Legislative Hearing on: H.R. 2827 (Rep. Cole), To provide for the equitable settlement of certain Indian land disputes regarding land in Illinois, and for other purposes. H.R. 6162 (Rep. Stansbury), “Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025” H.R. 7065 (Rep. Langworthy), “Seneca Nation Law Enforcement Efficiency Act”
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House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs U.S. House of Representatives
Follow its sittingsSpeaker 2
How can you expect a tribe to provide for the safety of their community and to ensure that the federal government does their job on law enforcement if they don't have that basic jurisdiction, which we all understand is one of the key aspects of sovereignty, the ability to keep the people in your community safe? And, finally, HR 61 62, the Albuquerque Indian School Act introduced by my New Mexico hermana, representative Stansbury, who's been an incredible champion for the Indian Pueblos of New Mexico. This would place an additional 9.89 acres of surplus federal land into trust for the benefit of the 19 Indian pueblos. The land was once the site of the Albuquerque Indian School. And as you can imagine, as a former Indian school, there are many sad stories that are part of the history.
But what the Indian Pueblos of New Mexico has done is take that land and turn it into something vibrant, culturally strong. They even have a school there now, and they have economic development that benefits all of the 19 pueblos of New Mexico. And I am very proud because if you haven't been to the center, you should go. It's one of the best places in the city, was recently named number one in the American Indigenous Tourism Association's top 10 experiences of 2024. And it has been, in many years, the second most visited site in New Mexico, which is a highly visited state because we have so many great things.
I am proud to say that I was, and maybe it's a disclaimer, I was their attorney for many years and decades, and looking forward to listening to my good friend provide the testimony of why it is important that we make this land transfer. It's about economic development. It's about cultural preservation. It's about giving those 19 preblos some more tools to continue their good work in reclaiming the history of that land. And, mister chair, I think you should come out to Albuquerque to see that cultural center and all the wonderful places and work of the nations, tribes, and pueblos in New Mexico.
And with that, I yield back.
Speaker 1
The gentleman yields, and I would be happy to do that at some point. The chair would now recognize the ranking member of the full House Committee on Natural Resources, the gentleman from California, Mr. Huffman, for his opening statement. Mr. Huffman.
Speaker 3
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do have at the top here a request for unanimous consent. It is to enter into the record two letters. One is from the Ho Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, another from a former Department of Justice attorney. These letters raise some concerns about HR 28 27, and I entered them into the record as a courtesy to these folks who've written them, and hope that the letters can provide some additional context for the discussion here today and give Mister Cole from Oklahoma and the Miami tribe an opportunity to understand these concerns and perhaps work with those parties.
Without objection. Thank you very much, mister chair, and thanks to our witnesses for traveling to DC to be here with us today. We will examine three bills today, addressing long-standing issues across Indian country related to land settlements, taking land into trust, and jurisdictional issues. These bills reflect different aspects of our federal government's trust and treaty obligations, as the ranking member mentioned. The first bill, H.R. 2827, would create a path towards resolving a long-standing land dispute in Illinois.
In 1805, the US signed a treaty with the Miami tribe of Oklahoma as well as the Eel tribe and the Weah tribe. These treaties affirmed the lands south of the Great Lakes in the Wabash River watershed that they had not been ceded without the consent of all three tribes. But The United States violated this treaty as we have done in so many instances by placing these lands into the public domain and transferring parcels without the consent of all the tribes. This bill would extinguish the Miami tribe of Oklahoma's claim to 2,600,000 acres of land in Illinois, while providing a one-year window for the tribe to bring its case before the US federal court of claims. And this would allow the tribe to pursue monetary compensation for lands transferred and sold in violation of the treaty, and help resolve and bring some clarity to these claims.
The next bill is the Albuquerque Indian School Act from Representative Stansbury. They would transfer 9.89 acres of surplus land from the original Albuquerque Indian School into trust for the benefit of 19 pueblos in New Mexico. This bill builds on prior efforts to return culturally significant lands and support the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. The center serves as a gathering place and promotes cultural preservation, education, and economic opportunities. So transferring the land to the pueblos will only support the center's work to welcome tourists and community members while promoting local native artists, businesses, and communities.
A good bill that I strongly support. Finally, we will consider HR 765, the Seneca Nation Law Enforcement Efficiency Act. And this would clarify law enforcement jurisdiction and strengthen tribal authority on Seneca lands in New York. Since the passage of the act back in 1948, it granted the state of New York certain jurisdiction over the Seneca Nation lands. Jurisdictional complexity has created enforcement challenges, and I am interested in learning more from the nation, working with Representative Kennedy, and doing what we can to improve public safety issues that have been created under this framework.
Each of these bills reflects the breadth and importance of the issues before this subcommittee, and I look forward to hearing more from our witnesses on how today's agenda can help address historic wrongs, support tribal sovereignty, and promote the well-being of these communities. Thanks, mister chairman, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
The gentleman yields. At this time, the chair would recognize the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mister Cole, for five minutes to speak on his legislation, H.R. 2827. Mister Cole, you're recognized.
Speaker 4
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and good morning. I wanna thank Chairman Westerman, who, of course, is not here, Chairman Heard, Ranking Member Huffman, and Ranking Member Ledger Fernandez for your time and consideration of my legislation, HR 2827, to resolve the claims of certain land exclusively for the Miami tribe of Oklahoma. I appreciate everyone's efforts to help move this much needed legislation. I'd also like to thank Congresswoman Betty McCullum of Minnesota for her collaboration on this bill. It's truly a bipartisan effort.
As a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma and the longest serving Native American in the history of the house, I've been focused on tribal issues arguably longer than most members holding office in this chamber, and I remain resolute in my commitment to ensure these issues are heard. This commitment brings me here today to advocate for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. In 1805, the Miami tribe, the Eel River Band, and Weah signed the Treaty of Grouseland, which under article four reserved all lands within the Wabash River, excuse me, Wabash River watershed and land located west of the Wabash River, which is in present day Illinois. Only this treaty and these tribes are the subject of my legislation. Specifically, in article four of this treaty, the United States acknowledged ownership of this land and agreed not to purchase any part without the consent of each of the aforementioned tribes.
This key part of the treaty is why Congress has the sole authority, at the request of these tribes, to extinguish any claims to the land. From 1805 to 1840, The United States transferred 2,600,000 acres of land to non-native settlers in the area without having acquired title from the Miami Eel River Band and Wea under article four of the Grouseland Treaty. As a result, title to that land is still held by the Miami tribe's superior claim to title, and the tribe never consented to the land being purchased. This cloud on the title has caused difficulties for landowners and farmers in Illinois to conduct certain operations or sales of this land. Since the Indian Claims Commission's adjournment in 1978, pending dockets have been transferred to the United States Court of Federal Claims to handle cases on unresolved Indian land claims.
However, Congress is the only entity that can authorize the Court of Federal Claims to hear, determine, and render judgment on a tribe's claim. My legislation does just that. HR 28 27 authorizes the Miami tribe's authority to bring their claim forward and relinquishes all claims to the land. No monetary compensation is included. The legislation simply allows the tribe to have their day in court and cede their claim to the land in the way Congress always intended the process to be.
This is a straightforward bipartisan piece of legislation, and does not set a new precedent for more tribes to bring their unresolved land claims forward. That precedent has already been set in previous pieces of legislation passed by Congress after the adjournment of the Indian Claims Commission. Thank you again for everyone's time and consideration in holding this important hearing today. I urge the support of HR 28 27 and for its continued progression through the legislative process. With that, mister chairman, thank you, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
The gentleman yields. At this time, the chair recognizes the gentleman from New Mexico, Miss Stan Stansbury, for five minutes to speak on her legislation H.R. 6162. Miss Stansbury.
Speaker 5
Alright. Well, good morning, everyone. I'm so grateful to be here this morning. Thank you, Mister Chairman Heard. Thank you, chairman Cole, for your continued leadership on all tribal issues, and to our ranking members, Ledger Fernandez, and to ranking member Huffman.
Tribal leaders, welcome this morning. We are grateful that you are here and know that many of you have traveled a long way to be here today, and we're excited to present this bill. I am so deeply proud to be able to present to the committee today the Albuquerque Indian School Act, and to also welcome our own Monique Frawa, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center director, to New Mexico to Washington DC. New Mexico is in the house this morning, literally, and we're excited to present this bill. The Albuquerque Indian School Act would transfer 9.89 acres of land in downtown Albuquerque to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which is one of the premier visiting centers in our city.
