{"id":497415,"date":"2026-04-20T10:53:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=497415"},"modified":"2026-04-21T11:01:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:01:10","slug":"nafoa-5-things-you-need-to-know-this-week-april-20-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/04\/20\/nafoa-5-things-you-need-to-know-this-week-april-20-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (April 20, 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":" \"NAFOA\"<\/a>
Proud to spotlight two incredible NAFOA Class of 2023 Summit alumni at #NAFOA2026 next week! On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Remington Schneider (Omaha Tribe of Nebraska) will be moderating the \u201cLessons from the Field in Tribal Energy Development\u201d panel, and McKenna Green (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior) will moderate the community film screening of Remaining Native. Join us in Reno, Nevada, to be part of the conversations shaping the future of Indian Country. Photo courtesy NAFOA<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
5 Things You Need to Know This Week <\/div>\r\n
NAFOA Alumni Take the Stage at #NAFOA2026 in Reno<\/div>\r\n
Monday, April 20, 2026<\/div>\r\n
Source: NAFOA<\/div>\r\n
nafoa.org<\/a><\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

1. NAFOA NEWS<\/em><\/div>\r\n
The Economy Needs Tribal Nations to Succeed, The Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act is how Congress makes that happen<\/div>\r\nBy: Cory M. Blankenship, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Executive Director of NAFOA\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act is now in both chambers of Congress. Tribal nations must make it clear to Congress that the time for action is now.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nTribal nations are economic drivers across the United States. Tribes operate healthcare centers, build roads, develop affordable housing, generate energy, and employ hundreds of thousands of people, tribal and non-tribal alike. These are not fringe economic contributions. They are the backbone of rural economies from North Carolina to Alaska.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nYet despite their status as sovereign governments, tribal nations operate at a profound structural disadvantage when it comes to the most basic tools of public finance.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe reform act \u2014 introduced in the Senate as S.2022 by Sens. Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and in the House as H.R. 7705 by Reps. Gwen Moore, D-Wisconsin, and David Schweikert, R-Arizona \u2014 is the legislative correction that closes this gap.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nSource: ICT\r\nContinue Reading<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

2. CONFERENCE<\/em><\/div>\r\n
She’s Got the Mic: Meet #NAFOA2026 Emcee, Adrianne Chalepah<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nNAFOA is excited to welcome Adrianne Chalepah, a multi-talented Native American artist and member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. Adrianne\u2019s storytelling journey began in stand-up with 49 Laughs Comedy. She has performed across the country with her co-founded group Three Sisters Comedy and has gone on to act in Reservation Dogs, Rutherford Falls, and The Curse.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAdrianne is a 2021 Yes, And Laughter Lab finalist, an MFA holder, a public speaker, and a mother of four whose work blends humor with culturally informed storytelling. We’re thrilled to have her lead us through #NAFOA2026.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nPrices increase for on-site registration. Please note that on-site registration is not available for professionals; all professional registrations must be completed prior to the conference.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nRegister for the Conference<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

3. TRIBAL CONSULTATION<\/em><\/div>\r\n
Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Programs<\/div>\r\nThe U.S. Department of the Treasury is hosting a Tribal consultation on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) entitled \u201cAnti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Program.\u201d This consultation will be held virtually on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. ET.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nPursuant to the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, the NPRM proposes revisions to fundamentally reform the requirements for financial institutions\u2019 anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML\/CFT) programs maintained by casinos and other financial institutions that may be owned by Tribal governments.\r\n\r\nSource: U.S. Department of the Treasury\r\n

<\/p>\r\nRead the Dear Tribal Leader Letter<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/p>\r\nRegister for the Consultation<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

4. ADVOCACY<\/em><\/div>\r\n
Sign-On Letter: SBA 8(a) Application Freeze<\/div>\r\nThe Native American Contractors Association (NACA) has been tracking an issue regarding the effective pause of 8(a) application approvals at the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA has not approved any new, individually or entity owned, 8(a) application since August 2025. This has created significant challenges for Native federal contractors\r\n

<\/p>\r\nNACA has prepared a sign-on letter to amplify this issue. They have raised the issue directly with the SBA and Congress and are now seeking as many Native contractor signers as possible. The letter will be shared with all relevant Congressional Members with constituents that sign on to amplify this message.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nNative-owned businesses interested in signing on are encouraged to contact qcarroll@nativecontractors.org to be added to the list. The deadline to sign on is April 27, 2026.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nSource: Native American Contractors Association\r\nRead the Sign On Letter<\/a>\r\n\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

5. JOB<\/em><\/div>\r\n
Policy Specialist, NAFOA<\/div>\r\nWe\u2019re seeking a full-time Policy Specialist to join our remote team. The position plays a crucial role in advancing Tribal economies and strengthening Tribal finance through policy research, analysis, and advocacy at the federal level. The Policy Specialist conducts comprehensive research on federal policies affecting Tribal economies, analyzes proposed legislation and regulations, and assesses their potential impact on Tribal governments and enterprises.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nTo apply, please send a cover letter and resume to info@nafoa.org with the subject line \u201cPolicy Specialist Position.\u201d Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nLearn More & Apply at nafoa.org\/jobs<\/a>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NAFOA alumni will be taking the stage at the #NAFOA2026 conference in Reno, Nevada.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":497432,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10,1,14],"tags":[5366,482,7396,170,157,5383,121,7194,48,138,1154,36,521,6517,280,91,499,89],"class_list":["post-497415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-national","category-politics","tag-119th","tag-8a","tag-adrianne-chalepah","tag-congress","tag-consultation","tag-cory-blankenship","tag-employment","tag-h-r-7705","tag-house","tag-meetings","tag-naca","tag-nafoa","tag-nevada","tag-s-2022","tag-sba","tag-senate","tag-taxation","tag-treasury","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/21\/NAFOA-3.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-25oP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=497415"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":497434,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497415\/revisions\/497434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/497432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=497415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=497415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=497415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}