Brian Schatz: “the past 4 years have been the most productive ever for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Working on a bipartisan…”

“the past 4 years have been the most productive ever for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Working on a bipartisan basis, we have secured the largest investment in Native communities in American history and enacted more than two dozen bills into law. The progress we have made is real, it is tangible, and it is meaningful. But there is still a lot of work to do to live up to our responsibilities to these communities, including in the final weeks of this Congress. There are currently more than a dozen bills that have advanced out of our committee on a unanimous, bipartisan basis but have yet to receive full Senate consideration, and there is no good reason for them to languish for months or even years without action. My bill, S. 385, makes technical corrections to the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act, which authorizes grants to Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations for recreational travel and tourism activities. This bill was reported out of committee more than a year and a half ago. There has been more than enough time to raise concerns and rectify any issues. It is time to get this done now. S. 1322, the Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and Key Economic Developments, or UNLOCKED, Act would enable Indian Tribes to lease their own land for up to 99 years for business and other purposes and to approve certain rights-of-way on their lands under existing law.…”