The House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing this morning on two bills that would distribute a judgment fund for the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

H.R.2306 and H.R.3699 each distribute the funds in trust account JA1041696 to six bands of the Chippewa Tribe. The bills differ on how much each band gets.

The hearing started at 10am but the Internet feed was down for about 30 minutes due to a House-wide problem. Audio is missing of the opening statements, the testimony of Panel 1 and some of the Q&A with Panel 1. The rest is intact. follows:

Panel 1 - Q&A [Fragment]
Honorable James Oberstar (D-MN)
Honorable Collin Peterson (D-MN)

Panel 2 - Testimony | Q&A
Mr. Jerry Gidner, Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, United States Department of the Interior, Washington, DC

Panel 3 - Testimony | Q&A
Honorable Kevin Leecy, Tribal Chairman, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians, Nett Lake, MN
Honorable Karen Driver, Chairwoman, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Cloquet, MN
Honorable Norman Deschampe, Chairman, Grand Portage Band of Chippewa Indians, Grand Portage, MN
Honorable George Goggleye, Jr., Chairman, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Indians, Cass Lake, MN
Honorable Melanie Benjamin, Chief Executive, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians, Onamia, MN
Honorable Erma J. Vizenor, Chairwoman, White Earth Nation, White Earth, MN

Committee Notice:
Full Committee Legislative Hearing: H.R. 2306 and H.R. 3699 (June 5, 2008)

Related Stories:
Witness list for House Resources hearing (6/4)