10.17.19

Murkowski Introduces Legislation to Address Alaska’s Rural Public Safety Crisis

In her continued effort to address the public safety crisis in rural Alaska, U.S Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Alaska Tribal Public Safety Empowerment Act, legislation to empower tribes in Alaska to exercise the special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction on a pilot basis. Among domestic violence victims in Alaska, Native women are over-represented by 250 percent, yet one in three communities in rural Alaska have no local law enforcement. Specifically, the bill expands the ju… Continue Reading

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10.16.19

Murkowski, Smith Introduce Indian Energy Legislation

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Tina Smith, D-Minn., today introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and improve the Department of Energy's Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (OIE). The bill, entitled the Tribal Energy Reauthorization Act (TERA), reauthorizes OIE and the Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program (TELGP) through 2030, updates eligibility requirements for energy project grants, and encourages more locally and regionally based partnerships when providing technic… Continue Reading

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09.26.19

Murkowski, Udall, Sullivan Introduce Bill to Protect Indian Health Service Funding During Lapses in Appropriations

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tom Udall (D-NM), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced the IHS Advance Appropriations Act of 2019, bipartisan legislation which amends the Indian Health Service Improvement Act to authorize advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service by providing two-fiscal-year budget authority, shoring up the gaps in the funding for the Indian Health Service (IHS), the agency responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Th… Continue Reading

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07.29.19

Murkowski, Smith Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Tribes Combat Homelessness

U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced a bipartisan bill to make it possible for Tribes and tribally designated housing entities to access funding to combat homelessness on tribal lands. The bipartisan bill-the Tribal Access to Homeless Assistance Act-would make it possible for Tribes to submit funding requests for these funds, and it would also help Tribes take on the administration and coordination of homeless assistance grants. U.S. Representatives Denny H… Continue Reading

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07.02.19

Murkowski, Schatz Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Impact of the ANSEP Program

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) have introduced the Building Indigenous STEM Professionals Act. This legislation will reauthorize and amend a grant designed to help create or expand programs that produce Native Alaskan and Native Hawaiian graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math fields (STEM). Inspired by the nationally-recognized Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP), which grows STEM professionals from elementary school through coll… Continue Reading

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06.28.19

Alaska Congressional Delegation Welcome DOJ Declaration of Law Enforcement Emergency in Rural Alaska

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today welcomed the Department of Justice's Announcement that Attorney General Barr will declare a law enforcement emergency in rural Alaska under the Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Assistance Program today. Immediately following his announcement, $6 million was made available to the state of Alaska to support critical law enforcement needs of Alaska Native villages. In addition, the Attorney General will auth… Continue Reading

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06.20.19

Indian Affairs Committee Considers Law Enforcement & Public Safety Bills

Today the Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a legislative hearing on bills, led by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and colleagues on the Committee, to address the epidemic of missing, murdered, and trafficked Indigenous women and focus on improving public safety and justice systems. Specifically, the Committee considered the following bills: S.227, Savanna's Act; S.982, the Not Invisible Act; S. 288, the Justice for Native Survivors of Sexual Violence Act; S.290, the Native Youth and Triba… Continue Reading

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06.04.19

Murkowski Hosts U.S. Attorney General William Barr in Alaska

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) recently welcomed U.S. Attorney General William Barr to Alaska for a visit focusing on law enforcement and public safety issues. During Attorney General Barr's four-day trip, Senator Murkowski facilitated meetings in both Bethel and Napaskiak to emphasize the public safety challenges faced across Alaska due to the lack of local law enforcement as well as to help shed light on the severity of the issue of missing and murdered Native women and girls. "It was an … Continue Reading

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05.22.19

Murkowski Questions Interior Secretary on Priorities to Benefit Rural Alaska

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) chaired an Interior Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to examine the Fiscal Year 2020 budget request for the Department of the Interior (DOI). During the hearing, Senator Murkowski questioned Interior Secretary David Bernhardt about areas that the administration and Congress can make progress in addressing the lack of reporting lack of reporting and substantive data surrounding the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Murkowski asked Secretary… Continue Reading

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05.07.19

Murkowski Joins Bipartisan, Bicameral Group of Legislators Asking for Federal Study on Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women Crisis

Following the "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls" on Sunday, Senator Murkowski joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of legislators asking the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a study on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis. The group of 17 legislators, led by U.S. Senator John Tester (D-MT), includes U.S. Senators John Hoeven (R-ND), Tom Udall (D-NM), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tina Smith (D-MN), Steve Daines (R-MT), J… Continue Reading

