10.29.21

Vice Chairman Examines Barriers to Voting for Native People

This week, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), welcomed the opportunity to hear from Native witnesses about the issues that continue to pose barriers to voting access during an oversight hearing she requested entitled: Voting Matters in Native Communities. "The right to vote has evolved tremendously over time, including with respect to the voting rights of our First peoples. American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians-all… Continue Reading

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10.21.21

Murkowski, Sullivan Secure Extension on COVID Relief Dollars for Alaska Natives

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) welcomed the Senate's passage last night of S.3011, the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act, legislation that includes a provision the senators authored granting an extension until December 31, 2022 for tribes-including Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs)-to spend Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) resources from the March 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securi… Continue Reading

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10.20.21

Senate Passes One Year Extension for Tribal Governments to Utilize COVID Relief

Last night, the United States Senate passed the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act (S. 3011), which includes a one-year extension of the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) deadline to allow Tribal governments additional time to use CARES CRF allocations. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), is a cosponsor to S. 3011 and was able to secure inclusion of the tr… Continue Reading

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09.30.21

Cortez Masto, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Address Shortage of Health Care Providers in Native American Communities

U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced bipartisan legislation to help the Indian Health Services (IHS) recruit and hire more health care professionals by providing medical, nursing, and other students with fully tax-exempt scholarships and loan repayment programs. IHS has a 25 percent vacancy rate for health care providers and currently needs more than 1,300 positions filled, which this legislation could help address. In order to attract new, tale… Continue Reading

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09.29.21

Murkowski’s Legislation Extending Native Children’s Commission Signed Into Law

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) today applauded S. 325, a bill to amend the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act to extend the deadline for a report by the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, and for other purposes, being signed into law by the President. Senator Murkowski introduced the bill in February 2021 with Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Dan Sullivan… Continue Reading

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08.30.21

Vice Chairman Murkowski Announces New Committee Staff

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), welcomes additional staff to the Committee and provided the following statement. "I am pleased that Amber Ebarb and Lucy Murfitt have transitioned over to the Committee. They provide a depth of knowledge and skill that will complement the Committee's work to advance the lives of American Indian and Alaska Native people. Both women are familiar with the many issues affecting Indigenous peoples and… Continue Reading

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08.23.21

Murkowski, Young Applaud Native Children’s Commission Extension Bill Heading to President’s Desk

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S. 325, a bill to amend the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act to extend the deadline for a report by the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, and for other purposes. The bill, introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and co-sponsored by Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Jon Tester (D-MT), now heads to the President to be signed into law. A House compani… Continue Reading

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08.10.21

Vice Chairman Murkowski Secures Significant Investments in Native Communities

Today, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, provided the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes substantial funding for Federal programs and Native communities to address water and sanitation, transportation, broadband, climate and energy resilience, Indian water settlements, new energy technology, drought mitigation, mine and well cleanup, wildfire mitigation, and ecosystem re… Continue Reading

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08.05.21

Vice Chairman Murkowski Votes to Advance Native Language Bills

This week, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), voted to advance two bills, S. 989, the Native American Language Resource Center Act of 2021, and S. 1402, the Durbin Feeling Native American Languages Act of 2021, a bill which she cosponsored, through the Committee. "When the Committee held a hearing in May on these bills, we heard that there is an effort that we all want to continue-preserving and revitalizing Native languages as th… Continue Reading

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07.29.21

Alaska Congressional Delegation Introduces Legislation to Bring Economic Development and Growth to Alaska Native Communities

The Alaska Congressional Delegation introduced landmark legislation to increase accessibility for tax-exempt financing on economic development efforts for Alaska Native and American Indian projects. Such financing, known as Tribal Economic Development, or TED Bonds, is an important tool for Tribal governments to finance economic development opportunities and diversify resources that benefit their communities. The purpose of this legislation is to even the playing field by updating the rules for … Continue Reading

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06.26.21

VICE CHAIRMAN MURKOWSKI CONTINUES DIALOGUE ON KEY NATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE POLICIES

This week, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), discussed important infrastructure development in Native communities with key tribal leaders and stakeholders during a SCIA roundtable on "Concrete Solutions: Building a Successful Foundation for Native Communities' Infrastructure Development." Murkowski began her remarks by discussing a virtual roundtable she previously hosted with members of the Association of Alaska Housing Authorities. … Continue Reading