This land is historically part of the former Albuquerque Indian School and would be taken into trust for the benefit of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico who helped to govern and guide the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. The overarching aim of this legislation is to enable the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to use the land for cultural, educational, economic, and community development initiatives, while helping to support tribal self-determination and stewardship over a historically significant property. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center campus serves as a vibrant gathering place where Pueblo culture is celebrated through creative expression, community events, educational experiences, and generating meaningful economic opportunities for local communities. As has been stated by our ranking member, please come join us and visit the cultural center. Since its opening in 1976, the IPCC has functioned as a living hub for Pueblo languages, art, dance, and storytelling, empowering our communities to represent their own histories and their own traditions, and to share them with thousands of visitors from across the world every year.
This center sits at the heart of nearly 80 acres owned collectively by the 19 Pueblos and governed by the 19 Pueblos District on the former site of a federal Indian school. This location carries deep historical significance. While the legacy of boarding schools nationwide is often marked by trauma and cultural loss, the IPCC has transformed this space into a place of renewal. Reclaiming the land as a dynamic place that honors resilience, creativity, and the enduring strength and sovereignty of our Pueblo nations. This property is a meeting place also for the All Pueblo Council of Governors, which represents leadership from New Mexico and El Paso's 20 sovereign pueblos, which goes back to the 1500s, making it one of the longest running intergovernmental organizations in North America, which has also met as a unified body to protect the sovereignty and rights of our pueblos for generations.
Today, this campus includes a museum, a gallery, an extensive collection of historic and important murals and art, a library, archives, an education department, a teaching kitchen, year-round cultural programming. It is home to a regional BIE and BIA office, tribally run businesses, and a native-run charter school, all reflecting and celebrating the traditions, resilience, and entrepreneurship of Pueblo people. This bill is a very straightforward land transfer, exactly the kind of measure that this committee regularly considers, but time is of the essence, as the GSA is currently looking to transfer this property. Without prompt action to take it into trust, in partnership with the Pueblos, we could lose this important historic property. This bill is supported by all the Pueblos, the City of Albuquerque, the Chamber of Commerce, our County Commissioners, our state legislators, and our local economic development organizations.
So I see no reason why we can't expedite getting this bill across the finish line with haste. And so I wanna welcome all of our leaders here today, and say hi to everyone back home who is watching in Albuquerque and Jemez Pueblo. I know we got some folks back home watching, I know they're proud to have the director here today. To all of our Pueblo leaders, thank you for your leadership. And with that, I yield back.
Speaker 1
General Yields, at this time, the chair recognized the gentleman from New York, Mister Langworthy, for five minutes to speak on his legislation, H.R. 7065. Mr. Langworthy.
Speaker 6
Thank you very much, chairman Heard, and ranking member Leisure Fernandez, my friend from the rules committee, ranking member Huffman, and chairman Westerman. Thank you so much for having me here today at the subcommittee. My legislation, H.R. 765, the Seneca Nation Law Enforcement Efficiency Act, it corrects a mistake Congress made in 1948. During that year, Congress granted New York State automatic criminal jurisdiction over the lands of the Seneca Nation despite the federal government's treaty and trust responsibility to the Seneca people. In practice, that decision shifted primary enforcement authority to the state, and sidelined the nation's ability to oversee criminal justice matters affecting its own citizens.
It was a direct assault on the sovereignty of the nation. For decades, this arrangement has left no one fully accountable. When responsibility is split and authority is unclear, problems fall through the cracks, and enforcement gaps emerge. And criminals know it. Drug traffickers do not care about jurisdictional lines.
They care about weakness. The current system has allowed those gaps to persist, contributing to heroin and fentanyl trafficking on and around Seneca territory, and harming families across Western New York in the Southern Tier. HR 75 65 fixes that. The bill removes New York's automatic jurisdiction under the 1948 statute, but only if both the Seneca Nation and the attorney general agree in writing. Any change would occur through a formal law enforcement compact between the Department of Justice and the Seneca Nation.
Through that compact, the nation would, for the first time in more than seventy-five years, help shape its own criminal justice framework in coordination with the federal government. It restores alignment between federal responsibility and the Seneca nation's right to exercise sovereignty over criminal justice matters on its own lands. The bottom line is simple. The bill strengthens public safety, it closes longstanding enforcement gaps, and it restores the Seneca Nation's sovereignty and autonomy in overseeing criminal law enforcement on its lands. I appreciate all of the witnesses for being here today, and I look forward to the testimony, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
The gentleman yields, at this time, it's my pleasure to introduce the witness for our first panel, Mr. Brian Mercier, director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs within the Department of the Interior here in Washington, DC. Mister Mercier, welcome. Let me remind you that on our committee rules, we are going to have you limit your opening oral statement to five minutes, but your entire written statement will appear in the hearing record. At the beginning of the testimony, you should see a talk button in front of you. When you hit that button, your microphone turns on.
We do use timing lights. Green means go. Yellow means you have 1 minute to complete, and red means your time has expired. And when you see that red light, I'd ask you to either wrap up your statement or any answer as quickly as possible. So with that, Mister Mercia, welcome again.
You are recognized for five minutes.
Speaker 7
Thank you, chairman Heard, and good morning, ranking member Ledger Fernandez and members of the subcommittee. As the chairman said, I'm Brian Mercier, the director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and I'm a proud member of the Confederate Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon. I wanted to take a brief moment and just acknowledge that this is the first time I've had an opportunity to testify before this committee this calendar year. And earlier this year, we lost one of your colleagues and former chairman, Representative Lamalfa. And I just wanted to express my condolences and appreciation for his long story career on the record.
So thank you for that opportunity to do that. Thank you also for the opportunity to testify today before the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs regarding HR 2827, HR 6162, and HR 7065. The department appreciates the subcommittee's continued leadership in strengthening tribal sovereignty, improving land and resource management, and promoting the resilience of tribal communities. First, I'll start with HR 28 27, equitable settlement of certain Indian land disputes. HR 2827 would confer jurisdiction on the US Court of Federal Claims to hear a land claim brought by the Miami tribe of Oklahoma arising under the treaty of Groustland.
The legislation directs the court to render judgment without regard to the statute of limitations or other delay-based defenses, provided the claim is filed within one year of enactment. The bill would also extinguish all other claims, including any future claims of the tribe to land in the state of Illinois. The department recognizes the importance of resolving long-standing land claims. The department looks forward to continuing to work with the sponsor, Chairman Cole, and the subcommittee, and, as appropriate, the Department of Justice to ensure that any final legislation appropriately balances judicial access, finality, and the United States trust obligations. The second bill, H.R. 6162, Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025.
HR 61 62 would transfer three tracts of federal land totaling approximately 9.89 acres and historically part of the Albuquerque Indian School from the General Services Administration into trust for the benefit of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico. The department supports this legislation. Placing this land into trust would promote tribal self-determination and provide additional opportunities for educational, health, cultural, business, and economic development purposes. The return of historically significant lands into trust status aligns with the long-standing federal policies that support tribal governance and community development. Finally, H.R. 765, Seneca Nation Law Enforcement Efficiency Act.
H.R. 765 would, subject to written concurrences by the attorney general of the United States and the Senate Nation of Indians, nullify the applicability of the act of 07/02/1948 as it relates to the nation's reservations in New York. The department recognizes that jurisdictional clarity is essential for effective law enforcement and public safety in Indian country. We support continued dialogue with the Department of Justice, the Seneca Nation, the state, and other affected stakeholders. The department defers to the Department of Justice regarding the balance of this bill strikes and other concerns. In closing, mister chairman, the department remains committed to working with this subcommittee, tribal nations, and stakeholders to advance legislation that honors treaty and trust responsibilities, strengthens tribal sovereignty, and promotes safe, prosperous communities.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I would be pleased to answer any questions the subcommittee may have.
Speaker 1
Thank you, mister Mercier, for your testimony. The chair will now recognize members for five minutes for questions, and we're gonna begin by recognizing the vice chair of the subcommittee, the gentleman from American Samoa, Miss Radewagen, for five minutes. Miss Radwagon.
Speaker 8
Kalo Falaba. Thank you, mister chairman, and thank you, ranking member. I wanna thank also the panel for being here today. My question is for mister Mercy. I have a couple of them.
When tribes bring concerns about historic claims to the bureau, what role does BIA typically play in working with tribes and Congress on possible solutions?
Speaker 7
Yes. Thank you for the question, Congresswoman. The bureau is over 200 years old, so we actually have quite a bit of historical record. So we often will work with tribes in our American Indian record repository to develop some of the historical facts regarding a potential claim. We also provide quite a bit of technical assistance through our solicitor's office at the Department of the Interior to assist with any potential development.
But we often defer as well in this case to the Department of Justice, and I would defer to them for further technical questions there.
Speaker 8
So, mister Mercia, if HR 765 is enacted, how will the department work alongside the Seneca Nation to fulfill law enforcement needs on the nation's territory?
