were approved and sent to the U.S. Senate for further consideration.

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notice

Legislative Hearing to receive testimony on S. 2385, S. 2868, S. 3022, S. 2796 & S. 3230 (February 8, 2024)

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