WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Committee, led Committee passage of the following bills at a recent business meeting:
- S.2783, Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act
- S.3406, Technical Corrections to the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act, Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, and Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act
- S.4000, A bill to reaffirm the applicability of the Indian Reorganization Act to the Lytton Rancheria of California, and for other purposes
- S.4365, Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act
Following the business meeting, the Committee held a legislative hearing on S.4370, Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2024, and S.4505, Ohkay Owingeh Rio Chama Water Rights Settlement Act of 2024. Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tracy Canard Goodluck from the U.S. Department of the Interior; Associate Deputy Chief for State, Private, and Tribal Forestry John Crockett from the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh Governor Larry M. Phillips, Jr.; Mescalero Apache Tribe President Thora Padilla; and Alaska Federation of Natives President-Elect Benjamin Mallott testified.
“S.4505 is one of several Indian water rights settlement bills introduced and referred to the Committee over the past two weeks,” said Chairman Schatz. “Recognizing that our Committee plays a key role in enacting such settlements, each deserves our keen consideration and due diligence.”
“At today’s hearing we heard strong support for my bill, S. 4370, to modify and improve the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004, or ‘TFPA,’ said Vice Chairman Murkowski. “The bill will promote greater stewardship of federal and Indian forest and rangelands by putting tribes in the lead. S. 4370 is needed more than ever because tribal lands and resources have become increasingly vulnerable to wildfire, insect infestation, and other natural hazards that originate on federal lands. The Committee also received strong testimony from Mr. Ben Mallott, President-Elect of the Alaska Federation of Natives, for why it is critical that Alaska’s ANCs, which own more than 44 million acres of land, are full participants under the TFPA statute.”