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The Native American Legislative Update is a monthly newsletter on the most important developments on Capitol Hill related to Indian Country.

March 2021: Native American Legislative Update

By Lacina Tangnaqudo Onco | March 30, 2021

Welcome to FCNL’s Native American Legislative Update! NALU is a monthly newsletter about FCNL’s Native American policy advocacy and ways for you to engage members of Congress.

Haaland Makes History as First Native American Secretary

On March 18, Deb Haaland was officially sworn in as secretary of the interior. As a member of the Laguna Pueblo, she becomes the first Native American woman to serve as a cabinet secretary in U.S. history.

October 2020: Native American Legislative Update

By Kerri Colfer | October 30, 2020
President Trump signed Savanna’s Act and the Not Invisible Act into law on Oct. 10, following last month’s passage of the two bills in the House. The bills will establish uniform law enforcement protocols and data collection standards in cases of missing and murdered Native Americans. They would also improve coordination between federal agencies and law enforcement in responding to these cases.

September 2020: Native American Legislative Update

By Kerri Colfer | September 28, 2020
In a huge victory for Indian Country, both Savanna’s Act and the Not Invisible Act passed in the House on Sept. 21. The bills, which already passed the Senate by unanimous consent in March, will help to address the rising numbers of missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. Both bills will now go to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

August 2020: Native American Legislative Update

By Kerri Colfer | August 31, 2020
The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) is the only federal grant program dedicated to providing funding for domestic violence shelters and services. FVPSA is especially vital for Indian Country, as it is the primary source of funding for these services in tribal communities. Shelters, training and technical assistance, emergency response hotlines, and children’s services are all supported by this law.

July 2020: Native American Legislative Update

By Kerri Colfer | July 28, 2020
In a landmark decision handed down on July 9, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that treaty rights designate most of eastern Oklahoma as reservation land. Because these lands were never ceded to the U.S. government, they fall under the definition of “Indian Country” under U.S. law.

June 2020: Native American Legislative Update

By Kerri Colfer | July 1, 2020
On June 5, a federal judge ruled in favor of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe v. Bernhardt. The court ordered the Trump administration to reconsider a 2018 decision to take the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s land out of trust.

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