Today, the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held a legislative hearing on four bills focused on tribal stewardship, tribal sovereignty, public safety and improving access to health care services in Indian Country. Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.) issued the following statement in response:

“Today’s hearing is about making sure the federal government is supporting—not slowing down—Tribal communities as they work to strengthen public safety, improve health outcomes, preserve culturally significant lands and wildlife and ensure policies crafted in Washington, D.C. work in a practical manner for Tribal communities. The bills before the Subcommittee reflect a common principle: Tribal communities are best positioned to make decisions for their own future, and the federal government should be a more reliable and effective partner in that work. I’m also proud that the Don Young Doug LaMalfa Indian Buffalo Management Act is before the Subcommittee today. This legislation continues the work first led by Congressman Don Young of Alaska and Congressman Doug LaMalfa of California to strengthen Tribally led buffalo restoration and management efforts across Indian Country. For generations, buffalo have held deep cultural, economic and historical significance for Tribal communities, and this bill builds on decades of successful collaboration between Tribes and the federal government.”

Background

H.R. 7954, the Don Young Doug LaMalfa Indian Buffalo Management Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.), directs the Secretary of the Interior to work alongside tribes and tribal organizations to support the restoration, management and conservation of buffalo and buffalo habitat on tribal lands. The legislation also authorizes agreements to transfer surplus buffalo from federal lands to Indian lands in support of tribal-led conservation efforts.

H.R. 8483, the Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act of 2025, introduced by U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), places approximately 836 acres of culturally significant land into trust for the Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians while maintaining existing rights-of-way, permits and water rights.

H.R. 8658, the Indian Health Service Emergency Claims Parity Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-Utah), protects Native patients from medical debt by providing a reasonable window of 15 days to notify the Indian Health Service after receiving outside emergency care, an expansion of the current 72-hour requirement.

H.R. 1010, the BADGES for Native Communities Act, introduced by U.S Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), revises federal public safety policies in Indian Country by expanding coordination and data sharing between tribal, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.