Speaker 7
Thank you for the question, congresswoman. So, the BIA, we often provide technical assistance to tribal nations that have worked with states to retrocede jurisdiction. Public law 280 is a common example that we have across the country. And so I would imagine we would do something similar here, with this law to pass. But, again, I would defer to the Department of Justice.
They have lots of equities in this conversation.
Speaker 1
Gentleman Yields, at this time, the chair recognizes the ranking member of the subcommittee, Miss Ledger Fernandez, for five minutes. Miss Ledger Fernandez.
Speaker 2
Thank you, so very much, director Mercier, for your testimony, and I didn't hear really any concerns about any of the major three bills in your testimony, which I think is good. But, you know, the bill we have with regards to the Seneca Nation deals with tribal law enforcement. And I believe it is really important that we allow the Seneca Nation to exercise the jurisdiction it can as other tribes across the nation are able to, but also that the BIA provide its support on those areas where jurisdiction is limited to enforcement by the BIA law enforcement, you know, with FBI and others helping. You know, across Indian country, we know there aren't enough resources put into law enforcement. And are you familiar with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services report from 2021 that set out what the BIA public safety funding levels were at.
Are you aware of the report?
Speaker 7
Ranking member of Legion Finance, yes, I am. The Office of Justice Services reports to me, and I believe that's the part of the Tribal Law and Order Act annual report that you're referring to.
Speaker 2
Right. And it was funded at only 13% of need. And so we clearly need to increase the number of boots on the ground and, you know, law enforcement officers in those cars, because these reservations can be very big. Do you know what the need is now for law enforcement personnel at the BIA? This was because this was in 2021.
Speaker 7
Reggae member ledger finance. If I'm understanding your question correctly, do I know how many positions we need to fill?
Speaker 7
I don't have that number off the top of my head. But, again, I would refer back to the report that it probably provides some of the data.
Speaker 2
Basically, we haven't made enough improvement. Now I know that the Biden administration did increase funding for the BIA and for law enforcement. But what I'd ask today is, do you recommend for the president's budget that we increase the funding for law enforcement in Indian country?
Speaker 7
Thank you, member Ledger Fernandez. I cannot speak to the president's budget. It's currently being developed and will be released in the coming weeks. I can point to the recent minibus and the slight increase that we did receive in office of justice services in January.
Speaker 2
Yeah. And that was congress. I mean, congress made a decision, and I thank, I'm very grateful to the appropriations chair and ranking member and their cardinals and their ranking members for recognizing that the proposed cuts from the administration were not feasible. But since you are part of the administration and I believe we care deeply about these issues, I hope that you will go to bat and encourage that the president's budget reflects that need, and encourage them to ask for more money for law enforcement because the Seneca nation needs it. The Indian pueblos in New Mexico need it.
We need it everywhere in Indian country. Do you commit to trying to at least push for that?
Speaker 7
Ranking member Ledger Fernandez, law enforcement and public safety is definitely one of the top priorities of the current administration, and something that we're very much focused on. And so we will be happy to pass that sentiment along that you're expressing here today.
Speaker 1
The gentleman yields at this time. The chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. McDowell, for five minutes. Mr. McDowell.
Speaker 9
Thank you, mister chairman, and thank you for testifying before us today. Today, we're discussing a serious public safety issue that affects not only Western New York, but our entire country. Criminal organizations are exploiting a jurisdictional gap on tribal lands to traffic drugs, to move human beings, and to import deadly fentanyl into American communities. Tribal communities deserve the same level of safety and protection as any other American community, and criminal networks have used remote stretches of our northern border and tribal lands as transit points to avoid detection and prosecution. And we have to equip law enforcement with the personnel, the training, and the federal partnerships that they need to stop traffickers in their tracks.
That means that we need better coordination with Customs and Border Protection, the DEA, and federal prosecutors. We have to close these jurisdictional loopholes, and I wanna applaud my colleague from New York for bringing this legislation because we have to stop this because it creates confusion over who can arrest, who can charge, and who can convict. And supporting stronger policing on tribal lands is not anti-tribal. It is pro safety, it's pro sovereignty, and it's pro community. And when we allow tribal authorities to ensure seamless cooperation with state and federal partners, we not only protect native families first and foremost, but we also protect the border re the broader region, from becoming a pipeline for fentanyl and human trafficking as well.
And so, the American people expect secure borders. They expect equal application of the law in safe neighborhoods, and that includes the northern border and includes tribal lands. Something I wanna touch on briefly, on November 17, law enforcement seized more than 37,000 fentanyl pills on the Pueblo Reservation. And, ironically, they're here today. But I want this to sink in.
That's roughly 8 pounds of fentanyl or 3.6 kilograms, which is enough to kill everyone in the pueblo tribe 18 times. I wanna commend you, and assistant secretary Kirkland, secretary Bergham, for what you're doing to stop this, because you are legitimately saving lives. So, thank you. But the question I wanna try to answer today is why does this matter to the people of North Carolina's 6th District? Because we're talking about a tribe in New York, and it's reasonable for my constituents to wonder, why does this matter to us?
And so, mister Mercier, I hope that you will help me to answer that question with the remaining time that I have. We have heard that drug traffickers specifically target areas where jurisdiction is fuzzy or overlapping. Would you agree that by streamlining authority back to a federal tribal model, we're effectively removing the jurisdictional shield that these criminals are currently hiding behind?
Speaker 7
Thank you, Congressman, for the question. I would agree that clarity around these jurisdictional issues is paramount to effective law enforcement and public safety. Yes.
Speaker 9
So we know that fentanyl is now a leading cause of overdose deaths in many parts of the country. From your perspective, how is fentanyl specifically impacting families within and around the Seneca Nation of Indians? And what does that tell us about the urgency of strengthening interdiction efforts along the northern border?
Speaker 7
Yeah. Thank you, Congressman. I can't speak to the specifics of the Seneca Nation. I've only been in this job for about 18 months, but I was prior to that about 7 years in the Portland area office, and we had similar situations and witnessed that as well. And what we found is that working collaboratively with the state, having MOUs, having clarity around those jurisdictions, was an effective tool.
We've also stood up a division of drug enforcement that is working closely with the Department of Justice, US Marshals, FBI, etc., to combat these criminal elements on reservations.
Speaker 9
Does the passage of this law help us to stop drug traffickers from bringing fentanyl and other deadly drugs into our country?
Speaker 7
Congressman, honestly, I can't speak to whether that will be the case. I think it's better that question would be better deferred to the Department of Justice and some of the equities that they have with the bill.
Speaker 1
The gentleman yields. At this time, the chair recognizes the gentleman from New Mexico, Miss Stansbury, for five minutes. Miss Stansbury.
Speaker 5
Alright. Thank you so much, and thank you, director, for being here today. I know we haven't had much of an opportunity to interact, but I greatly appreciate anyone who steps up for this role. Being the director of BIA is not an easy job, as you're trying to balance the needs, demands, and requirements of so many sovereign nations. And so I appreciate anyone who steps into that role.
And also, you and I have something in common. I see from your bio that you also did a Udall Foundation internship, and so go Udall Foundation. So great to have you here today. I just wanna say thank you to you and to the department and to the interior for supporting this bill. I think our opening statement made clear what an important property the public cultural center is.
But one of the aspects of it that I did want to emphasize today is I know that the Department of Interior is looking at potential restructuring of various bureaus and departments. And so I really have two asks. One is our tribal leaders in New Mexico have made very clear that they would like direct government-to-government consultation on any kind of restructuring that is not, you know, sending low-level, and I don't mean that in a negative way, but staff who don't have decision-making authority to a big group meeting. They are asking for direct nation to nation consultation from high level decision makers, and there is a feeling that has not been adequately done in potential restructuring proposals, whether it's BIA or BIE. And then the second is that, as you're probably well aware, I know you're a former regional director from the Northwest Region, also not an easy job.
This property is home both to BIA and BIE's regional office, as well as OST. They are a great tenant of this property, and it's one of the few regional offices that's tribally owned and controlled, where they get to be the landlord of BIA, which I think is a great historical turn of events. And so I would ask for your commitment to try to help us continue that use of that property because I think it's a good arrangement. And I know that for the BIA staff, it's a really nice facility for them to have. So, I know you are bound as an administration official to answer as you need to, but can I have your commitment today that you will help support those efforts?
Speaker 7
Yeah. Thank you for the question, Representative Sandbury. I commit to bring, you know, back to our leadership at the department and to follow-up with you.
Speaker 5
Wonderful. And I'll just mention, I have a number of tribal bills that I'm running in cooperation with our tribal nations. Many of them do not pertain to the Department of Interior, and so I won't ask you in-depth. But, certainly, I just wanna put on your radar that we have several tribal housing bills that we're running through HUD that are really important, and I hope the administration can support them. Many of our tribes are now in a situation where because of the income requirements for individual members, it's difficult to access HUD funding to build tribal housing.
