WASHINGTON, D.C-During 2024, the U.S. Senate passed 16 bills and helped secure historic investments, which will benefit Native communities nationwide to the tune of $15 billion dollars. The benefits include delivering record funding for Native housing, totaling more than $1.3 billion, as well as more than $7 billion to strengthen Native health care. Additionally, four bills were enacted into law, and several others-including the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act-advanced to the House for further consideration.
"This year, we built on the historic progress of the past few years, helping pass more than a dozen bills and delivering significant funding for a wide range of Native priorities," said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. "I'm proud of the progress we've made this year-and over the past two congresses,-but make no mistake: We have a lot more work to remedy the generations of neglect and help Native communities determine their own futures."
Of the 16 Indian Affairs bills that the Senate passed this session, four became law:
• H.R. 663, Native American Child Protection Act
* H.R. 663 addresses direct funding for Tribes to treat and prevent child abuse by reauthorizing three programs at the IHS and BIA, which were created in the 1990s after Congress verified reports of Native children being physically and sexually abused in federal Indian boarding schools.
• S.382, Puyallup Tribe of Indians Land Into Trust Confirmation Act of 2023
* S.382 takes 17 acres of land in Pierce County, Washington into trust for the benefit of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to expand its reservation.
• H.R.1240, Winnebago Land Transfer Act of 2023
* H.R.1240 takes land into trust for the benefit of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska to expand
its reservation.
• S.3857, Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act
* S.3857 takes approximately 172.1 acres of land in San Diego, California into trust for the benefit of the Jamul Indian Village to expand its reservation.
Other passed bills include:
• S.385, to amend the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act to authorize grants to Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations, and for other purposes
* S.385 makes technical corrections to the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act, which authorizes grants to Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations for recreational travel and tourism activities.
• S.465, BADGES for Native Communities Act
* S.465 revises federal policies and procedures related to cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) and shortages of BIA law enforcement officers.
• S.1322, Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and Key Economic Developments Act of 2023
* S. 1322 enables Tribes to lease their land for up to 99 years, and to approve their own rights-of-way on Tribal lands.
• S.1723, Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2023
* S. 1723 would create a federal commission and other advisory committees to investigate the systematic and long-term effects of Indian Boarding Schools on Native American peoples. .
• S.1987, Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 2024
* S.1987 ratifies the Fort Belknap Indian Community's water rights settlement agreement entered into with the United States and Montana to bring clean drinking water to the reservation.
• S.2783, Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act
* S.2783 expands Miccosukee Tribal lands to include a portion of Everglades National Park known as Osceola Camp and authorizes funding to protect the camp from flooding caused by federal Everglades ecosystem restoration projects.
• S.2868, A bill regarding the charter of incorporation of the Lower Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota.
* S.2868 revokes the Lower Sioux Indian Community's Indian Reorganization Act, Section 17 charter of incorporation, which requires the Tribe to secure the Interior Secretary's approval for economic development activities.
• S.2908, Indian Buffalo Management Act
* S.2908 establishes a program within the Department of the Interior to increase Tribes' role in buffalo restoration, including Tribally-owned and -managed herds and buffalo habitat on Tribal lands.
• S.3022, IHS Workforce Parity Act of 2024
* S.3022 addresses staffing shortages at Indian Health Service facilities.
• S.4000, A bill to reaffirm the applicability of the Indian Reorganization Act to the Lytton Rancheria of California, and for other purposes
* S.4000 would reaffirm the applicability of the Indian Reorganization Act to the Lytton Rancheria of California, Tribe and clarify its eligibility to have land taken into trust.
• S.4365, Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act
* S.4365 allows officers from the U.S. Public Health Service to offer certain veterinary services at Indian Health Services Facilities to control domestic animal populations and prevent the spread of diseases.
• S.4370, Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2024
* S.4370 expands the types of lands that Tribes can do forest fire mitigation work on not just their own lands and federal lands next to Tribal lands, but also any federal lands which a Tribe maintains.
As part of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process, Schatz helped secure more than $5.7 billion to support efforts to revitalize Native languages. $175 million was also included in appropriations to improve Tribal access to transportation and help address longstanding transportation funding backlogs.
The 2024 U.S. Senate passed 16 bills to benefit different aspects of Native communities, including the Indian Buffalo Management Act.
