Legislative Hearing on: H.R. 410 (Rep. Begich), “Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Extension Act of 2025”; H.R. 412 (Rep. Bergman), To authorize the Bay Mills Indian Community of the State of Michigan to convey land and interests in land owned by the Tribe; H.R. 504 (Rep. Gimenez), “Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act”; and H.R. 741 (Rep. Stanton), “Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act of 2025”.
House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs
2025-02-05
Loading video...
Source: Congress.gov
Summary
No summary available.
Participants
Transcript
Good morning, everyone. The Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs will come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare recess of the subcommittee at any time. The subcommittee is meeting today to hear testimony on four bills that are before us. Under Committee Rule 4F, any oral opening statements at hearings are limited to the chairman and the ranking minority member.
I therefore ask unanimous consent that all other members' opening statements be made part of the hearing record if they are submitted in accordance with Committee Rule 3-0. Without objection, so ordered. I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Alaska, Mr. Begich, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Soto, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Jimenez, and the gentleman from Arizona, Mr. Stanton, be allowed to sit and participate in today's hearing. Without objection, so ordered. I will now recognize myself for an opening statement. Welcome, everyone, to the first hearing for the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs for the 119th Congress. I'm honored to serve as the new chairman of the subcommittee, and I look forward to working with our American Indian, Alaska Native, and insular partners. The subcommittee is meeting today to discuss four bills. First on our agenda is H.R. 410, the Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Extension Act of 2025, sponsored by Congressman Begich. This legislation would extend the Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Program for an additional five years. This program was authorized in 2019 with the intent to fulfill the promise of the Alaska Native Allotment Act to certain Alaska Native veterans. Currently, the program is set to expire on December 29th, 2025. Data from the Bureau of Land Management shows that approximately 378 applications are currently in process and that the agency still needs addresses for approximately 150 eligible veterans. Extending this program another five years is a common sense solution to ensure effective program administration. Second, we have H.R. 412, sponsored by Congressman Bergman, which would authorize the Bay Mills Indian community to sell, transfer, lease, encumber, or otherwise convey lands. that the tribe owns in fee simple without needing congressional approval.
This would exempt land the tribe owns in fee simple from the limitations imposed by the Non-Intercourse Act. While the Non-Intercourse Act was initially enacted to protect tribes from further loss of land, in recent years, the law has generally not interfered with the ability of a tribe to buy, sell, or lease land that it owns in fee simple. However, in some instances, title insurance companies have interpreted the act to apply to fee simple real estate is owned by the tribes and have refused to provide title insurance, which has encumbered economic development and job creation in those tribal communities. The Bay Mills Indian community seeks their own individual exemption to provide clarity on their land ownership. Several other tribes in the United States, including in Michigan, have sought and received similar exemptions. Third, we have H.R. 504 sponsored by Congressman Jimenez. the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act, which adds the Osceola Camp to the tribe's reserved area. The bill also requires the Secretary of the Interior to take actions to protect the structures within the camp from flooding. In 1998, Congress passed the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act, or MRAA, to authorize the tribe's permanent residency in the Everglades while maintaining the right of the federal government to engage in restoration and protection of the area. However, the MRAA did not include the Osceola Camp, which is still subject to a special use permit. By incorporating the camp into the tribe's reserved area, the tribe will have the authority over the village area and be able to work to prevent flooding and preserve village infrastructure. Our final bill is HR 741, Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act of 2025, sponsored by Congressman Stanton. the bill would elevate the Indian Health Service director position to an assistant secretary within the Department of Health and Human Services. Advocates of this legislation argue that elevating the director of the Indian Health Service to an assistant secretary level would bring greater attention and focus on health in Indian country.
The bill, however, does not provide any tangible direction as to how this would address that need beyond elevating the position.
Sign up for free to see the full transcript
Accounts help us prevent bots from abusing our site. Accounts are free and will allow you to access the full transcript.