TEDNA

From Indianz.com, here. Education will be among the top discussion topics.

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will hold a business meeting and legislative hearing on May 11. Three items are on the agenda for the business meeting. They are:

• S.1163, the Native American Languages Reauthorization Act. The bill extends grants awarded under the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act from three years to five years. The committee held a hearing on November 18, 2015.
• S.2304, the Tribal Early Childhood, Education, and Related Services Integration Act. The bill creates a demonstration project so tribes, tribal education institutions and tribal organizations can develop early childhood education programs. The committee held a hearing on April 6.
• S.2739, the Spokane Tribe of Indians of the Spokane Reservation Equitable Compensation Act. The bill compensates the Spokane Tribe of Washington for land lost to the Grand Coulee Dam. The committee hasn’t held a hearing on the bill during the 114th Congress but prior versions have been advanced in the past.

The legislative hearing will focus on two bills. They are:

• S.2417, the Tribal Veterans Health Care Enhancement Act. The bill authorizes the Indian Health Service to cover the cost of veterans’ copays for services rendered at the Veterans Health Administration.
• S.2842, the Johnson-O’Malley Supplemental Indian Education Program Modernization Act. The bill updates the decades-old data that the Bureau of Indian Affairs uses to award grants under the Johnson O’Malley (JOM) program.

The meeting and hearing will take place in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.