House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples takes up two bills at hearing

Wednesday, October 16, 2019  

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States is taking testimony on two tribal bills on Wednesday morning.

The first bill is H.R.3160, the Blackwater Trading Post Land Transfer Act. The bill places about 55.3 acres in trust in Arizona for the Gila River Indian Community.

Stephen Roe Lewis, the tribe's governor, is testifying about H.R.3160. In his written statement, he said the bill will help the tribe meet its needs following the successful conclusion of a water rights settlement.

Hearing | Committee Activity | The House Committee on Natural Resources: Providing testimony for H. R. 3160 Blackwater Trading Post Land Transfer Act https://t.co/btxStXU9Bv

— Stephen Roe Lewis (@stephenroelewis) October 16, 2019

"H.R.3160 is a non-controversial, bi-partisan piece of legislation that is absolutely critical for the Community to be able to place these culturally significant lands into trust status and become part of the reservation," Lewis states.

The second bill is S.46, the Klamath Tribe Judgment Fund Repeal Act. The bill repeals a termination era law that affects the trust funds and trust assets of the Klamath Tribes.

Donald Wharton, a senior attorney at the Native American Rights Fund, is testifying about S.46. In his written statement, he said the measure will help ensure the Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin peoples aren't tied to one of the "the last remaining vestige of the disastrous and ill-considered legislation that in 1954 unilaterally terminated the government-to-government relationship between the Klamath Tribes and the United States."

"The repeal of this last vestige of the disastrous and ill-considered Termination Act of 1954 would be a welcome and necessary next step in respecting the sovereignty of the tribes and returning the Klamath people to their former robust self-sufficiency," Wharton states.

The U.S. Senate passed S.46 by a voice vote in June, following approval by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs earlier this year. A prior version had already been considered and advanced by the panel during the last session of Congress.

S.46 would still need to be approved by the House Committee on Natural Resources, then by the full U.S. House of Representatives, before it could be sent to President Donald Trump for his signature. So far in the 116th Congress, which began in January, lawmakers have yet to send a stand-alone Indian bill to the White House.

The House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States hearing takes place at 10am Eastern in Room 1324 of the Longworth House Office Building.

Legislative Hearing - H.R.3160, S.46 (October 16, 2019)