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House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs: Legislative Hearing on H.R. 2827, H.R. 6162 and H.R. 7065
House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs sets hearing on three bills
Monday, March 2, 2026
Indianz.Com

The House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs is holding its first legislative hearing of the new year.

The subcommittee will take testimony on three Indian Country bills at the hearing on Wednesday morning. The agenda follows:

H.R.2827, 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.

H.R.6162, the Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025. The bill places about 9.98 acres in trust for the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico. The land is located at the site of a former Indian school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the tribes now operate the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and other ventures.

H.R.7065, the Seneca Nation Law Enforcement Efficiency Act. The law clarifies that the federal government and the Seneca Nation can exercise criminal jurisdiction on tribal lands, removing the role of the state of New York.

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
A mural by Mallery Quetawki from the Pueblo of Zuni at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

The hearing takes place at 10:15am Eastern in Room 1324 of the Longworth House Office Building. The partial witness list follows:

Panel I (Members of Congress)
• To Be Announced

Panel II (Administration Witnesses)
Mr. Bryan Mercier [H.R.2827, H.R.6162, and H.R.7065]
Director
Bureau of Indian Affairs
U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C.

Panel III (Outside Experts)
The Hon. Douglas Lankford [H.R.2827]
Chief
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
Miami, Oklahoma

The Hon. J. C. Seneca [H.R.7065]
President
Seneca Nation of Indians
Irving, New York

Ms. Monique Fragua [H.R.6162] (Minority Witness)
President and CEO
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
Albuquerque, New Mexico

The subcommittee’s last legislative hearing on Indian Country bills took place on November 19, 2025. More recently, the subcommittee held oversight hearings on February 3, 2026, and December 11, 2025.

House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs Documents
Hearing Notice | Hearing Memo | More on docs.house.gov

House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs Notice
Legislative Hearing on H.R. 2827, H.R. 6162 and H.R. 7065 (March 4, 2026)
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