A new employment and training bill, updates on the Children’s Commission bill, the NEST act, and the president signed the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act.
On June 22, the President signed the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act, introduced by Rep. Mike Simpson (ID2) as H.R. 812 and Sen. Michael Crapo (ID) as S. 383. The bill will establish an eight-year demonstration project, in which tribes could propose trust management plans and then implement them, once approved by the Secretary of the Interior. This legislation could pave the way for better management within a government structure that has a stronger interest in faithful and accurate oversight.
On July 14, the Senate passed the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Consolidation Act of 2015 (S.1443). Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK) introduced this bill in May. It will reauthorize a popular program that permits tribal governments and tribal organizations to coordinate employment, training and related services in one comprehensive program. A nearly identical House bill (H.R. 329) was introduced in January 2015 by Rep. Young (AK1), and it has been approved by the House Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs.
On July 6, a new bill authorizing the Native Educator Support and Training (NEST) program was introduced in the House by Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA36). Like the Senate bill, it would establish new scholarships, loan forgiveness-for-service plans, and teacher development courses to encourage Native Americans to become teachers and to serve in tribal communities. H.R. 5700was referred to the Education and the Workforce Committee. It is identical to the Senate bill, S. 1928, which was reported out of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on April 27 this year.
On July 13, the House Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs approved the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act (S. 246). Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (ND) introduced S. 246 in January 2015 to create a commission to study poverty, child abuse, drug abuse and other issues facing Native American children. The Commission would be charged to recommend goals and plans to achieve more efficient and effective coordination among the many agencies that offer child services in Indian country, recognizing and integrating the cultural strengths of diverse Native communities. Rep. Betty McCollum (MN4) had introduced an identical bill in the House, H.R. 2751. But by approving the Senate version, the Subcommittee has smoothed the process for final approval by the House and signing by the president during this Congress. (The Senate had already approved S. 246.)