And so we've been working with tribes across the country to create a new category at HUD for middle income tribes to be able to build housing. So I know you can't speak for another agency, but I did wanna put that on your radar today and ask for the administration support. We also have a bill through the Indian Health Service to help build the pipeline for health providers to serve at IHS. I know the IHS director is gonna be in New Mexico next week at the Santa Ana Pueblo. And I don't know if you've had the opportunity to visit Albuquerque and visit our communities, but we would love to invite you.
Please know you're always welcome. I can't speak for our tribes, but I'm sure that we could find some folks who would love to host you. And, so please come to New Mexico. And the final piece is we have a number of pieces of legislation that we're working on that are about repatriation of BLM lands in and around the Albuquerque area, and then the middle of Rio Grande. And we will be reintroducing a bill soon, that we're working on with San Felipe and Santa Ana Pueblo, to repatriate some very important ancestral lands that are currently held by BLM.
The BLM regional office has worked with us for many years on this, so I hope that we can ask for your support to bring that into trust and transfer it to the tribe. So, thank you. And with that, I yield back.
Speaker 1
The gentleman yields. At this time, the chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Cole, for five minutes. Mr. Cole.
Speaker 4
Thank you very much, mister chairman and mister director. Thank you for being with us here today, and, frankly, thanks for all you do for all of Indian country. I've just got three pretty quick, simple questions. Is it correct to say, mister director, that HR 28 27 only involves tribes that have legitimate claim under the Treaty of Grouseland to this land in Illinois and no other tribes?
Speaker 7
Thank you, Chairman Cole. And, let me preface by saying I'm not an attorney, but my reading of the bill is it is limited to just the Miami tribe of Oklahoma.
Speaker 4
Okay. And would it be fair to say that, if another tribe wants to claim they have a different claim to the land, they could seek legislation to be introduced?
Speaker 7
Thank you, chairman. Cool. It really would depend on the facts of the case. Every tribe in my career I've learned is very unique and has a unique history. So it's difficult for me to opine on that.
But, I will say Congress does have exclusive plenary authority over Indian lands and such claims.
Speaker 4
That sort of leads me to the next one, which I think, be helpful to get your view on. And can you provide a brief explanation of why Congress is the only entity that can extinguish this land claim? There really aren't any other avenues.
Speaker 7
Thank you, Congressman Cole. Again, I'm not an attorney, so I don't want to get too far over my skis. But my understanding is that it's largely tied back to article one, section eight of the United States Constitution in the Indian Commerce Clause and the Marshall Trilogy and lots of Supreme Court precedent that has clearly defined congress as the exclusive plenary authority over Indian lands and claims.
Speaker 4
Oh, I appreciate that. I want you to know that my esteem for you was already high, but every time you said I am not an attorney, it just got thank.
Speaker 7
Thank you very much. Thank you for your time. Honor to testify before you, sir.
Speaker 1
Thank you. Objection. Thank you. The gentleman yields. At this time, the chair recognizes the gentleman from the state of Arizona, Ms. Grujalva, for five minutes.
Miss Grujalva.
Speaker 10
Thank you, mister chairman, and thank you for being here. In his confirmation hearing, assistant secretary Kirkland stated that he would uphold the federal trust responsibilities to support the economic self-sufficiency of tribal communities across Indian country. Miss Fraguaz's testimony will highlight that, you know, every prior transfer of the former Albuquerque Indian School property has led to measurable economic development, job creation, and cultural preservation. Director, would you agree that HR 6162 aligns with those goals given that it would enable the 19 pueblos to expand the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center's work and economic success?
Speaker 7
Thank you, Congresswoman. Yes. We from our experience, we found that tribal consolidation of tribal lands provides economic development, cultural development opportunities. It. Mhmm. It's been proven in the past.
Speaker 10
So once HR 6162 is enacted, how will the BIA work with the GSA to ensure that the transfer of these parcels is timely and efficient?
Speaker 7
So, because this would be an act of Congress, it would be a mandatory acquisition. So we would be working out immediately with them upon passage and signature by the president, to initiate that. I believe there's some tenants that would need to make sure that we take care of and vacate the premises. So we would work closely with them to ensure that we do that in a timely manner.
Speaker 7
Well, it's up to GSA, and I don't wanna speak to them about the current tenants, how they would handle that. So it's difficult for me to speak on behalf of the GSA. But once the lands have been vacated and we've completed all the various requirements we have for an acquisition, which includes a site assessment, a title review, etcetera, we would then take the land into trust.
Speaker 7
It, again, it really depends. I don't wanna give you a number because I don't have all the facts, and a lot of it depends on GSA.
Speaker 10
Yeah. As being newer to this committee, I just always wanna have an idea of what the timeline that we're looking at. Alright. Thank you so much. I yield back.
Speaker 1
General Maneyields, at this time, the chair recognizes himself for five minutes. Mister, I have a question about Mister Langworthy's bill, H.R. 7065, with respect to the Seneca Nation. What is BIA's current role in law enforcement activities on the Seneca Nation territory?
Speaker 7
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the question. I believe because of the section 232, similar to public law 280, we have a fairly limited role. We don't provide direct services. I don't believe we have a law enforcement contract with the tribe, but I'm sure we provide technical assistance where we are able. And so I would define it fairly limited at this point.
Speaker 7
I don't have the details of how in-depth our team has been engaged with the Seneca Nation. I would defer to the chairman here on the next panel.
Speaker 1
Okay. And how has the BIA worked with the Seneca Nation in local law enforcement addressing that drug trafficking related crime, or is it limited as you testified just a moment ago?
Speaker 7
Well, we do have a dedicated unit, our division of drug enforcement, that does help across Indian country. So, I don't have the specifics with me of what we may have done with the Seneca Nation in the past, but I would be happy to follow-up with some of those efforts to better define that.
Speaker 1
Okay. But as you sit here right now, there's nothing that is coming to mind specifically with respect to the Seneca Nation?
Speaker 1
Okay. Your testimony notes that the Department of Interior defers to the DOJ on certain aspects of this bill. From Interior's perspective, what factors should Congress be thinking about or considering in evaluating whether removing New York's concurrent jurisdiction strengthens law enforcement coordination?
Speaker 7
Yeah. Chairman, it's a great question. What I can do is just speak from my experience in the Northwest where we did have a number of tribes work closely with the state of Washington or state of Oregon to actually retrocede that jurisdiction. And it's very important to have that alignment with the state because there's often MOUs that are entered in there for cost deputization to ensure that if a criminal element is passing one border into another, that there's not any disruption there. So that kind of coordination with the state and local law enforcement is really critical for this to be a successful endeavor.
So that's probably what we would advise the committee is to work closely, one, the Department of Justice. They have many more equities here than we do, and with the state of New York.
Speaker 1
Thank you. Your testimony also highlights the importance of balancing tribal sovereignty, legal clarity, and administrative feasibility. When you look at the three bills that are being discussed at this hearing this morning, do you believe that they strike the balance appropriately?
Speaker 7
That's a great question, Mr. Chairman. I think it's fair to say that we would like to continue conversations on two of the bills. I think our support for the second bill is evident in my testimony, but we would like to continue the conversations on the other two.
Speaker 1
Okay. Great. Look forward to that continued discussion. With that, I will yield the rest of my time back. And, mister Mercier, I want to thank you for your valuable testimony and my colleagues for their questions.
The members of the committee, Mr. Mercer, may have some additional questions for you, and we would ask that you respond to those in writing. And at this time, I would ask the clerk to please reset the table for our second panel. Great. Are our witnesses ready for our second panel? Terrific.
Well, welcome to each of you. We are going to begin with introductions of the witnesses on our second panel. And I would like to start by recognizing Mister Cole from Oklahoma for 30 seconds to introduce the witness from his district. Mr. Cole.
Speaker 4
Be very, I wish you were in my district. But it's a great honor for me, Mister Chairman, to recognize Chief Lanford of Miami Nation. He's been a distinguished leader, not only for his tribe, but on Native American issues in our home state, Oklahoma, and, frankly, across all Indian country. And he's been working on this particular piece of legislation for roughly a decade, to actually get us to this point. So, again, very good friend, very distinguished tribal leader, and a very valued citizen of Oklahoma.
Thank you for giving me the privilege of introducing him.
Speaker 1
Now recognizes the gentleman from New Mexico, Miss Stansbury, for thirty seconds to introduce the witness not only from her state, but also from her district, Miss Stansbury.
Speaker 5
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm so honored to be able to introduce Monique Fragua, who serves as the president and CEO at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and is making history as the first woman to lead that and its affiliated organizations. She's a proud member of the Pueblo of Jemez and brings more than a decade of executive leadership, a deep commitment to our communities, respect for native cultures, and a bold vision for economic empowerment. And I would be remiss if I did not also mention that she is a national champion sportswoman in archery, and is just coming off a big win. Alright.
