Indian Affairs Committee Approves Five Pieces Of Legislation

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, announced that the committee approved five pieces of legislation today.

“The three bills passed by the committee today are important steps in helping the affected tribes maintain their tribal sovereignty,” Hoeven said. “The two resolutions also passed today provide great opportunities for the Senate to recognize and honor the contributions of Native Americans to our country. The committee remains resolute in its commitment to empower Native American people and help preserve their heritage.”

The committee passed the following three bills, which will now move to the full Senate for consideration:

• S. 2788, A bill to repeal the Act entitled “An Act to confer jurisdiction on the State of North Dakota over offenses committed by or against Indians on the Devils Lake Indian Reservation”.
  • S. 2788 repeals an outdated federal statute that authorizes the State of North Dakota to prosecute certain crimes committed on the Spirit Lake Reservation.
• H.R. 2606, Stigler Act Amendments of 2018.
  • H.R. 2606 repeals certain provisions in Federal law regarding the restricted lands of members of the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma.
• H.R 4032, Gila River Indian Community federal Rights-of-Way, Easements and Boundary Clarification Act.
  • H.R. 4032 confirms undocumented Federal rights-of-way or easements on the Gila River Indian Reservation, clarifies the northern boundary of the Gila River Indian Community’s Reservation, and takes certain land located in Maricopa County and Pinal County, Arizona, into trust for the benefit of the Gila River Indian Community.

In addition, the committee reported the following two resolutions favorably:

• S.RES 444, A resolution recognizing the heritage, culture, and contributions of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women in the United States.
• S.RES 596, A resolution recognizing the 29^th anniversary of the Tribal Canoe Journey of the Tribal Nations of the Pacific Northwest and congratulating the Puyallup Tribe of Indians for hosting 2018 Power Paddle to Puyallup.

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