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06.08.21

Murkowski, Sullivan Introduce Bill to Support Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, with U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan as a cosponsor, introduced legislation to amend the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment program, to make an additional 3.7 million acres of federal land in the National Wildlife Refuge System available for selection. The legislation was developed based on a recommendation from then-Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and will help to further rectify a longstanding injustice that has impacted Alaska Native veterans th… Continue Reading

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06.08.21

ICYMI: Vice Chairman Murkowski Secures Senate Passage of Four Bills to Improve Alaska Native Communities

The Senate recently approved eight bills that were passed by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, sending them to the House of Representatives. Four of the eight bills are led by Vice Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), including one bill that extends the reporting deadline for the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, as well as three bills that will improve delivery of healthcare services in Alaska Native communities through federal land transfers. The Senate pa… Continue Reading

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05.14.21

Vice Chairman Murkowski Emphasizes Importance of the Tourism Industry to Alaska Native Communities

This week, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, underscored the importance of tourism to Alaska Native communities and the entire Alaskan economy at a hearing, "Examining the COVID-19 Response in Native Communities: Native Tourism Economies One Year Later." "Native Tourism touches on so many extraordinary aspects of Indian Country and our Alaska Native communities, of Native Hawaiians: vibrant cultures and languages, economic empowerment, resil… Continue Reading

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04.23.21

Cortez Masto, Murkowski Hail Interior & DOJ Announcement on Their Bipartisan Law to Curb Epidemic of Missing, Murdered and Trafficked Native Women

U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statements after the Departments of Interior (DOI) and Justice (DOJ) announced that they would be enacting a joint commission to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, a key component of the Senators' bipartisan Not Invisible Act, which was signed into law last year. "This is a welcome step from the Administration and it will make an enormous difference in our efforts to addres… Continue Reading

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04.12.21

Senators Murkowski, Manchin, Burr, Murray, Sinema Send Letter to Education Secretary Cardona on Homeless Youth and Children Funding

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Richard Burr (R-NC), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), sent a letter to Department of Education (ED) Secretary Miguel Cardona detailing priorities on the implementation of $800 million in K-12 funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. The $800 million was included in the ARP through an amendment offered by Senator Murkowski and cosponsored by Senators Manchin and Sinema specifically to support children and youth who ar… Continue Reading

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04.02.21

Murkowski Applauds Efforts to Seek Justice for Missing, Murdered Indigenous People

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement on the Interior Department announcement of a new Missing & Murdered Unit tasked with coordinating interagency collaboration to pursue cases of missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. "Too many families have faced unspeakable loss as Native women have gone missing, murdered, or trafficked and let down by the complex law enforcement systems in place. Seeking justice for these women and families should never … Continue Reading

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03.30.21

HUD Announces $64 Million In Critical Housing Funding Going To Alaska Native Communities

Senator Murkowski visiting families in Native Village of Savoonga in August 2018 The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the allocation of $450 million to assist with COVID related tribal housing needs. Of these available funds, more than $64 million will be going specifically to help Alaska Native communities. Vice Chairman Murkowski provided the following statement on the announcement. "Overcrowded housing and homelessness is an issue impacting far too many commu… Continue Reading

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03.25.21

Vice Chairman Murkowski: Indian Affairs Committee Holds Hearing on Water Infrastructure

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, provided the following remarks during today's oversight hearing on "Building Back Better: Water Infrastructure Needs for Native Communities." "The pandemic has clearly underscored the need for these communities to have better water infrastructure. Simply washing your hands multiple times throughout the day to protect against the spread of COVID should not be a difficult task, but that's unfortunately th… Continue Reading

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02.26.21

Murkowski Questions Interior Secretary Nominee Haaland on Alaska Priorities

This week, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) took part in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing-the first of two- to consider the nomination of U.S. Representative Debra Haaland to serve as Secretary of the Interior. Click here for video of Senator Murkowski. During the hearing, Senator Murkowski acknowledged the significance of Representative Haaland being the first Native American Cabinet secretary nominee. Senator Murkowski went on to discuss public lands in Alaska and… Continue Reading