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Indian and Insular Affairs

Bill Providing Equitable Treatment of Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans Passes Committee

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a markup on five bills including H.R. 2387 (Rep. Don Young), the "Alaska Native Veterans Land Allotment Equity Act." The bill, which passed by voice vote, provides equitable treatment of Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans under the Native Allotment Act of 1906, allowing veterans to be eligible for land benefits from the federal…

Bishop’s Tribal Recognition Act Advances to Restore Constitutional Intent

| Posted in Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a markup on four bills including H.R. 3764 (Rep. Rob Bishop), the Tribal Recognition Act of 2015. The bill restores the constitutional framework to tribal recognition authorities vested with Congress under Article I. Following the passage of H.R. 3764, Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following…

HEALTTH Act Addresses Healthcare Obstacles in Indian Country

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs held a legislative hearing on H.R. 5406 (Rep. Kristi Noem, R-SD), the Helping to Ensure Accountability, Leadership, and Trust in Tribal Healthcare Act (HEALTTH Act), highlighting the need to reform healthcare in Indian Country. The bill would improve access to tribal healthcare by reforming a range of medical care and…

Chairman Letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell

| Posted in Letters

TO: Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell  FROM: Rob Bishop, Chairman House Committee on Natural Resources Dear Ms. Attorney General and Madame Secretary:  In a February 26, 2015 correspondence (Letter) to Secretary Sally Jewell and former Attorney General Eric Holder, I outlined a number of items that needed to be sent to Congress prior to…

House Committee on Natural Resources Releases Puerto Rico Discussion Draft

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources released discussion draft legislation on Puerto Rico’s economic crisis. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement:  “Today, the Committee released draft legislation that provides Puerto Rico with tools to impose discipline over its finances, meet its obligations and restore confidence in its institutions. The…

New York Times: Officials Warn Congress of Major Defaults Without Restructuring

| Posted in In Case You Missed It

Puerto Rico and its top advisers made their case in Washington on Friday for a law that would allow broad restructuring of the island’s multibillion-dollar debt, saying that if Congress did not act soon, major defaults were likely this spring. The officials also said they knew that any legislative help would come at a stiff price: Puerto Rico would have to submit to a federal control…

New York Times: How Free Electricity Helped Dig $9 Billion Hole in Puerto Rico

| Posted in In Case You Missed It

To understand how Puerto Rico’s power authority has piled up $9 billion in debt, one need only visit this bustling city on the northwest coast. Twenty years ago, it was just another town with dwindling finances. Then, it went on a development spree, thanks to a generous —some might say ill-considered — gift from the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. Today, Aguadilla has 19…

Bishop: Fiscal and Energy Solutions for Puerto Rico Needed for Long-Term Solvency and Growth

| Posted in Press Release

Today, Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) held a conference call to discuss oversight efforts on Puerto Rico and the Committee’s path forward to developing responsible solutions to the island’s economic crisis. “As long as Puerto Rico and its state-owned entities continue to lose money and run deficits, debt restructuring alone will not help the territory and its people find stability and build…

Bishop: Energy is Essential to Puerto Rico’s Future Prosperity

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing on the circumstances leading to the current financial crisis faced by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), the state-owned, self-regulated monopoly that operates as Puerto Rico’s  public utility. “Today we took a step forward to uncover the origins of Puerto Rico’s fiscal failures and identifying…