Jun 30, 2023 | News
On April 3, 2023, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register entitled “Conservation and Landscape Health” for the public lands managed by BLM. The proposed rule is intended to increase conservation efforts as a part of BLM’s...
Jun 30, 2023 | News
On June 15, 2023 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the United States Bankruptcy Code unambiguously abrogates the sovereign immunity of all governments, including federally recognized Indian tribes. In Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v....
Jun 30, 2023 | News
In his first few months as Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, used negotiations on a bill to increase the debt ceiling to rescind “unobligated” COVID-19 related funding—including some tribal funding. The bill also put limitations on future spending and included...
Jun 16, 2023 | News
Yesterday, June 15, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in the Haaland v. Brackeen case. The decision affirms the political government-to-government relationship between Indian tribes and...
May 31, 2023 | Insights
On May 5, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Proposed Rule to establish baseline federal water quality standards for Indian reservation waters that currently do not have standards in effect under the Clean Water Act (CWA). EPA says this rule...
May 31, 2023 | Insights
On April 27, 2023, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled “Actions Needed to Improve Interior’s Management of Trust Services.” In this report, GAO assessed the Department of Interior’s evolving management of trust funds for Indian tribes...
May 31, 2023 | Insights
As a part of permitting reforms in Congress, on April 26, 2023, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced S. 1322, the Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and...
May 31, 2023 | Insights
While the United States Supreme Court considers whether to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in the Haaland v. Brackeen case, a number of State governments have passed laws supporting protections for Native American children in foster care systems and in...
Apr 27, 2023 | Insights
On March 30, 2023, the Vatican officially repudiated its Doctrine of Discovery. For more than 500 years, European colonialism used the Doctrine of Discovery to justify taking Native American lands and natural resources. In its simplest terms, the Doctrine of Discovery...
Apr 27, 2023 | Insights
On April 4, 2023, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) waived the copayment requirement for American Indian and Alaskan Native veterans receiving care at VA healthcare centers. The VA published the final rule in the Federal Register at 88 FR 19862-19873 (Final...