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05.03.19

Senate Passes Legislation Designating National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) applauded Senate passage of a resolution designating May 5 as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women. U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced the resolution, with Senator Murkowski as a cosponsor. Though legislative efforts, Senator Murkowski has continued her push to address the issue of missing, murdered, and trafficked Indigenous women, including calling upon federal agencies to work together to help put an end to the epidemi… Continue Reading

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04.17.19

Alaska Congressional Delegation Announces Denali Commission Co-Chair

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today announced that Jason Hoke of Glennallen has been appointed by the Secretary of Commerce as the Denali Commission Federal Co-Chair. Hoke will replace John Torgerson who has been serving in the role of Interim Federal Co-Chair. "The Denali Commission came to life under Senator Ted Stevens in 1998 and has since been a catalyst for much needed development across the state. Transportation facilities, clinics, … Continue Reading

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02.08.19

Murkowski Language Preservation Bill Advances

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee this week unanimously advanced legislation to support Native American language revitalization programs for consideration by the full Senate. On January 29, 2019, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, (R-AK) joined Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) in introducing the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Programs Reauthorization Act, to improve the grant program that funds a variety of language learning activities such as Native language immersion and language teacher traini… Continue Reading

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01.29.19

Committee Advances Health and Public Safety Bills

Today the Senate Indian Affairs Committee advanced bills, supported by U.S. Senator Murkowski (R-AK), to improve public safety in tribal communities, strengthen resources for victims of crime, and expand access to healthcare in rural communities. The Securing Urgent Resources Vital to Indian Victims Empowerment (SURVIVE) Act, of which Senator Murkowski is a cosponsor, will increase victim assistance resources such as medical care, domestic violence shelters, and counseling through a grant pro… Continue Reading

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01.28.19

Murkowski, Cortez Masto Reintroduce Savanna’s Act

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D- NV) announced they reintroduced the Savanna's Act, legislation to combat the epidemic of murdered and missing Native women and girls by improving the federal government's response to addressing the crisis. The bill increases coordination among all levels of law enforcement, increases data collection and information sharing, and empowers tribal governments with the resources they need in cases involving missing and murdered indige… Continue Reading

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01.18.19

Senator Murkowski Speaks at AFN’s Alaska Day Event in DC

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) kicked off the Alaska Federation of Natives' (AFN) Alaska Day event this week in our nation's capital to address opportunities and challenges we face at our northernmost border and educate policymakers on Alaska's strategic significance. This two-day briefing includes Alaska Native leaders, high-level military personnel, the Alaska Congressional Delegation and staff, Cabinet officials, and representatives in telecommunications, energy, and commerce. During the… Continue Reading

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01.16.19

Murkowski, Young File Amicus Brief in Support of Indian Child Welfare Law

Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Congressman Don Young (R-AK) joined five of their Congressional colleagues in filing an amicus curiae brief with the Fifth Circuit, United States Court of Appeals in support of the Indian Child Welfare Act or ICWA. The amicus brief follows an October 4, 2018 ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor, of Fort Worth, TX deeming the ICWA as unconstitutional. The amicus brief states that said decision fails to respect Congress' broad power and its oblig… Continue Reading

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01.15.19

Murkowski, Schatz, Young Introduce Native American Millennium Challenge Demonstration Act

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Congressman Don Young (R-AK) today introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation, the Native American Millennium Challenge Demonstration Act. This legislation creates a domestic pilot project, based on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which promotes sustainable economic growth and creates efforts to reduce poverty in remote Native American and Native Hawaiian communities in a manner that encourages self-determination and self… Continue Reading

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09.20.18

Bipartisan Bill Addresses Suicide Crisis in Native Communities

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Dan Sullivan joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and fourteen other Senate colleagues in introducing the Native American Suicide Prevention Act. This legislation would help address the alarming suicide rate in Native communities by requiring collaboration among state governments and tribal communities to develop and implement statewide suicide early intervention and prevention strategies. This legislation ensures Native communities are not left out of t… Continue Reading

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08.27.18

Murkowski Hosts First-Ever Indian Affairs Field Hearing in Savoonga

The first of its kind, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) chaired a field hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in Savoonga, Alaska. During the field hearing on overcrowded housing and the impacts on American Indian and Alaska Natives, a panel of witnesses gave testimonials to the issue as well as solutions to overcrowded housing and housing affordability across Alaska. The hearing featured the following witnesses: President of the Native Village of Savoonga, Delbert Pungowiyi; Savoo… Continue Reading