And under her guidance, IPCC has become a national entity as a cultural and educational hub, and we're so grateful to have you here today.
Speaker 1
Well, the gentleman yields. At this time, the chair recognizes the gentleman from New York, Mr. Langworthy, for 30 seconds to introduce the witness from his district.
Speaker 6
Mister Langworthy? Very much, Mr. Chairman. It's a tremendous honor to introduce to the committee today Seneca Nation President JC Seneca. The Seneca nation is the largest of six nations, which comprise the Iroquois confederacy, with more than 8,500 citizens largely residing in my 23rd Congressional District. Since JC was elected president, I've had the great fortune to develop not just a tremendous working relationship with him and his team, but a sincere friendship as well.
He's an honorable man who has dedicated more than 30 years of service to the nation, carrying on his family's distinguished legacy of leadership. And beyond his public service, President Seneca is a successful entrepreneur and a visionary civic leader who has advanced economic opportunity and strengthened community development across the Seneca Nation and Western New York. And I'm very grateful for his dedication and partnership as we work to enhance public safety and uphold the sovereignty of the Seneca nation. And I look forward to his testimony, and thank him again for being here today. And I yield back.
Speaker 1
The gentleman yields. Now our witnesses, let me remind you really quickly that in our committee rules, we would ask that you limit your oral statements to five minutes, but your entire statement will appear in the writing and hearing record. To begin your testimony, you should see a talk button in front of you. Press that button on the microphone. We do use timing lights, as I mentioned before.
Green means go. Yellow means you have 1 minute remaining. And red, when you see the red light, if you could please wrap up your testimony or the answer to the question as soon as possible. I will also allow each of you to testify before member questioning begins. If you're ready, the chair would now recognize Chief Langford for five minutes.
Chief Langford.
Speaker 11
Thank you, Chairman Heard, ranking member, and honorable members of the committee. I'm chief Douglas Langford of the Miami tribe, Oklahoma, and I wanna thank the subcommittee for this opportunity to testify in support of HR 2827, authored by congressman Tom Cole, which permanently resolves the tribe's treaty based land claim to the Wabash River Watershed in East Central Illinois, and permanently resolves the cloud on title created by that claim. The Miami tribe's ancestral homelands are located south of the Great Lakes in what are now the states of Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio. In 1846, the Miami tribe was removed from its homelands to what is now the state of Kansas, and in 1867 was again removed from Kansas to Indian Territory, now the state of Oklahoma. In 1805, the Miami tribe signed the Treaty of Grouseland with the United States.
By article four of that treaty, it made clear that the tribe had not ceded lands in the Wabash River watershed and that The United States agreed that it would not take any part of that watershed without the consent of the tribes. The United States never asked the tribe for the land. The tribe never allowed the United States to take it, and the United States never paid the tribe for that land. Yet, over time, the United States placed the land in the public domain and transferred it to the settlers. This bill accomplishes two things.
First, it grants the United States Court of Federal Claims jurisdiction to decide whether the United States took lands that were protected by the 1805 Treaty of Grassland without paying the tribe for them. And second, it extinguishes the tribe's claim to those lands, which forever eliminates the Cloud On title for the current landowners. HR 28 27 is not a land claim settlement bill or an appropriation bill. Also, this bill does not decide the merits of the tribe's claim or any defenses, and does not declare winners except for the landowners in East Central Illinois. To be clear, H.R. 28, 27 would extinguish the tribe's land claim, resolving the cloud on title, and grant the tribe one year to bring its case before the United States Court of Federal Claims.
So the CBO score is zero, and this ensures that it is not an earmark. Over the years, this legislation has been heard twice by this committee and voted once to the House floor. We continue to work with this committee, senate staff, leadership, and to improve the bill language. And so HR 28 27 reflects slight updates and improvements from the versions previously voted to the floor. On 12/15/2025, HR 2827 Senate companion bill S 550 was passed by unanimous consent.
S 550 was authored by Senator Mullen, who introduced the first iteration of the House Bill HR 183 in 2017 when he represented the tribe in the House. Senator Mullins was joined by coauthors Senator Durbin and Duckworth of Illinois. When the tribe asked congressman Dong Young to cosponsor this bill years ago, he looked me in the eye and he said, so the farmers are gonna get relief, but the tribe still has to make its case. Are you really sure that you want to do that? And I said, yes, sir.
I am. Congressman Young understood the common sense of this bill right away. The tribe has worked closely with the local leaders from Illinois, especially those in the affected treaty area. We're very proud of our ground up and bipartisanship of this legislation, and notably the support of the Illinois Farm Bureau. Miss Shinewe, thank you, mister chairman, ranking member, and members of the committee for their time and the opportunity to testify in support of the bill.
A special thank you to congressman Cole and congresswoman McCollum for their leadership and assistance on this bill and, of course, senator Mullen who's been our champion on this legislation from the very beginning. I'm happy to answer any questions at this time.
Speaker 1
Thank you, Chief Langford, for that testimony. The chair now recognizes Miss Frawa for five minutes. Miss Frawa.
Speaker 12
Chairman Heard, ranking member Ledger Fernandez, distinguished members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of HR 6162, the Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025. As mentioned, I'm Monique Fragua, president and CEO of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and Indian Pueblos Marketing Inc. Both entities are owned and operated by our 19 pueblos of New Mexico, and we're located on the former site of the Albuquerque Indian School property. I'm a proud member of the Pueblo of Jemez and honored to represent all 19 pueblos as the first female to lead both organizations.
The vision for our campus is bold. It includes creating unique and successful businesses, providing professional and economic advancement, and nurturing self-sustainable developments, all while providing financial return to our Pueblo communities and uplifting our pueblo artists, our history, our culture, and our lifeways. But first, I'd like to start with some history. The Albuquerque Indian School was established on 66 acres of land in 1881 by the Presbyterian Church, and came under federal control shortly thereafter. The school was a part of the broader federal Indian boarding school system that, as documented by the Department of Interior's federal Indian boarding school initiative, used policies that caused lasting harm to indigenous communities.
The school closed in 1981, and its legacy is one that our 19 pueblos have worked to transform from a symbol of forced assimilation into a vibrant center of cultural preservation and economic development. Since 1969, Congress has undertaken a long and deliberate process of returning these former lands to our 19 pueblos. This effort has been remarkable. It's been bipartisan, spanning multiple decades and involving members of both parties, including former senator Pete Domenici, former senator Jeff Bingaman, former senator Tom Udall, senator Martin Heinrich, senator Ben Ray Luján, and former representative Manuel Luján Jr. Former representative Michelle Lujan Grisham, and now representative Melanie Stansbury.
This transfer of property is the latest chapter in a well-established, successful legislative framework. Congress has previously transferred portions of the former Albuquerque Indian School into trust for our 19 pueblos, and each transfer has resulted in measurable economic development, job creation, and cultural preservation. With each of these transfers, Public Law 95-232, the first 11 acres were conveyed and used to build what is now the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. The 1993 trust acquisition moved 44 acres of the former Albuquerque Indian School property into trust, and it was partnered with the city of Albuquerque. And now these are where the two large office buildings sit that are owned by the 19 pueblos.
With public law 110-435, the Albuquerque Indian School Act, Congress directed the Secretary of Interior to convey an additional 8.5 acres into trust. These parcels and the structure that was built on it in 1931 are the last remaining building of the Albuquerque Indian School, and today it serves as the Native American Community Academy. So we still have education on our campus, in our own words, in our own voices for our pueblo people. This law will now complete the vision. With the companion bill S. 3219 introduced by Senator Heinrich, it directs the transfer of these lands into the custody, and we will continue to work and grow our economic development.
Our campus today started with less than 1,000,000 annual revenue, and today generates over 60,000,000 each year, with profits and taxes returned back to our 19 Pueblo communities. 45% of our workforce is tribal, and tribal members are in top management roles. And so we're excited today to be here. It's a returning to the land to our 19 pueblos represents progress, where our children were once taken from their families. Today, we've built a campus that celebrates and uplifts pueblo culture, educates our native youth in a culturally grounded environment, and generates economic opportunities rooted in our indigenous values.
Thank you.
Speaker 1
Thank you, Miss Fragua, for that testimony. The chair now recognizes President Seneca for five minutes. President Seneca.
Speaker 13
Greetings to my fellow Senecas out there watching online. Good morning, Chairman Heard, Ranking Member Ledger Fernandez, and members of the subcommittee. My name is Jay Conrad Seneca, and I serve as president of the Seneca Nation of Indians. I am Wolf Clan from the Cattaraugus territory and a veteran of the United States Air Force. I am pleased today to present testimony before the subcommittee on H.R. 7065, the Seneca Nation Law Enforcement Efficiency Act.
