Compiled by ANN TOINEETA
One Feather Intern
Introduction of new bill to improve well-being of Native children
U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), vice chair of the committee, have introduced the Native Children’s Commission Implementation Act (S. 4976), “bipartisan legislation designed to improve the health, education, safety, and overall well-being of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children.”
Navajo Nation welcomes legislation authorizing justice infrastructure investments
The Navajo Nation Judicial Branch is welcoming the passage of Resolution CJY-33-26. This legislation will amend the Capital Development Financing Act and “authorizes significant investments in justice infrastructure and other major capital projects across the Navajo Nation.”
Washington tribes sue federal government over changes to Endangered Species Act
The Swinomish and Squaxin Island Tribes of Washington and environmental groups are suing the federal government over changes made to the Endangered Species Act, arguing they “defy scientific research” and open up wildlife to destruction. The tribes “fear the rule will undermine recovery efforts for the federally listed Chinook salmon in the Puget Sound and Skagit River, which are reserved for the tribes to fish in under longstanding treaties with the federal government.”
Lawmakers seek to expand radiation exposure compensation program
A bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers are seeking to “expand the 2025 federal Radiation and Exposure Compensation Act to include more communities sickened by historic nuclear tests and production.”
Deb Haaland to participate in televised debate
Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and Democratic nominee for governor of New Mexico, has agreed to participate in a live televised debate against Republican candidate, Gregg Hull. More details about the debate are expected to be announced closer to the event.
Native golfer named 2026 recipient of Payne Stewart Award
Notah Begay III, who is Diné and of the San Felipe and Isleta Pueblos, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Payne Stewart Award. This award honors him “not only for his abilities as a professional golfer but also for his work with the Notah Begay III Foundation, known as NB3, which has provided sports and wellness programs for more than 80,000 Native youth since its inception in 2005.”
Source: https://ictnews.org/news/notah-begay-lll-wins-payne-stewart-award/
National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition completes U.S. Department of the Interior’s Oral History Project
The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) has completed the U.S. Department of Interior’s Oral History Project in Tulsa, Okla. after more than two years of traveling across Indian country. This project was “a landmark effort to preserve the voices and lived experiences of survivors of the federal Indian boarding school system.”
Tribal leaders gather at U.S. Capitol to protest Bureau of Land Management proposal
Dozens of tribal leaders gathered at the U.S. Capitol on July 22 to protest the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) proposal to reduce mining protections around Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. The leaders “urged New Mexicans to submit a public comment on the BLM plan through its online portal.”
