WASHINGTON — This week, U.S. Senator Tom Udall will preside as vice chairman during a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs oversight hearing and will host a roundtable on federal permitting and infrastructure project review in Indian Country.
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, the committee will hold an oversight hearing titled, “The GAO Reports on Human Trafficking of American Indian and Alaska Natives in the United States.” Federal data on human trafficking in Native communities is limited, but available information suggests human trafficking in the United States frequently targets vulnerable populations, which would include Native Americans who disproportionately face high rates of poverty and trauma. The committee requested that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) — Congress’ independent investigative agency — examine the extent of human trafficking of Native Americans in the United States, and research the frequency with which law enforcement agencies have encountered it, the services that are available to victims, demographic information, efforts to increase prosecutions, and other federal initiatives.
The committee will hear testimony from several witnesses, including Tracy Toulou, director of the Office of Tribal Justice at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Udall will question Toulou on how DOJ plans to respond to GAO’s findings, to more effectively collect and maintain data on investigations and prosecutions of human trafficking in Indian Country.
Witnesses will include:
Gretta L. Goodwin, Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Washington, D.C.
Tracy Toulou, Director, Office of Tribal Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
Jason Thompson, Acting Deputy Director, Justice Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.
Cindy McCain, Co-Chair, Arizona Governor’s Council on Human Trafficking, Phoenix, Ariz.
Nicole Matthews, Executive Director, Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition, St. Paul, Minn.
On Thursday, Sept. 28, Senator Udall will co-host the roundtable, “Best Practices in Tribal Consultation and Stakeholder Engagement: Federal Permitting and Infrastructure Project Review in Indian Country.” Udall will highlight the need for transparency and cooperation to achieve workable partnerships between all stakeholders. Panelists will include Tribal leaders, key Tribal organizations, including the National Congress of American Indians and the United South and Eastern Tribes, industry experts, as well as representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Communications Commission, Department of Transportation, and Department of the Interior.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
WHAT: Udall to preside as vice chairman at Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Oversight Hearing
TIME: Approximately 12:30 p.m. MT / 2:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: 628 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Watch live here.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
WHAT: Udall to co-chair roundtable titled, “Best Practices in Tribal Consultation and Stakeholder Engagement: Federal Permitting and Infrastructure Project Review in Indian Country.”
TIME: Approximately 12:30 p.m. MT / 2:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: 628 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
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