Check pages 17-19 of this pdf:
Sens. Akaka and Murkowski Speeches on Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act
Check pages 17-19 of this pdf:
Sen. Akaka
Sen. Akaka Release on Senate Passage of Three Indian Affairs Bills
Washington D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, made the following statement on the unanimous Senate passage of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Judgment Fund Distribution Act of 2011 (H.R. 1272), the Barona Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Clarification Act of 2012 (S. 3193), and the National Native American Heritage Month Resolution (S.Res. 561). All three bills passed the Senate over the weekend.
“Since becoming Chairman of this committee last spring, I have worked hard with Vice Chair Barrasso and the other Senators on this committee to advance the priorities of all Native American peoples and to work to improve their lives. Each of these bills will have a positive impact on tribes and surrounding communities.” said Chairman Akaka. “Mahalo – thank you- to my colleagues in the Senate for working with me in a bipartisan manner to pass these bills.”
H.R. 1272 would distribute settlement funds to compensate tribal members for the improper taking and sale of their land and timber. This bill passed the House of Representatives on June 18, 2012, and was favorably reported out of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on June 28, 2012. It now heads to the President for enactment.
S. 3193 would make technical corrections to the legal description of certain land to be held in trust for the Barona Band of Mission Indians. This bill was favorably reported out of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on June 28, 2012, but awaits consideration by the House of Representatives.
S.Res. 561 recognizes November as Native American Heritage Month and celebrates the heritages and cultures of Native Americans and the contributions of Native Americans to the United States. S.Res. 561 was introduced by Chairman Akaka on September 19, 2012.
ICT Coverage of Senate Report on Carcieri
Here.
An excerpt:
The report says that the decision sent “shockwaves” through Indian country “in great part because the record on which the Supreme Court based its interpretation of section 19 of the IRA was noticeably incomplete.” It adds that the decision undermines the intent of the IRA, threatens public safety and law enforcement, and impedes economic development, while increasing costly tribal and federal litigation.
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, said in an accompanying view issued within the report that he concurs with most of Akaka’s views regarding the effects of the decision of and the purposes of the IRA, although he said he recognizes there to be other “good faith” understandings of the Supreme Court’s rationale.
“For my part, I do not claim to know enough about the government’s internal deliberations and legal strategies in the Carcieri case to say that there were deliberate or even careless omissions from the record presented to the Supreme Court,” Barrasso says. “But whether that happened or not is ‘water under the bridge’ and therefore much less important than the consequences of the decision itself.”
Rep. Mack and Sen. Akaka Op/Ed on Internet Gaming in The Hill
Here.
Sen. Akaka and Rep. Cole on Carcieri Fix: “Create Jobs, Cost Taxpayers Nothing”
Here. An excerpt:
In the Carcieri v. Salazar decision, the Supreme Court reversed 75 years of policy and practice. The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934 authorized the secretary of the Interior to take lands into trust for federally recognized tribes. The court threw all tribes into a tailspin of uncertainty by ruling that the secretary did not have the authority to take land into trust for tribes that were not considered “under federal jurisdiction” when the IRA was enacted. The court did not define “under federal jurisdiction,” and in 1934 there wasn’t an official list of federally recognized tribes. The decision creates two classes of tribes: those that can have land in trust and those that cannot. Such a system promises to be both chaotic and unfair.
So much land has been taken from tribes and tribal members — it is unconscionable to make it harder for tribes to gain back their traditional lands. Congress enacted the IRA to protect tribal homelands and to restore land that was previously seized from the native peoples. It is the responsibility of Congress to act when its intentions are misconstrued by the courts, and so we must act now.
And here (hope it is readable):
Sen. Akaka Introduces SAVE Native Women Act
SENATOR DANIEL K. AKAKA INTRODUCES BILL TO PROTECT NATIVE WOMEN AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT
The Stand Against Violence and Empower Native Women (SAVE Native Women) Act would empower Tribes to prosecute violent crimes and improve prevention programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) today introduced S.1763, the Stand Against Violence and Empower Native Women (SAVE Native Women) Act. The bill would provide Indian Country with jurisdiction over non-Indians who commit crimes on Indian lands, improve the Native programs under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and improve data gathering programs to better understand and respond to sex trafficking of Native women.
Senators Al Franken (D-Minnesota), Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Patty Murray (D-Washington), TimJohnson (D-South Dakota), Jeff Bingaman (D- New Mexico), Jon Tester (D-Montana) and Max Baucus (D-Montana) are cosponsors of the bill.
“According to a study by the Department of Justice, two-in-five women in Native communities will suffer domestic violence, and one-in-three will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. To make matters worse, four out of five perpetrators of these crimes are non-Indian, and cannot be prosecuted by tribal governments. This has contributed to a growing sense of lawlessness on Indian reservations and a perpetuation of victimization of Native women,” said Senator Akaka.
“American Indian women suffer disproportionately from domestic violence and sexual assault, and the Violence Against Women Act must be updated to more effectively address their unique needs,” said Senator Franken.
“This legislation works to ensure services are available to survivors of assault in native communities, repair a fragmented criminal justice system, and give tribes more power to prosecute those who are committing such heinous crimes against women,” said Senator Udall.
“By strengthening tribal jurisdiction we are empowering our Native communities with the tools they need to fight back against instances of violence,” said Senator Begich.
“We cannot let the next generation of young Native women grow up as their mothers have-in unbearable situations that threaten their security, stability, and even their lives,” said Senator Akaka.
“With the introduction of this legislation, the sponsors are sending a clear message that Congress intends to build on the incredible momentum of VAWA to ensure that the epidemic of violence against Native women will end in our lifetime,” said Sarah Deer, Amnesty International’s Native American and Alaska Native Advisory Council Member.
“Senator Akaka’s SAVE Native Women Act has the potential to restore safety and justice for American Indian and Alaska Native women. It offers American Indian tribes the opportunity to increase life-saving protections for women living within tribal jurisdiction,” said Terri Henry, Co-chair of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Task Force on Violence Against Women.
“This is an epidemic. It is unacceptable. And, we must stand against it,” said Senator Akaka. “I am committed to working with the co-sponsors, tribal leaders, NCAI and others who diligently work to protect at-risk Native women, to pass this much needed legislation.”
Senator Akaka’s floor statement introducing the bill today is available here:
http://akaka.senate.gov/statements-and-speeches.cfm?method=releases.view&id=28f371bf-c01f-4ea5-a42b-72359ea839e7
Audio file of Senator Akaka’s comments are available here:
http://demradio.senate.gov/actualities/akaka/103111_AKAKA_1_RADIO.mp3
Turtle Talk 