House Resources hearing on federal recognition

Monday, October 1, 2007  

The House Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing this Wednesday on a bill to reform the federal recognition process.

H.R. 2837 strips federal recognition from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It creates the independent Commission on Indian Recognition to review all pending petitions.

"Over the years, numerous complaints from Indian tribes seeking to navigate the recognition process have been brought before this Committee and several bills have been introduced to fix the system, but no action has been taken to put an end to the apparent black hole that the Interior Department has allowed the process to become," said Rep. Nick Rahall (D-West Virginia), the chairman of the committee.

Similar proposals have been opposed by the Clinton and Bush administrations. But in his final year in office, former assistant secretary Kevin Gover, who clashed with the BIA's recognition staff, supported the change.

The Bush administration, however, opposed an independent commission when the issue came up before former assistant secretary Neal McCaleb. No similar bills have been introduced since then.

The hearing takes place at 10am in room 1324 of the Longworth House Office Building. It will be broadcast live at http://resourcescommittee.house.gov.

Get the Bill:
Indian Tribal Federal Recognition Administrative Procedures Act (H.R.2837) Committee Notice:
Full Committee Legislative Hearing: H.R. 2837 (October 3, 2007)

Only on Indianz.Com:
Federal Recognition Database V2.0 (May 2005)

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