The Seneca Nation is a historic member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which entered into a treaty relationship with The United States in 1794. Under our treaty, our nations agreed to live in peace, and that you would respect the free use and enjoyment of our lands. I am here today to address the violation of our treaty that occurred in 1948, when Congress gave the state of New York criminal jurisdiction over the Seneca people on our lands under a law called section 232. I make this testimony as our nation is facing a grave threat from drug trafficking that is affecting the lives of our 8,600 people. The drug problem we now face has been decades in the making.
However, it has been made worse by congressional interference with our sovereign jurisdiction. After World War Two, the US launched its Indian termination policy to eliminate native nations through forced assimilation. Congress undermined our jurisdiction starting with grants of criminal authority to Iowa and Kansas in 1940. This led to Public Law 280 in 1953 that allowed states to have the power to jail Indians for crimes occurring on their own land. Despite opposition from the Seneca Nation, Congress enacted section 232, effectively furthering its Indian termination agenda.
The termination policy eventually proved to be a failure and was rejected once and for all by President Nixon in 1970. Congress now supports Indian self-determination that has greatly benefited the Seneca people. In 1968, Congress amended Public Law 280 to ensure that states could not assume criminal jurisdiction over native people on tribal lands without consent. It also allowed a procedure for states to give back criminal jurisdiction to the federal and tribal governments. Unfortunately, Congress ignored the Seneca Nation when it made these fixes.
HR 7065, introduced by mister Langworthy and mister Kennedy, would nullify the state's ability to jail the Seneca people for crimes occurring on our territories. This legislation comes at a time of great threat to the Seneca people arising from drug trafficking in our region in Western New York. The problem has grown worse in recent years, resulting in numerous drug overdoses and deaths. We have seen this crisis expand into sex trafficking of Seneca women and community violence, including murder. My administration has addressed this threat by reaching out to all levels of law enforcement, including the US Departments of the Interior and Justice, as well as New York State Police, County Sheriffs, and local police departments.
In July, we hosted a law enforcement summit that brought together all agencies to develop action strategies to combat this epidemic. Our work has revealed grim realities. Jamestown, New York, a small city in our area, serves as the state's second most active city for drug trafficking, next to the Bronx. This indiscriminate drug crisis affects both native and non-native people and has no simple solution. We have realized that this problem is made worse by section 2 32 because it changed the jurisdiction to address criminal activity in our own territories.
For nearly 80 years, the federal government has ignored its responsibility to protect the Seneca people and has wrongly abandoned its role to the state. The United States is our treaty partner, not the State of New York. The violation of our treaty relationship by section 232 has interfered with the development of our nation's ability to protect our people. Our Seneca Nation marshals do not exercise criminal law enforcement powers. We are forced to rely on the state system, which is inconsistent at best, and negligent at worst.
When enacted, this bill will not immediately resolve the threat to our nation. However, it will restore our right to self-determination. It will reaffirm our treaty relationship with the federal government. It will mandate mutual consent to nullify section 2 32, thus requiring an agreement to ensure proper continuous criminal oversight within our lands. In closing, Congress must enact H.R. 7065 to nullify the grant of criminal jurisdiction to New York State under section 232, thus restoring our jurisdiction, respecting the Seneca Nation's sovereignty, and our treaty with the United States since 1794.
Thank you.
Speaker 1
President Seneca, for that testimony. The chair will now recognize members for five minutes of questions, and I will begin by recognizing the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Cole, for five minutes. Mr. Cole.
Speaker 4
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. It shouldn't take that long. This is a pretty straightforward piece of legislation. Chief Langford, as I mentioned, probably met with you, I don't know how many times over ten years about this issue. It shouldn't be this hard for somebody trying to do the right thing.
But you probably know more about it than anyone else. You certainly know the historical legal background better than anyone else. Can you explain to the committee the treaties associated with this legislation and the tribes that are directly involved?
Speaker 11
Thanks for that, question, congressman. Yes. So there's three tribes involved in the Treaty of Grouseland that's named there in article four. And that'd the Myanmar tribe, the Weah tribe, and the Ill River tribe. The Weahs and the Miamis have basically been merged for 150 years.
They just Ill River became Miami's. The Weah tribe, they signed away their treaty rights years ago, and now they have confederated and became a member of the or one of our local tribes, the Peoria tribe. So, that's really the Miami tribe is the only tribe left standing, with a right to this claim.
Speaker 4
Okay. And can you provide an explanation, and you touched on this in your testimony actually, of the landowners in Illinois and the problems that they're experiencing because of the cloud on their titles, and then also discuss the support you've received from them for your legislation.
Speaker 11
Yeah. Thank you again. That's a really great question because, you know, no one wants to have cloud on their title, you know. And it causes problems at the bank. It causes problems in selling when buying.
Those are just huge problems for the landowners. When we started working on a bill, that was our first grassroots effort: to go to the landowners, go to the local legislators, and especially the Farm Bureau to make sure they were happy with this bill. Because if they weren't happy, this bill was going nowhere. So it had to begin with them. So, you know, we want to make sure they had a bill that solved their problem, a bill that took care of the tribe.
And, you know, and there's a third winner here is The United States. They get to settle a 200-year-old land claim. So, you know, this bill is a win for all.
Speaker 4
Well, I think that's one of the merits, and I'd like to comment on this briefly. But what you really do is put the responsibility or assume your lawsuit will go back where it belongs on the United States government, which violated the treaty, violated its trust responsibilities. And so if there's any adverse consequences here or penalties to be paid, it ought to be paid by the United States government. It should not fall on innocent land owners that acquired property many decades, you know, after this transgression appears. Is that a fair statement that would just give you the opportunity to make your case in court?
Speaker 11
That's the very first statement. Thank you. Yes. You know, in thinking about this, when this began, you know, we were getting ready to turn around, try to do to the landowners what was done to us so long ago. You know, no one wants to have their land taken.
This is by far a better way to solve this. And so, you know, we look forward to passing this law and being able for all of us to have relief.
Speaker 4
Yeah. I would just add, mister chairman, for the record, this is pretty common in Oklahoma. A lot of our tribes have land disputes with the federal government. The great majority are like Miami's. They've been forcibly removed from ancestral homelands.
They have claims there. They quite often have claims within the state itself. It's a pretty messy process opening up tribal land for non-tribal settlement. But we found we can take these things rather than involving the current property owners. I was part of the effort to settle.
We had Chickasaws, Cherokees, and Choctaws owned river bottom land in Oklahoma and thousands of individual landowners. They had done nothing wrong. The original transgression was the federal government, and we managed to get them into court, but somewhat similar remains that Chief Lank was pursuing. And we got a settlement. It was about a $40,000,000 settlement, so it was a considerable settlement.
But the point is the people that we're paying for were the people that were responsible or the entity, I should say. The United States government should not be those individual landowners. And so I think Chief Langford and Miami should be commended quite frankly. They're not trying to put people that do no fault of their own on a different pledge. They're going back to The United States saying the government saying, you did the wrong thing here.
Let's go to court, and let's see if we can find an equitable settlement. So, again, chief, I congratulate you and the Miami Nation. I think you're doing it the right way, and I would just urge everybody to vote for the bill and give you your opportunity to address this long-standing issue where it belongs, in court.
Speaker 1
Gentleman Yields, at this time, the chair recognizes the ranking member of the subcommittee, Miss Ledger Fernandez, for five minutes. Miss Ledger Fernandez.
Speaker 2
Thank you very much. And I'll just pick up on, with Chief Langford. And I just wanted to follow up on the comments that were made by Chairman Cole as well as your testimony. This is not a new approach to addressing land claims. Is that why is there precedent for this?
And can you briefly describe what?
Speaker 11
Thank you for that question. This has been done before. This is not new. We're not plowing new ground or breaking any making new law. You know, this has been done before.
And so,
Speaker 2
And as, I loved serving, I love serving with you as well, but I love serving with, former representative Young. And I love his question. He's like, you sure you want to do this? But that was a question that you got to answer. Right?
So in my mind, when I look at this, that's an issue of tribal sovereignty where you're making this decision, this is how you want to deal with this past injustice. President Farwa, I love saying that. President Farwa, she is not just somebody who has taken over as president. She has made an impact at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. She took a museum exhibit that was old and dated and hadn't been done by the and turned it into our voices.
And now she is leading this venture in the middle of Albuquerque, in the middle of our representative Stansbury's District. One of the things that strikes me about the work that the Indian Pueblo Marketing Inc, the Indian Pueblo Cultural has lots of different names, does is it has transformed that property. And your testimony talks a little bit about how it's transformed a place of trauma into a place of both celebration and education. So it's not just where the Pueblo members can go and learn about their own history. But tell us a little bit about how you have transformed the ability of others to learn the Puebloan history in one place.
