Legislative Update - June 5, 2001
(Broadcast #357)

SCIA Schedules Confirmation Hearing for Neal McCaleb - The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has scheduled a confirmation hearing for June 13 to interview and consider Neal A. McCaleb, President Bush's nominee to the post of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. McCaleb's nomination was made official last week with the completion of final background checks and paperwork by the White House. McCaleb, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, recently resigned from his position as Secretary of Transportation in Oklahoma.

House Resources Committee To Hold Hearing on Administration's Energy Policy - On June 6, the House Resources Committee will hold an oversight hearing on proposals within the committee's jurisdiction that are contained within President Bush's National Energy Policy report that was released on May 17, 2001. Secretary of Interior Gale Norton will be the sole witness at the hearing. Public testimony on the aspects of the Energy Policy that fall within Resources Committee jurisdiction, which includes Indian tribes, will be accepted for 10 days from the hearing date, and should be sent to the attention of Chief Clerk Mike Twinchek.

To review a briefing paper prepared by Resources Committee majority staff on the report, see http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/107cong/fullcomm/2001june06/brief.pdf. The full Energy Policy report is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/energy.

House Interior Appropriations Markup Scheduled - On June 7, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee will hold a markup of its proposed FY2002 Interior Appropriations measure. We will report on the details of the house proposed funding levels as information becomes available. in the Senate, it is likely that the appropriations process will be slowed significantly due to the change in leadership that is anticipated at the end of the day today. We will report on the Senate appropriations markup schedule as well as committee and leadership changes when a leadership agreement is reached.

Support Tohono O'odham Call for Immigration Changes - The NCAI seeks tribal support on behalf of the Tohono O'odham Nation in the effort to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, as amended (8 USC Sec. 40). The Tohono O'odham Nation spans the current U.S./Mexico border, making it difficult for tribal members to traverse the international boundary without harassment and threat of deportation. Approximately 7,000 tribal members born at home on both sides of the border, or under circumstances which resulted in lack of a birth certificate, are unable to obtain employment, veterans and social security benefits, or U.S. passports. NCAI staff joined the Tohono O'dham delegation Monday, June 5 in a demonstration in front of the U.S. Capitol to call attention to the citizenship disparity issues. The delegation will visit congressional offices during the next two weeks seeking sponsorship for a amendment that tribal membership credentials of the Tohono O'odham Nation shall serve as the legal equivalent of the federally-issued Certificate of Citizenship and/or the state-issued birth certificate for all intents and purposes. The NCAI passed a resolution in support of the amendment at the 57th Annual Convention in 2002. For further information, contact Tohono O'odham Nation Vice Chairman Henry A. Ramon at P.O. Box 837, Sells, AZ 85634, or telephone (520)383-3379.

NAHASDA Reauthorization Introduced - HR 1873, legislation to reauthorize the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act, was introduced on May 10 by Representatives Hayworth and Kildee (MI) in anticipation of the expiration of the current authorization at the end of this year. The measure, which does not substantively alter NAHASDA, has been referred to the House Financial Services Committee. It is likely that additional discussion of HR 1873, including whether additional alterations to NAHASDA should be included in the reauthorization measure, will take place during the final national consultation on NAHASDA scheduled to take place in St. Paul, Minnesota, from July 9-12.

Proposed Rules Issued for the Indian Arts and Crafts Enforcement Act - On May 21 the Indian Arts and Crafts Board of the Department of Interior published proposed rules for the Indian Arts and Crafts Enforcement Act of 2000 (PL 106-497). The proposed regulations would change the current definition of "Indian product" by clarifying that it is Indian labor that makes a product an Indian product, and would provide examples of what would and would not be considered an Indian art or craft. For additional information, see pages 27915 - 27920 of the Federal Register for May 21, 2001. Comments on the proposed rule must be submitted by August 20, 2001.

Peru Elects First Indian President - On June 3, 2001, Peruvians elected its first freely elected President of Indian descent, Alejandro Toledo, in a runoff election. Toledo, who made Indian pride a cornerstone of his campaign, was elected largely by the support of the heavily Indian highlands area. The Indian and mixed-race population makes up 80 percent of Peru's 26 million people.

For more information, please contact NCAI at (202) 466-7767.