Schatz, Murkowski: One Indian Affairs Bill Set to Become Law, Two More Head to House for Further Consideration

For Immediate Release

December 18, 2024

Contact:

Mike Inacay (Schatz) at press@indian.senate.gov

Hannah Ray (Murkowski) at hannah_ray@indian.senate.gov

Schatz, Murkowski: One Indian Affairs Bill Set to Become Law, Two More Head to House for Further Consideration

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, released the following statements on Senate passage of H.R. 663, Native American Child Protection Act, which is set to become law, and the following two bills, which head to the House for further consideration before the end of the 118^th Congress this month:

“We had the committee’s most productive 4-year period ever, passing over 2 dozen bills into law. And just this month, we passed another 12 bills in the Senate that are waiting for action in the House,” said Chairman Schatz. “But the numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. Because behind each of these statutes and investments are real, tangible benefits for Native communities everywhere – from the homes they live in, to the roads they get around on, to the water they drink every day. And I’m proud that we’ve been able to deliver such important investments in Indian Country, on Hawaiian home lands, and in Alaska Native villages, whose needs have been so often overlooked by the federal government.”

“The Indian Affairs Committee continues to show that through good, bipartisan work we can continue to address the priorities that matter most to Indigenous communities,” said Vice Chairman Murkowski. “I applaud the Senate for passing these three bills, including the Native American Child Protection Act, which will now be signed into law. Building on the success we’ve seen this Congress, passing this legislation is further progress toward ensuring safety for Native children, addressing the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples, and addressing healthcare disparities in Native communities.”

H.R. 663, introduced by Representative Gallego (D-Ariz.), is the House companion to S. 2273 led by Senator Lujan (D-N.M.) and cosponsored by Senator Collins (R-ME). It creates a path for direct, set-aside funding for Tribes to treat and prevent child abuse by reauthorizing three programs at the IHS and BIA, which were created in the 1990s by Senator McCain (R-Ariz.) after Congress verified reports of Native children being physically and sexually abused in federal Indian boarding schools. S.465, introduced by Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and cosponsored by Senator Hoeven (R-ND), revises federal policies and procedures related to information sharing, reporting, and investigating cases of missing, unidentified, or murdered Indians and shortages of BIA law enforcement officers. S.3022, also introduced by Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and cosponsored by Senator Mullin (R-OK), addresses staffing shortages at IHS facilities by allowing part-time clinicians to qualify for Indian Health Professions Scholarships or the Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program.

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