Speaker 12
Thank you very much. It's a great point to highlight that the campus of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center has absolutely amplified who we are as Pueblo people, right in the heart of Albuquerque. We recently opened an entrepreneur complex with a commercial kitchen, a teaching garden, and a business center to uplift and guide entrepreneurs. We also have an establishment on our campus that's owned and operated by the native vegan chef, and her work to uplift culinary arts. So it's a wonderful place.
We recently opened La Montanita Co-op on our campus. It's a community grocery store that works with local farmers, to get back and just create this campus that is filled with activity, celebration, art. And we can truly see who we are as pueblo people, all across our campus. And Albuquerque is better because of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, because of the work of our 19 pueblos. And it's the only place where 19 sovereign nations come together under one body to form governance, for advocacy and policy, economic development, and history, art, culture.
So I couldn't be more proud to work alongside our 19 pueblos and to, you know, guide the next vision.
Speaker 2
Well, thank you very much. And to have transformed what was barren land into this vibrant place, I think, important that we take the last pieces and move it over. I wanna thank you very much, President Seneca. I wanna thank you on our 200 of our own constitution for the contributions that your people, and I'm not gonna say it correctly, have made to that. And I think it is fitting that at this point in time, we recognize that, well, you have contributed so much to who we are as a nation, these wonderful ideals we have, right, about how we can govern ourselves and how the people are at the core of our democracy and our checks and balances that came from your own history, that it is only right that we give back to you the ability to protect your own.
Can you describe how you see this issue as preserving your ability to exercise your own tribal sovereignty?
Speaker 13
Yes. I think my mic is still on. Yes. Thank you. Yeah.
It's, I think, as you look at the things that we've been working on for a number of years at Sunnika Nation, and what's the basis of that is, I think it's more than a bill that's before you, the 7065 bill. It is about the things that have occurred throughout history that our people have endured, you know, going back to the beginning, the 250 years you talk about. And the resiliency of our people to be able to survive and still be here in 2026 as a nation. You know, I think, you know, this is what happened in 1948 and the giving of criminal jurisdiction over to the state of New York encompasses many different things that were happening in that period of time. You know, you go back to the 1830 Indian Removal Act when native people were being removed from their lands and pushed out west.
You know, you talk about the boarding schools that were part of that. We had a boarding school, Thomas Indian School on our territory. They existed for over 75 years. And, you know, to strip us of our identity, our culture, our heritage, our customs, our language, all of those different things.
Speaker 2
So thank you very much. Tara's gonna call Taiwanus because we have lots of questions. But thank you, once again, for pointing out that we are now in a different era, and so we must right the wrongs of our past.
Speaker 1
The gentleman yields, I'm gonna pick up where you and the ranking member were talking about President Seneca. Do you feel view HR 765 as a primary law enforcement issue, or do you see it as a broader matter of restoring tribal authority to govern and protect your own community?
Speaker 13
Yeah. I agree with you on that, chairman. I think it's a restoring of sovereignty. It's restoring our authority to be able to take care of our people the way they want to be taken care of, the way we need to work on it. Because only Seneca people know what they need to do to be able to protect themselves, to protect our territory, and protect our community.
We are very restricted in our ability to do that at the moment. I know there were questions to the gentleman, Mercia, Mister Mercia, about what the bureau is doing, what interior is doing. You know, we've been engaging with the administration from day one when we were able to come to Washington and start work, meeting with Interior. And they've been very helpful in regards to directing the opportunities that are afforded to native nations across this country to be able to be involved with that. But there are certain things that we have to build a foundation in our territories to be able to access and to receive funding in regards to those types of.
Speaker 13
Benefits. And so, you know, it is. It's a bigger picture, but zeroing in on law enforcement and the safety of our people is paramount, and we need to really be able to grab a hold of that and move forward in regards to what Seneca Nation sees best for itself.
Speaker 1
Right. So, President Seneca, you mentioned in your testimony a federal, state, local law enforcement summit that happened in July 2023, I believe. Could you describe what happened in the conversations that the Seneca Nation had with local, state, and federal law enforcement since then? What discussions have you had since that summit?
Speaker 13
Yeah. And it came from those meetings that we had. We had early on when Scott Davis was filling as assistant secretary and waiting for mister Kirkland to be confirmed. We met with him. We invited him to our territory.
Said, let's see what we can do, and let's bring people together to be able to address these many issues that we face. And so we invited interior. They came. You know, we had the Department of Justice there, the US Attorney's Office, New York State Police, Troop A. We had the sheriffs, the local sheriffs, and local police departments.
We had a form of discussion with our council, with all law enforcement, and we were able to, you know, talk about the ways that we can work together to be able to combat the problems that we face in regards to criminal activity and the illicit drug trafficking, the human trafficking, the sex trafficking, all those things that come with this drug industry. And so we have to be able to work together, and, you know, we made some great strides. We're still working on it. It's gonna take continued engagement, continued follow through in regards to making sure that we get to a place where we can now start taking action.
Speaker 1
How would you define success, or how would we measure success if we gave this criminal jurisdiction back to the Seneca Nation, the federal government with respect to drug cartels? How would we know that it's working?
Speaker 13
You know, it's like the questions were asked of the interior gentleman that he didn't really have the knowledge of what they were doing right now. I think success is communication, collaboration, working together, putting a plan together, and executing it. And we have to be able to, at all levels, communicate and make sure that people are sharing information, that things are being done, that we're making progress in regards to the illicit trafficking that goes on, not just on Seneca Nation territory, but across this country and communities that are suffering from the drug epidemic and this problem of criminal activity that is just taking over our people and poisoning our people and our communities.
Speaker 1
Absolutely. Thank you, President Seneca. Miss Fravo, a quick question. How significant can relatively small parcels of land be for cultural preservation, community services, and economic development in Indian country?
Speaker 12
Great question. Of the highest significance and importance. It's very important for us as pueblo people to retain and get back land that was once rightfully ours. It can have a tremendous impact just on our footprint. This land is contiguous with other land that we already have, and so it would just help our footprint that we have there.
Speaker 1
Great. Thank you. I yield back the remainder of my time. And at this point, the chair would recognize the gentleman from the state of Arizona, miss for five minutes. Miss Grujalva.
Speaker 10
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Today's hearing centers on three bills that speak directly to our trust and treaty responsibilities and their enduring principle of tribal sovereignty. While each addresses a distinct historical injustice or jurisdictional challenge, they raise the fundamental question: will the United States honor its commitments to tribal nations? These bills reflect ongoing work of reconciling past federal actions with present day responsibilities. They represent a continuation of deliberate federal policy choice to support tribal self-determination, strengthen community-led development, resolve land disputes fairly, restore lands into trust, and clarify jurisdiction in ways that reinforce tribal governance.
Jurisdictional clarity affects whether communities receive consistent law enforcement services, whether sovereignty is respected in practice and not just in principle, or whether public safety and systems function as they should. At their core, these measures recognize that tribal nations are best positioned to govern their own lands consistent with federal law and the United States trust responsibility. Together, these bills reflect bipartisan efforts to meet our obligations and ensure our actions align with our communities, to tribal nations, their our commitments to tribal nations and their right to self governance. I previously served this would be a question to Miss Fragua. I previously served on the Tucson Unified School District governing board, and now sit on the education and workforce committee.
In addition to this subcommittee, I'm also particularly interested in.
Speaker 12
the educational component of the center's work. Can you share more on how the center works to provide culturally grounded education for Native youth? Thank you very much. We have an indigenous wisdom curriculum. It's over 110 lessons that were prepared by native educators, and they're free.
Educators can go online and download them. They span all subject matters, and they're written to New Mexico standards and benchmarks. We host curriculum workshops. We host open house for educators, and we work very closely with the UNM Indigenous Center to be able to expand our curriculum. And it has been wonderful for our native children to learn the stories of our ancestors, the stories of Miguel Trujillo who fought for native Americans to have the right to vote in their classrooms.
We need to show our children the importance of who we are as Pueblo people and that we're not a people of the past. We're a people of today, and we are shaping tomorrow. So that's the important work of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. One aspect of the very important work.
Speaker 10
Yeah. And how would HR 6162 allow you to expand these educational programs and workforce development opportunities to your communities?
Speaker 12
Thank you. We recently opened up the Indian Pueblo Entrepreneur Complex, and this is focused on food and agriculture. This parcel of land will help us to expand that footprint in working with native and non-native entrepreneurs as they grow and scale their business. We're really excited to share that we've just been granted approval by the state of New Mexico to form a closed loop food system where we can purchase food from farmers, Pueblo native farmers, and sell it to BIA schools, BIE schools within our Pueblo communities. And so this will help to uplift that work and create a business center, a business complex to amplify the work that we're doing.
