Emergency Tribal Legislation

Currently there are two bills before our federal legislators. Take action and contact the folks below.

S. 3622 – Indian Tribal Government Coronavirus Disaster Assistance Cost Share Relief Act, which would waive the 25 percent non-federal cost share that tribes must currently provide to receive disaster assistance through FEMA.

This bill is currently before the Senate Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs Committee. Contact the committee and ask them to support this bill and move it forward.

S.3666/H.R.6819 – To fund grants for the immediate deployment of temporary wireless broadband service on Tribal lands and Hawaiian Home Lands, to provide emergency special temporary authority to use electromagnetic spectrum for the provision of wireless broadband service on Tribal lands and Hawaiian Home Lands, and for other purposes.

Some background info on internet on reservations:

Rural tribes finally have a shot at faster internet
Here is an older paper “No Connection: The Issue of Internet on the Reservation by Emily Siess, but it does bring forward general issues of internet in Indian Country
Another reference is “Native Americans On Tribal Land Are ‘The Least Connected’ To High-Speed Internet“

HR 6819 is currently before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

S 3666 is currently before the Committee on Indian Affairs

Contact the committees and ask them to move this bill forward.

Also, contact Murray, Cantwell and Larsen and ask them to be aware of them and push them through was well through their respective houses.

Cantwell: https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/contact/email/form

Murray: https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme

Larsen: https://larsen.house.gov/contact/

Remember, WA Sen. Maria Cantwell sits on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and she can and should be contacted on any Indian legislation before Congress.

Emergency Tribal Legislation – Take Action!

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