01.09.20

Alaska and Hawaii Delegation Introduce Bill to Improve Economic Prosperity of Tribes

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) today introduced the Inspiring Nationally Vibrant Economies Sustaining Tribes (INVEST) Act. This legislation aims to make significant improvements to the existing New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program to more effectively reach Native American communities, such as those in Alaska and Hawaii. For the full text of the bill, click here. "Despite the impressive record of the New Market Tax Credit … Continue Reading

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12.20.19

Murkowski’s Interior-Environment Funding Bill Heads to President’s Desk

U.S. Senator Murkowski (R-AK) applauded Senate passage of an Appropriations Package for Fiscal Year 2020-expected to be signed into law tonight- which included the Interior-Environment Appropriations bill with funding to strengthen the economy, improve water and wastewater systems, and create safer and healthier communities. As chairman of the Interior Subcommittee, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) crafted a bill with funding to provide for basic necessities like water and wastewater infrastru… Continue Reading

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12.12.19

ENR Advances 19 More Bills to the Full Senate

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today held a business meeting to consider and report 19 public lands and energy-related measures to the full Senate. "This has been a remarkably productive year for the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. We will now turn to negotiating our energy package, so we can have it ready to bring it up on the floor early next year," Chairman Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said. Murkowski highlighted several measures on the agenda, including legislation … Continue Reading

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11.22.19

Murkowski Applauds Administration’s Focus to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Crisis

Today U.S. Senator Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after U.S. Attorney General Barr announced the Department of Justice is launching a national strategy to address the crisis of missing an murdered indigenous persons: "Addressing the crisis of missing, trafficked, and murdered Indigenous women has been a high priority of mine in the Senate. I applaud the administration for this announcement and for making proactive, directed initiatives to improve the federal response to this ep… Continue Reading

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11.21.19

Senators’ Legislation to Address Crisis of Missing, Murdered and Trafficked Native Women Advances in Senate

Legislation addressing the crisis of missing, murdered, and trafficked Native women, passed out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee with strong, bipartisan support-heading to the full Senate for consideration. The bills, Savanna's Act and Not Invisible Act, are both led by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and aim to combat the epidemic by improving the federal government's response to the crisis. CLICK HERE for video of Senator Murkowski's remarks. Sav… Continue Reading

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11.08.19

Murkowski Joins Committee in Addressing Tribal Workforces

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and her colleagues on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee this week held an oversight hearing focused on the PL 477 program, an innovative and comprehensive Native employment and training program. The 477 program is unique in that it allows tribes to pool funding from various federal agencies to support projects to tackle the significant unemployment conditions that impact Native communities across the U.S. The hearing included testimony from Ralph Anderson, Pr… Continue Reading

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11.01.19

Murkowski: We Must Have a Sense of Urgency to Keep Native Women and Girls Safe

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) spoke on the Senate floor to highlight the growing crisis of missing, trafficked, and murdered indigenous women across the nation and the need to both understand the scope of the problem and address coordination between our state, federal, and tribal governments. Senator Murkowski emphasized how Native women are victims of violence in unprecedented proportions, the lack of updated data, and her legislative efforts to address the epidemic. Murkowski appreciated … Continue Reading

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10.24.19

U.S. Sens. Tina Smith, Lisa Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Health Care Services for Native American Elders

U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)-both members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee-introduced a bipartisan bill to expand health care services to Native American elders in Minnesota, Alaska and across the country. The Strengthening Services for Native Elders Act would help tribal organizations provide a wider range of home and community-based health services to American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) elders, including transportation, case management, and healt… Continue Reading

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10.17.19

Murkowski Introduces Legislation to Address Alaska’s Rural Public Safety Crisis

In her continued effort to address the public safety crisis in rural Alaska, U.S Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Alaska Tribal Public Safety Empowerment Act, legislation to empower tribes in Alaska to exercise the special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction on a pilot basis. Among domestic violence victims in Alaska, Native women are over-represented by 250 percent, yet one in three communities in rural Alaska have no local law enforcement. Specifically, the bill expands the ju… Continue Reading

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10.16.19

Murkowski, Smith Introduce Indian Energy Legislation

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Tina Smith, D-Minn., today introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and improve the Department of Energy's Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (OIE). The bill, entitled the Tribal Energy Reauthorization Act (TERA), reauthorizes OIE and the Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program (TELGP) through 2030, updates eligibility requirements for energy project grants, and encourages more locally and regionally based partnerships when providing technic… Continue Reading

