Witness list and testimony for Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing

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The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing and meeting room in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Indianz.Com

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs meets on Thursday morning for a legislative hearing.

Five bills are on the agenda. The list follows:

• S.2385, the 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, the 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, the 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. The witness list and testimony follow:

The Honorable Melanie Anne Egorin [Testimony: PDF]
Assistant Secretary for Legislation
Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, D.C.

Ms. Kathryn Isom-Clause [Testimony: PDF]
Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs
Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C.

The Honorable Manuel Heart [Testimony: PDF]
Chairman
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
Towaoc, Colorado

The Honorable Douglas Lankford [Testimony: PDF]
Chief
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
Miami, Oklahoma

The Honorable Robert Larsen [Testimony: PDF]
President
Lower Sioux Indian Community
Morton, Minnesota

The Honorable Victoria Kitcheyan [Testimony: PDF]
Chairwoman
Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
Winnebago, Nebraska

Ms. Angie Wilson [Testimony: PDF]
Executive Director
Reno Sparks Indian Colony Tribal Health Center
Reno, Nevada

A webcast for the hearing is available at indian.senate.gov.

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)