WASHINGTON— At the National Congress of American Indians 2019 Executive Council Winter Session today, Senator John Hoeven, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, outlined his priorities and outlook for the 116th Congress.
“As Chairman, I take the Committee’s oversight responsibility very seriously,” said Hoeven. “The Committee has an important duty to ensure that Native voices are included in policy making, to assist agencies in determining and meeting the needs of tribal communities, and to examine policy implementation in determining how to best serve Native people.”
During his speech, Hoeven highlighted the 15 bills that recently passed the Committee, as well as outlined his continued efforts to build upon the Committee’s progress made during the 115th Congress, including:
- Accountability to Indian Country;
- Improving Indian health;
- Bolstering Indian education;
- Reinforcing public safety in Indian Country; and
- Encouraging economic development in Indian Country.
Hoeven specifically highlighted bills he introduced in the 116th Congress:
- S. 209, the PROGRESS for Indian Tribes Act of 2019, a bill that provides Indian Tribes with greater flexibility to plan, conduct, consolidate, and administer federal programs for their communities.
- S. 210, the Tribal Law and Order Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2019, which would reauthorize and strengthen several key programs to improve tribal justice and public safety for Indian communities.
- S. 211, the SURVIVE Act, which would expand critical victims services by requiring a 5% allocation from the Crime Victims Fund be allocated directly to Indian Tribes.
- S. 212, the Indian Community Economic Enhancement Act of 2019, which would reduce regulatory burdens and encourage investment, innovation, and job creation in tribal communities.
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