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09.26.19

Murkowski, Udall, Sullivan Introduce Bill to Protect Indian Health Service Funding During Lapses in Appropriations

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tom Udall (D-NM), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced the IHS Advance Appropriations Act of 2019, bipartisan legislation which amends the Indian Health Service Improvement Act to authorize advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service by providing two-fiscal-year budget authority, shoring up the gaps in the funding for the Indian Health Service (IHS), the agency responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Th… Continue Reading

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07.29.19

Murkowski, Smith Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Tribes Combat Homelessness

U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced a bipartisan bill to make it possible for Tribes and tribally designated housing entities to access funding to combat homelessness on tribal lands. The bipartisan bill-the Tribal Access to Homeless Assistance Act-would make it possible for Tribes to submit funding requests for these funds, and it would also help Tribes take on the administration and coordination of homeless assistance grants. U.S. Representatives Denny H… Continue Reading

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07.02.19

Murkowski, Schatz Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Impact of the ANSEP Program

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) have introduced the Building Indigenous STEM Professionals Act. This legislation will reauthorize and amend a grant designed to help create or expand programs that produce Native Alaskan and Native Hawaiian graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math fields (STEM). Inspired by the nationally-recognized Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP), which grows STEM professionals from elementary school through coll… Continue Reading

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06.28.19

Alaska Congressional Delegation Welcome DOJ Declaration of Law Enforcement Emergency in Rural Alaska

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today welcomed the Department of Justice's Announcement that Attorney General Barr will declare a law enforcement emergency in rural Alaska under the Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Assistance Program today. Immediately following his announcement, $6 million was made available to the state of Alaska to support critical law enforcement needs of Alaska Native villages. In addition, the Attorney General will auth… Continue Reading

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06.20.19

Indian Affairs Committee Considers Law Enforcement & Public Safety Bills

Today the Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a legislative hearing on bills, led by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and colleagues on the Committee, to address the epidemic of missing, murdered, and trafficked Indigenous women and focus on improving public safety and justice systems. Specifically, the Committee considered the following bills: S.227, Savanna's Act; S.982, the Not Invisible Act; S. 288, the Justice for Native Survivors of Sexual Violence Act; S.290, the Native Youth and Triba… Continue Reading

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06.04.19

Murkowski Hosts U.S. Attorney General William Barr in Alaska

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) recently welcomed U.S. Attorney General William Barr to Alaska for a visit focusing on law enforcement and public safety issues. During Attorney General Barr's four-day trip, Senator Murkowski facilitated meetings in both Bethel and Napaskiak to emphasize the public safety challenges faced across Alaska due to the lack of local law enforcement as well as to help shed light on the severity of the issue of missing and murdered Native women and girls. "It was an … Continue Reading

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05.22.19

Murkowski Questions Interior Secretary on Priorities to Benefit Rural Alaska

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) chaired an Interior Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to examine the Fiscal Year 2020 budget request for the Department of the Interior (DOI). During the hearing, Senator Murkowski questioned Interior Secretary David Bernhardt about areas that the administration and Congress can make progress in addressing the lack of reporting lack of reporting and substantive data surrounding the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Murkowski asked Secretary… Continue Reading

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05.07.19

Murkowski Joins Bipartisan, Bicameral Group of Legislators Asking for Federal Study on Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women Crisis

Following the "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls" on Sunday, Senator Murkowski joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of legislators asking the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a study on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis. The group of 17 legislators, led by U.S. Senator John Tester (D-MT), includes U.S. Senators John Hoeven (R-ND), Tom Udall (D-NM), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tina Smith (D-MN), Steve Daines (R-MT), J… Continue Reading

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05.03.19

Senate Passes Legislation Designating National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) applauded Senate passage of a resolution designating May 5 as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women. U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced the resolution, with Senator Murkowski as a cosponsor. Though legislative efforts, Senator Murkowski has continued her push to address the issue of missing, murdered, and trafficked Indigenous women, including calling upon federal agencies to work together to help put an end to the epidemi… Continue Reading

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04.17.19

Alaska Congressional Delegation Announces Denali Commission Co-Chair

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today announced that Jason Hoke of Glennallen has been appointed by the Secretary of Commerce as the Denali Commission Federal Co-Chair. Hoke will replace John Torgerson who has been serving in the role of Interim Federal Co-Chair. "The Denali Commission came to life under Senator Ted Stevens in 1998 and has since been a catalyst for much needed development across the state. Transportation facilities, clinics, … Continue Reading