Speaker 10
You've described the center as tangible proof of what the pueblos can achieve, and how the center represents cultural healing and restorative justice. Can you share more on how important returning culturally significant lands to the tribes is?
Speaker 12
Absolutely. With each return and each parcel that we've received, we've been able to transform that into sustainable economic development, expanding our tax base, expanding our opportunity to generate profits that go back and fund our Pueblo communities. It's not something that we take for granted. It's not something that we do just as a job, but it's truly a mission, and the work that we do to uplift our communities. The land is very important to who we are as Pueblo people.
Our 19 pueblos exist on the land of our ancestors since time immemorial, and we pray and we look to the land for blessings and sustenance. And it's not just a piece of property. It's not just a building. It's really who we are and shapes the future of our pueblo communities. Thank you.
Speaker 10
Would you share more on how the center is able to promote native artists and how HR 6162 will expand opportunities for native artists and ensure economic and cultural sustainability of native art in your community?
Speaker 12
Absolutely. Native American artists are vital to our communities. Since time immemorial taking shells and trade and creating these beautiful pieces. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center has a daily artist program where we invite artists to sell directly to the public. We also have a Native American gift shop that were authentic and have the most beautiful pieces.
So we work to uplift our artists in many ways, and the entrepreneur complex will be an extension of that as well.
Speaker 10
Thank you. I clearly need to go visit the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, and thank you for the extension. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Chairman Yields, at this time, the chair recognizes the gentleman from the state of New Mexico, Miss Stansbury, for five minutes. Miss Stansbury.
Speaker 5
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to take this moment to propose a codel to New Mexico to go visit our cultural center and our pueblos. Although I am partly joking, I hope that we actually can go to visit. You know, there's a lot of amazing cultural centers out there that tribes built across the country, but I think we have one of the best in the country. And I think that President Frawa has highlighted so many amazing things that are happening on that property.
And as somebody who grew up right down the street in the North Valley, I'm so proud. And I really can't emphasize how much it has not only transformed that property, but it has transformed the entire community. It is unrecognizable from what it was in the 1980s. That entire community has been completely transformed as a cultural and economic hub in our city, and it's really truly extraordinary. It's thanks to the work of you and other leaders who've come before.
But I wanna circle back to our New Mexico bill in just a moment, but I do wanna take a moment to address our tribal leaders who are here with us today, Chief Langford and President Seneca. I wanna say thank you for being here today, and that we honor your service to your nations and the nation-to-nation relationship that the Congress has with your nations. And to say that I stand in strong support for both of your bills, and I stand here ready to help get those across the finish line however I can. And President Seneca and I had a few moments to chat before this hearing. I am proud to say I'm an alum of a distinguished school in Haudenosaunee country.
I went to Cornell and did the Native Studies program, which is very unique in the country as a land-grant school because the Haudenosaunee nations play a key role in helping to guide the programming and the curriculum. And so I'm honored that you're here today. And, of course, the alliance is as long as the Pueblo Alliance as well, and so we're grateful to have you here today. So, director, Fragua, I want to just talk a little bit more about this parcel. I think you addressed it a little bit with our ranking member, Crihalva, here.
But tell us more about how you intend to bring this property into the cultural center's work, and what you hope it will generate both in terms of connection to the existing programming that you're doing, as well as economic opportunities.
Speaker 12
Absolutely. Thank you very much for the question. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, over many decades of leadership and envisioning, has really created a hub for entrepreneurship and economic development. And so the opportunity to bring this into trust will expand our footprint in the role of the Indian Pueblo Entrepreneur Complex. We'll be able to move some of the work that we're doing on the lands of the cultural center to the south near I-forty, and it's easy egress and getting on and off the freeway there.
We'll be able to partner with our entrepreneurs to help them scale their businesses. When we opened the Entrepreneur complex last year, we immediately filled the need, we immediately filled the capacity for cold storage. And so this is something in Albuquerque that our entrepreneurs, that our farmers need. And so this will provide us the opportunity to expand that cold storage, provide a business complex. The city of Albuquerque is also developing a rail trail, and this is a walking loop around Albuquerque to connect the communities.
And this land will be a part.
Speaker 5
Of that rail trail where we can create an outdoor space for our entrepreneurs to be able to have food trucks, you know, artist opportunities, and ventures of that nature, to connect the Indian Public Cultural Center campus to the greater metro area. I'm excited to hear that. Obviously, I'm a huge fan, but also, you know, just to share in this space, to watch the development of this entrepreneurial center has been really exciting over the last couple of years, and I was excited to be able to help support IPCC as they were launching this center. You know, I think across the United States, in our native communities, there are so many incredible entrepreneurs, artists, chefs. And what is so cool about this entrepreneurial center is it is creating a physical space as well as the institutional infrastructure to help entrepreneurs take their ideas, their crafts, their art to the next level.
And it's so cool to see the transformational work you guys are doing. So thank you for your leadership, and excited to get the committee there. I yield back. Oh, actually, before I yield, mister chairman, I would like to ask for unanimous consent to enter eight letters into the record from APCG, IPCC, our county commission, city of Albuquerque, state senator, chamber of commerce, Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance, and visit Albuquerque in support of this project.
Speaker 1
The gentleman yields. At this time, the chair recognizes the gentleman from the state of New York, Mr. Kennedy, for five minutes. Mr. Kennedy.
Speaker 14
Thank you. Mister chairman, ranking member, alleged Fernandez, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to speak on H.R. 7065, the Seneca Nation Law Enforcement Act that I'm proud sponsor of. I also wanna welcome Seneca Nation president and my good friend, JC Seneca, along with members of the nation. We would not be here without President Seneca's leadership and the steadfast work of the Seneca Nation Council. I'd like to recognize and thank President Seneca for his military service as well, having served four years in the United States Air Force.
The Seneca Nation Law Enforcement Act is not just about public safety. It goes to the heart of the Seneca Nation's inherent sovereignty. Without the authority and resources to carry it out, sovereignty is undermined. HR 76 65 ensures the nation can govern its territory, uphold its laws, and protect its citizens. As a member of the New York State Senate, I formed and chaired the subcommittee on state Native American relations, grounded in honoring tribal sovereignty, protecting sacred lands, and expanding access to health care and education for native communities.
In that role, I work closely with the nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and saw firsthand their long fight for sovereignty, dignity, respect, and control of their lands. What I learned is that progress only happens when nations are empowered to speak for themselves and determine their own future. Ensuring their voices are heard isn't optional. It's essential. President Seneca, thank you again for your leadership and your testimony here today.
I was pleased to learn that the state companion to this bill has been signed into law. Thanks to the leadership of assembly majority leader, people Stokes, and senator Baskin. And that progress is exactly why this committee's action matters so much today. Can you help the committee understand the public safety challenges that the nation currently faces? Explain why having the tools and authority to enforce your own laws is central to sovereignty, and share what passage of this act would mean not just for the Seneca nation, but for the safety and the well-being of the entire region.
Speaker 13
Thank you, Congressman. I appreciate the good words, and thanks for the questions. You know, it all centers around the sovereignty of our nation and the jurisdiction that we hold. When I started engagement with the outside law enforcement, with the state of New York, with the United States on this initiative that brings us here today, things were happening on our territory that we had no control over, that we could not get anything done. We couldn't get help in regards to outside law enforcement trying to take care of this drug epidemic, the influx of illegal drugs on our territory, the manipulation and what's happened to our Seneca women.
And, you know, it was so frustrating. And, you know, we have to be able to be in control of it. And, you know, I communicated with everybody. I said, you know, we're looking for help. Are you willing to help?
Is The United States willing to help? Is the state of New York willing to help? If you're not, just let me know because we're gonna have to take care of business our own way if that's what has to be done. So I'm very thankful for all of our engagement, that The United States has stepped forward, that the state of New York has stepped forward in working to put a working together relationship together. And that's the heart of this thing, is to be able to work together, to collaborate, to find an answer and a solution to these many issues that we face.
Whether it's drug trafficking or other ones, we need to be able to do that. And I think, you know, that's where we are.
Speaker 14
Thank you very much. Thank you for your leadership. And to the other folks here testifying today, thank you very much as well. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen Yields, I wanna thank each of our witnesses for their valuable testimony and also my colleagues for their questions. Members of the committee may have some additional questions for each of you, witnesses, and we'd ask that you respond to those questions in writing. Under committee rule three, members of the committee must submit any questions to the committee clerk by 5 PM on Monday, 03/09/2026. The hearing record will be held open for 10 business days for those responses. If there is no further business, without objection, the committee stands adjourned.
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